I am confused about system key files. I know Motorola Smartnet/Zone radios require a system key to program trunking personalities, but does a Motorola true APCO 25 9600 baud control channel compliant radio require a system key file to program trunking personalities? What if Motorola is not the manufacturer of the radio ie. EF Johnson, or Racal/Thales APCO 25 radios? What if Motorola is not the manufacturer of the infrastructure?Would a tyco/macom/ericsson/ge APCO 25 system have a system key when their APCO 16 systems do not?
Would SKEYGEN generate a system key file to enable APCO 25 trunking personality programming? (I think the 1st amendment allows for discussion about SKEYGEN)
And while were at it, what does the RSS do with the system key file? Does the "regulation" take place in the RSS or in the radio?
Does it "turn on" the trunking personality option of the RSS. Or does it send the key to the radio in the code plug to allow the radio to compare to data sent over the control channel?
Sorry for my ignorance, but I have searched everywhere for a understanding of system key file but not much is available on the subject. Thank you.
Is a system key part of the APCO 25 standard???
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Elroy Jetson
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The question, whether or not a system key is part of the Project 25 standard, can be answered simply like this:
No.
ALL Motorola trunking systems require a system key in order to program trunking data into the subscriber radios. The key itself is not present within the system in any way, though. It is only to allow programming of the trunking data into the radios, and to identify one system from another. That's it.
System keys are between 29 and 33 bytes long and the data they contain is encrypted. Hacking one would be questionable at best, but they do not carry a copyright notice so technically it would not be illegal to play with one once you obtained it...if you obtained it legally.
Since ONLY Motorola provides a fully Apco Project 25 Digital Trunking compliant system solution, the question of whether or not a key is required for competing systems is a moot point. There are no other players in the field. While aspects of Motorola's solution are proprietary (this IS allowed for in the specifications within certain limits), so are the other solutions offerered by tyco/macom/comnet/ericsson/ge/whomever-they-are-this-week, and those solutions deviate SUBSTANTIALLY from the P25 trunking standard to the point where it is very accurate to say that they are NOT compliant.
There ARE other companies that provide products that are 100 percent interoperable with a Motorola P25 digital trunking system, but they provide only subscriber radios and site transmitters and receivers, not the infrastructure. Racal and RELM are two such providers.
Visit http://www.apcointl.org (I think that's it) for more info.
Elroy
No.
ALL Motorola trunking systems require a system key in order to program trunking data into the subscriber radios. The key itself is not present within the system in any way, though. It is only to allow programming of the trunking data into the radios, and to identify one system from another. That's it.
System keys are between 29 and 33 bytes long and the data they contain is encrypted. Hacking one would be questionable at best, but they do not carry a copyright notice so technically it would not be illegal to play with one once you obtained it...if you obtained it legally.
Since ONLY Motorola provides a fully Apco Project 25 Digital Trunking compliant system solution, the question of whether or not a key is required for competing systems is a moot point. There are no other players in the field. While aspects of Motorola's solution are proprietary (this IS allowed for in the specifications within certain limits), so are the other solutions offerered by tyco/macom/comnet/ericsson/ge/whomever-they-are-this-week, and those solutions deviate SUBSTANTIALLY from the P25 trunking standard to the point where it is very accurate to say that they are NOT compliant.
There ARE other companies that provide products that are 100 percent interoperable with a Motorola P25 digital trunking system, but they provide only subscriber radios and site transmitters and receivers, not the infrastructure. Racal and RELM are two such providers.
Visit http://www.apcointl.org (I think that's it) for more info.
Elroy
The system key question comes up every month or so. The easiest way to describe it might be to compare the RSS to Shareware. Without the system key, the RSS acts similar to Shareware, it operates, but with limitations. Many screens are "view only". You cannot modify them in any way. The system key could be compared to a registration number, or even a "crack" or "patch", that you would apply to the Shareware program. With the system key, the RSS acts like a "full version" software, allowing you to modify available parameters as you like.
It's an easy analogy for anyone who's dealt with other Shareware/Softwares. For others, it's probably just gibberish. See the posts above in that case, they explain it pretty well. BTW, yes, the SKEYGEN will make a working key for any Motorola radio, Apco25 or not, but of course nobody except Motorola has it...
Todd
It's an easy analogy for anyone who's dealt with other Shareware/Softwares. For others, it's probably just gibberish. See the posts above in that case, they explain it pretty well. BTW, yes, the SKEYGEN will make a working key for any Motorola radio, Apco25 or not, but of course nobody except Motorola has it...
Todd
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Elroy Jetson
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2001 4:00 pm
Skeygen? I assume that would be system key generation software, based on the name and topic?
No, somehow I'm fairly sure that such software would be under
intense security and will never, EVER get out. If it did, then Motorola's internal security measures would be worthy only of a good belly laugh. The team responsible would remind you of a troop of monkeys taking turns humping a football, only not quite so well-coordinated.
Elroy
No, somehow I'm fairly sure that such software would be under
intense security and will never, EVER get out. If it did, then Motorola's internal security measures would be worthy only of a good belly laugh. The team responsible would remind you of a troop of monkeys taking turns humping a football, only not quite so well-coordinated.
Elroy
System Key
Since we are on the subject. Radios which also work on Motorolas' Smartnet , Smartzone and Apco 25 Trunking are the Transcrypt Johnson,
radios and they require a system key also, but its different from Motorola
so you can't swap them or try to program the opposing models........
radios and they require a system key also, but its different from Motorola
so you can't swap them or try to program the opposing models........
