Batboard

We have ordered hundreds of kits that will upgrade our digital radios [XTS3000's Astro Spectra +] so that they can operate IMBE CAI [Q806] secure [UCM DES-OFB] on a Smartzone 3.0 mixed mode system.

In preparation for the upgrade, I have been attempting to understand all the features and programming choices.

I see that talkgroup calls can be set [strapped] to be clear or coded OR selectable [by the user with the concentric coded clear switch]

I cannot find any reference in either the RSS or the CPS to releate secure to private calls. How would one program the radio so that all private calls are secure? OR - does secure private call REQUIRE the concentric switch?

In general [to keep it simple for users] we prefer to strap everything to operate in a defined manner.

A further complication would arise with multi-key. Talkgroups can be slaved to a particular key but even if the concentric coded/clear switch drives secure capability for private calls - what key would the radio use?

Unfortunately, we won't have the system upgraded for some time, so I can't just program some radios and try it out - so any help from secure knowledgeable batboarders would be appreciated!

Private calls can't be strapped coded/clear in the radio. The secure/clear/both setting in the "Radio User" record in the "User Configuration Manager" is used to set the allowed modes for private calls. The radio would receive a reject with a PTT if the selected secure mode on the radio doesn't match the manager allowed secure mode.

RSS/CPS allows configuration of a single key to be used for all private calls. This is done from the RSS "Trunking/System/Multikey Options" (F4/F4/F3/F7) screen. Consoles will always use DIU key slot number 1 for private calls.

Gentlemen - thank you both for your assistance! What I did not previously say was that I had posed these questions to a Motorola sales rep, a project manager, a system engineer, and to the RSS support line in Plantation. Zero useful answers. They might as well have all been Radio Shack employees! [although a couple of them are checking this out and may yet come back with useful information]

The two answers here point out a fact which I will amplify for the benefit of anyone else reading this thread. On a Smartzone system [Smartnet also] the functionality of a subscriber radio is partly determined by what you program into it with RSS and partly defined by the fixed end records for that unit.

It is critical that the two sets of programming are consistent. This is why system managers want tight control over the user unit programming of radios that will be placed on their system.

In this case, I had failed to fully explore the fixed end programming. The User Configuration Manager that JohnG referred to is a function of the fixed end programming at the Smartzone managers terminal. The secure field he pointed out is grouped with other fields that affect that user in a global sense, i.e. is the user authorized, etc. The "Help On Fields" function discloses that this particular field affects private calls and interconnect calls only - not talkgroup calls.

That gets us 50% of the way there. The other 50% is the actual RSS/CPS programming, which as r0f pointed out, does allow slaving a particualr key to private calls, etc. I am 100% with r0f that the currently selected talkgroup has no bearing on how the call will be handled.[although the guy in Plantation tried to tell me that's how it works]

Unfortunately - I believe we are going to be faced with some tough decisions. When the system was installed there was no secure. Accordingly they used every switch on the radio for something. Side button 1 = light, side button 2 = phone, side button 3 = private call, A/B/C = zones, orange button = emergency, and concentric = scan on/off.

Oops - how do we deal with secure. We plan to strap it on particular talkgroups. This works - no problem. I am guessing here, but it looks like if I don't program the concentric as coded/clear = all PC and interconnect calls would depend on the ZC record. If that parameter was set to "both" then the switch would be necessary to select. If set to "clear" all would be clear - and if set to "secure', the radio would try to make all private calls secure.

All well and good but this is a mixed system. Some radios will be IMBE digital with secure, some digital without secure capability, and some analog [w/o secure]

Right now the users are either digital or analog. If a digital user initiates a PC to another digital radio - the call gets assigned a digital resource. If a digital user calls an analog radio [or visa versa] the call gets placed as an analog call [rather than being rejected]. With secure thrown into the mix, depending on the programming - some calls could be rejected.

We may have to choose to have all private calls be clear so that analog radios can still participate and to avoid some calls being rejected. That would also avoid user confusion - not to mention having to reprogram all the radios and retrain all the users regarding the concentric switch.

Anyway - thanks again guys - I told the boss that batboard resources would come through faster than M. That's the great thing about our electronic community - the ability to quickly share knowledge - no one person can have all the answers!