[PVRCNC] [PVRC] How to View Winlink Traffic

Sun Jul 21 19:12:10 EDT 2019

Dear Tyler, Lee, and others who keep asking for proof that Winlink’s data is effectively encrypted (as if they believe it is somehow open). Here is some proof:

1.       See the vast comments filed in RM-11708 in 2013/2014 (and historic complaints and evidence in RM—11306)

2.       See: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1071863434533/FINAL%20VERSION%20Siddall%20reply%20June%2018.pdf

3.       See: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10718632326911/July%2018%2C%202019%20Ex%20Parte%20Filing.pdf

4.       See: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/1222718116209

5.       See: Appendix B in: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1040322516387/FCC%20Letter%20RM%2011831%20final.pdf

6.       See N1FM decoding: https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/wide-bandwidth-digital-danger.639948/page-21

7.       See the discussion of how Pactor differs from FT-8; where Pactor is only open in the peer-to-peer mode www.pactor.com

8.       See admission by Pactor modem maker SCS stating they know a decoder is not available and requires substantial resources: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10417301289214/SCS_FCC_Comment_RM11831.pdf

9.       I have publicly, in front of the FCC, asked ARRL board members numerous times over the past 6 months to use W1AW and Pactor modems that they have in Newington to try and decode over the air, for meaning, other Winlink signals. They have not provided any evidence of conducting these experiments, but as noted below, 3 ARRL officials have openly admitted they know it cannot be decoded.

10.   I have emails, sent personally to me,  from 2 ARRL board members that they know Pactor cannot be decoded over the air by hams.

11.   N5AUS, director of ARRL in Texas, admitted at a recent CTDXCC meeting that he knew Pactor cannot be decoded over the air by hams. It was witnessed by 20 peopole in Austin who voted unanimously that all data transmitted in ham radio must be open for over the air interception for true meaning.

12.   The experiment by Gordon Gibby has been completely debunked in front of the FCC: https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1071758880862/Reply%20to%20Gibby%20comments.pdf

In the face of all of this evidence, one must ask why do Winlink supporters continue to hold on to the view that their data is open for intercept, and why does the ARRL board take no action. Let us hope they do not try and advance Pactor 4 or any hint of 16-239 without FIRST  addressing the glaring violations of the basic tenets of amateur radio. 

Lee, Tyler, is this sufficient to satisfy your question?

73 ted n9nb

From: pvrc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:pvrc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Tyler R. (K3MTR) via PVRC
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:53 AM
To: Lee - N2LEE
Cc: PVRC
Subject: Re: [PVRC] How to View Winlink Traffic

Just a few short days ago, the claim was made that Winlink was "effectively encrypted" and no one in the world had been able to recover a Winlink transmission. One of our very own members in the community at large stepped up and used good old fashioned amateur experimentation to permanently dispell the lie that Winlink is encrypted. I thought for sure that would end the debate, or at least end the use of the term "encryption" in this debate.

I'm still waiting for someone to write their own scientific paper to counter that argument with a proof that it actually is encrypted.

The claim has also been made that Winlink traffic is unnecessary, and could be facilitated by other means. The same could be said by any non-ham about the HF bands, while pointing to their cell phone.

When Armageddon hits us, I'd like to think all the work we hams have been doing would be in preparation for when we're actually needed. The best time to prepare for an emergency is before it strikes, right?

It is my understanding that traffic nets -- even our beloved CW nets -- are often consumed with nothing more exciting than "happy birthday" messages and "congrats on your license", but they keep the system well-oiled for when a true emergency strikes and we're called on for message passing.

Winlink boasts a network that shares thousands of messages a month. If we shoot from the hip and kill that with poor legislation, we will have destroyed a capability of ham radio that cell phones don't have.

There will always be lids who will want and try to abuse the system. I'm sure you can find someone who thinks 2m ham radio is encrypted and private just because they can pick their own frequency that's far away from 146.520 and turn on C4FM digital. Should we ban that next? All because someone mistakenly thinks it's encrypted?

