Thank you Steve, NL7W, for sending that excellent clarification concerning the use of encryption in Amateur Radio.
It amazes me how clever some people can be in trying to justify something that isn't legal. Another example that comes to mind is-- on 60 meters, where one guy says, "since my dipole is a lot lower in height than yours, and less efficient, I can run 100 watts instead of 50." Dang... Well, imagine that? It's just plum amazing ain't it? Thanks again Steve! 73, Charlie Schlieper, N5TD ----- Original Message ----- From: Steve Gehring To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 7:32 PM Subject: Re: [DSTAR_DIGITAL] Re: Encryption on Amateur Frequencies Hello Stephen, Despite your your publicized efforts to make known the encryption keys used, DES-XL encryption is just that -- encryption. Using encryption or cyphers is verboten under Part 97.309(4)(c). There's no way to "get around" the encryption issue -- either you're implementing encryption, or you're not. It's that simple... I know your radios have the ability to turn off the encryption or cypher feature, for I have worked as a technician, engineer, and a consultant in the public safety communications, commercial wire-line and wireless, and DoD / non-DoD government telecommunications industries for well over twenty years now. Therefore, do not engage the feature, per regulation, on amateur bands. Now, if you wish to operate digitally modulated radios using Project 25 C4FM or D-Star's GMSK modulation (or others), with DVSI's various vocoders, or other currently known codecs, that is perfectly fine! Experimentation and technical discovery is highly encouraged and remains the essential essence of amateur radio. Just do not encrypt or cypher said digital streams, for it is verboten, per regulation. There's no "getting around" this until Part 97 regs are changed. ;) 73 de Steve, NL7W Stephen Reynolds wrote: > > I have 3 D-Star radio's and two P-25 ASIII's with DES-XL Encryption > units in them. I also own a Keyloader for the ASIII's. There is one > way to get around the Encryption Issue. You come up on the frequency > you intend to use it on, in the clear, Announce the Daily Key, and > say, "join us if you can". This is done more than you would believe > across the country and makes the Key Public, not private. You do have > to be on the right frequency at the right time to get the key, but it > is Published. I also hold Commercial Licenses that enables me to do > the same without the announcement in the ASIII's. > > Steve W4CNG > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
