Batboard

I have been reading about the ongoing saga with racial slurs being booadcast over Chicago FD radios. The most recent news is that they are reprogramming radios to make it easier to identify the source of transmissions. I have checked and Chicago FD is on VHF band using a conventional CTCSS. How can the source of transmission be inentified on this system? Does each "legitimate" radio broadcast some kind of identifier with each transmission? What are they likely to do to make this system any more secure? I would think any nut who buys a VHF radio off of ebay and programs it to the correct input/output frequencies and CTCSS would be able to continue to do this unless they went to an encrypted system. Their solution will only work if it is indeed a firefighter doing this and not just someone outside the FD wanting to cause trouble. Any comments?

They had a blurb about it in the last MRT email. It sounds like they are doing very little and making it sound like they are re-inventing the wheel to save the world.

I suspect they are going to make the input and output PL different. Maybe setup some kind of repeater access tone? Nothing someone with a modern scanner couldn't figure out in a day or two. Perhaps they are going to put MDC ID's in too but that won't keep other people out.

MDC will identify each radio individually.

You are correct in that anyone would be able to just get a radio off of Ebay, but at least the department will know it wasn't one of their radios that is causing the problem...

If a department member is using a personnal radio, then it would be in his best interest not to because he'll be under the microscope if he does.

Of course, if they just used FRS radios a PL would make it secure from those evil people with scanners causing interference....

Three tools for, shall we say, “arresting” jammers…

1: Triangulation or Directional Location. Find the jammer.

http://www.dopsys.com/
or
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bi ... n&key=DDF1

2: Amateur Radio Clubs. The manpower. Any HAM club or RACES group would jump at the opportunity to “t-hunt” or transmitter hunt an actual “jammer” . Most HAM clubs practice this skill regularly. The cost to the fire department in this case, letters of appreciation on FD letterhead.

RACES information
http://www.ARESRACES.com

T-hunt information
http://www.qsl.net/n6bg/thunt/
or
http://members.aol.com/homingin/

3:Transmitter Fingerprinting. Positively identifying the transmitter that has caused the interference(s).

I believe this product has been mentioned before.

It has its limitations, but pretty cool.

http://www.motron.com/TransmitterID.html

While looking at mrt today It seems like CFD didn't do a very good job at keeping the system "hacker" proof.

But at least they KNOW it wasn't one of their radios

WHat's really odd about this is the system, both the conventional UHF PD Zone and Citywide system AND the FD VHF conventional are already MDC enabled and have been for years.

The problems CFD had were internal, not some weirdo hacker but disgruntled invidiuals within the department making the racist commentary.