VHF Saber Securenet marking

[bradlington]

I am new to the securenet enviroment so I am hoping to get some answers :

I have two VHF sabers.

They have the wing knob.

They are marked on the top of the radio "SECURENET"

My question is this :Does this mean they are off the shelf ""SECURENET "radios or are they "Securenet " compatible where they are only marked to indicate that they can take the module.

Any help in the right direction on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

Brad

[Tom in D.C.]

Brad.

Securenet Sabers have a different, longer case than the standard Sabers. The extra length (about 20mm) is clearly visible in the space between the speaker grille and the bottom of the case on the front of the radio. If you remove the chassis from the case and then remove the front shield you'll see the space for the encryption module, which is required to load a secure encryption key into the radio. The alternative to the module is a jumper module that also fits in the space and allows non-secure operation; electrically it's a one-wire jumper. The radios must have either the encryption module OR the jumper to work. If you have a standard Saber, not securenet length, that has the special switch on top it probably is, or was, a Saber 1-E.

Encryption keys are volatile on Securenet Sabers. Remove the battery for more than a few seconds and the key is lost. On Astro Sabers they're selectable as volatile or permanent in the software.

To answer your question ("My question is this...") the radios were built either as Securnet (long) Sabers or standard (short) Sabers, and if the case says "Securenet" on it's top then it's got to have the module space.

Regards,

[kf4sqb]

Just FYI, the Saber's should retain the encryption key for about 30 seconds after battery removal (or the battery voltage gets low enough). As long as you keep a good battery on it, and perform all battery swaps in under 30 seconds, it should keep the key.

To provide a perhaps slightly clearer answer to your original question, yes, if it is labeled "Securenet" on the top, it is secure capable. You will simply need to put in the correct module for whatever flavor of encryption you wish to use (if the correct module isn't already in it) and program the radio with the RSS to tell it to allow encrypted operation. If you don't plan to use encryption, you will have to have either an encryption module, a "dummy" bypass module, or a simple wire jumper installed for the radio to pass audio.

[DJP126]

Just FYI, the Saber's should retain the encryption key for about 30 seconds after battery removal (or the battery voltage gets low enough). As long as you keep a good battery on it, and perform all battery swaps in under 30 seconds, it should keep the key.

PROVIDED that you shut the radio OFF first. If you swap the battery with the radio on, you lose the key instantly.

[kf4sqb]

Thanks for keeping me straight, Dave. I forgot to mention that little detail....