Tow Trucks

[Garry]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/s ... 6432231374

[matthewn1983]

So they (police) had a console stolen, but they cant stun or kill it? Confused?

[Bigfella237]

The answer seems simple to me... DROP THE ENCRYPTION on the police channels!

Problem solved.

[ivahri]

Anyone who knows how encryption keys work can drive a Mack truck through the rubbish in that story. Journos being fed rubbish by people who talk out of their posterior are bound to write this guff. And I saw a pink pig go flying past Bigfella...

Cheers

Richard

[ivahri]

Consoles aren't fitted to cars... they can't even get the terminology right. Control head? Does that sound more likely? Ever tried to use a control head without the brick? Honestly... BEAT UP!

You can't extract an encryption key out of a radio & you can't save the codeplug with the key to put into another radio...


Richard

[matthewn1983]

The only thing I can think of would be the MDT - but that has nothing to do with the radio. Runs via Telstra 3G network if im correct. Which also requires a username and password to logon (for auditing, security etc.) So even if the story is relating to that in some way, I find it hard to believe that this is what they are using. Still all points to a stolen radio (never heard what happened to the person or company that actually had the police vehicle in their possession either)

Criminal gangs have set up special "hot rooms" manned 24 hours a day at the rear of smash repair yards with people listening to scanners using codes stolen from police encrypted radios.

Somehow i dont think so - unless the police actually come out and state how many radios (mobile and/or portables) have been lost or stolen since the encryption was put in place, and then in the last 12 months since the key change.

[freqwaves]

people listening to scanners using codes stolen from police encrypted radios.

I did not know there's a scanner on the market that can be programmed with encryption codes??
What a load of bull !

John.

[JimK]

The whole story is written in err. It talks about "illegal codes" and "downloaded" which I know is impossible to do from a Motorola radio and I would guess that it is the same on a Tait since they are designed to APCO25 specs.

Codes are not "illegal" to own in Australia anyway. Unlike the the USA it is not illegal to monitor encrypted radios.

If anything they would be "stolen radios" which on the NSW Police PMR system is possible to keep running as I doubt the cops would be stunning radios that they might think are stolen... if they knew when they are on and on what channel. Who knows, they might not even know if the radio is stolen or what channel it is listening to anyway. The radio will become a brick when they re-code, but I have no idea how often the cops do that.

Now, if they were running a trunking system, their security would be far superior... stunned as soon as it affiliates.

[matthewn1983]

Simple audit at each LAC would show any missing radios, at our work we have to prove the whereabouts of our work supplied mobile phone each month, as some go missing or are damaged etc, so it wouldnt be hard to keep track of them. One would think when we (taxpayer) spend a bucketload of cash for the police to have an encrypted radio network, that they'd actually keep it secure. (ie, once its out of their hands, its useless to the person who has it, stun, inhibit what ever.) Its pointless otherwise, reguardless of a Conventional network or a Trunked network, theres still the option of killing the radio, and if the excuse is, "we don't know which radio it is, or wasn't aware of one being stolen" then theres serious problems.

[JimK]

And it would be good if a simple audit was done, but I doubt that happens often. And with more than 15000 radios there is a lot more than just the LACs.
Killing radios on this system is manual. They need to know when the radio is on and what channel it maybe on.

Just because a 'bucket load of money' was spent to have this system (which per radio was probably a lot cheaper than having a trunked system) doesn't mean "Oh, we better look after the tax payers dollar better".