Narrow-Band Channel Spacing Frequencies For Railroad Radio

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Does the fact or doctrine that the airwaves are supposedly ‘public’ enter into the encryption question at all [Q]

I can see Sheriff Andy having a legitimate need for that - so the bad guys can’t track where Deputy Barney Phife [or Fife] is and plan their misdeeds for where he isn’t, as well as the other emergency services providers, etc.

But I don’t see the same general need for railroad communications or taxis or tow trucks, etc. to be encrytpted. Privacy, secrecy, and confidentiality is nice to have, of course - but if that is wanted, then shouldn’t the user then have to be compelled to buy that kind of service from a commercial provider of same, like a wireless phone company, Nextel, etc. If the public airwaves are going to be used, then the transmissions should generally remain public as well. Kind of like using the public streets - or not.

‘I don’t have a dog in this fight’ - just putting this idea out here for debate and discussion, etc.

  • Paul North.
22

Encryption serves two functions: privacy and authentication. Privacy is probably not so important an issue in the land mobile world, for the most part, but authentication can be of importance. It becomes an extra layer of assurance that the communications received are actually from the proper source.

As for encryption on the “public” airwaves, bear in mind, for instance, that digital cell phone traffic is now encrypted. There has been some weak assumption in the privacy of radio communications, I say ‘weak’ because in practicality, the laws prohibiting disclosure of intercepted transmissions have rarely been enforced. Nonetheless, every commercial radio operator license I have been issued over the past 40+ years has had the reminder on the back that it was a violation of law to disclose the content of an intercepted transmission.