[aprssig] Part 3/3: Updating APRS Clients (Consumer Needs)

[Scott Miller]

The frequency inversion scrambling that's still being used by some law 
enforcement agencies is equally trivial to defeat with a scanner and a 
sound card.  I once did that just to find out who was using scrambling 
on a frequency that didn't show up on any of my lists for the local area 
- figured it was a taxi dispatch service or something but it was 
obviously LE activity once I got it descrambled.  They never did provide 
any form of identification and used very generic callsigns like 'Unit 1' 
and 'Unit 3', though, so I don't know who exactly it was.

Anyway, my point is that as long as you can't see it by just going to a 
web page, it might be ENOUGH protection.

Scott
N1VG

Steve Dimse wrote:

> Yes, but it is still an open protocol without encryption, something 
> anyone can receive with a $50 scanner and a sound card. That is not 
> going to pass muster with a modern emergency manager.