I believe there actually is a valid concern underneath all this fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), about spectrum usage, abuse of the service by lids, and by another mode of operation creeping in and taking over the bands, pushing the rest of us out. But we should take the high road and make a strong case using those arguments instead of lying and spreading FUD with terms like "encryption".

Just as a reminder, here is the work of that amateur radio operator who was called to action to "break" the Winlink "encryption":

 <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cBOkmjllUF9GLQuzPFZnxFHWuJszTzgU/view?usp=sharing> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cBOkmjllUF9GLQuzPFZnxFHWuJszTzgU/view?usp=sharing

If that's the best crypto a ham can come up with, we're in poor shape.

I look forward to reading the scientific paper response on true Winlink encryption.

73 de Tyler R., K3MTR cellular

On Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 9:33 PM Lee - N2LEE via PVRC <pvrc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

There was an interesting paper just released by Gordon Gibby, KX4Z on how to "Spy on Winlink".

The document demonstrates how to receive Winlink traffic regardless if the protocol is Pactor or any protocol being used.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cBOkmjllUF9GLQuzPFZnxFHWuJszTzgU/view?usp=sharing

Here is a part of the Preface from his paper.

"This is the story of how I apparently become the first person to

document how to spy on, or crack a WINLINK mode. As you’ll soon

find out, WINLINK is not encrypted, and so there is NO REASON why

anyone couldn’t do what I did, or even much better."

Pretty interesting considering the debate surround this topic.

Lee - N2LEE

On Jul 16, 2019, at 8:56 PM, pvrc-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:

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Today's Topics:

  1. ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 19-20 - POSSIBLE VOTE ON
     EFFECTIVELY ECNRYPTED DATA (Ted Rappaport N9NB)
  2. 1A0C loud on 7.004 up ~2 (roland.anders at comcast.net)
  3. Force 12 C3 For Sale (Ed Kucharski)
  4. SWVA Chapter Meeting Tomorrow! (Anthony Brooks)
  5. FW:  1A0C loud on 7.004 up ~2 (W3YY)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 18:59:49 -0400
From: "Ted Rappaport N9NB" <tsrwvcomm at aol.com>
To: <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>, "'CTDXCC List List'"
<ctdxcc at lists.kkn.net>, <tsrwvcomm at aol.com>
Subject: [PVRC] ARRL Board of Directors to Meet July 19-20 - POSSIBLE
VOTE ON EFFECTIVELY ECNRYPTED DATA
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Dear Colleagues: 

There is an important upcoming ARRL board meeting on Friday July 19, 2019?3 days from now. 

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/2019%20Board%20of%20Directors/01%20Agenda%202019%20July%20Board%20Meeting.pdf

Please spread the word to forums and clubs, and please take a few moments for our wonderful avocation. 

For the first time ever, there may be  a vote on ?effectively encrypted? data in ham radio at the ARRL Board meeting- just in a few days!

You can see what is happening at ARRL and Winlink/ARSFI and what they are telling the FCC! It is quite revealing, and is why you must write ARRL directors today ***before the board meeting** about what you want for the future of ham radio!

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/107152292806056

Although many ARRL directors and hams around the world know that Pactor and other Winlink data signals cannot be decoded over the air by others (no one has reported the W1AW Pactor or other Winlink modes can intercept other Winlink traffic over the air!), some people still ?claim? to the FCC that, through contrived experiments, there is ?nothing there to see?: 

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1071540521688/FCCCommentJuly2019.pdf

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/10715183432187

After 20 years, the charade continues, even though hams and many ARRL Directors know that this stuff, which is 20 year old technology, cannot be decoded by others over the air, even if you have a Pactor modem or another Winlink sound card.

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/1222718116209

http://www.pactor.com/

Please write the ARRL DIRECTORS before the board meeting this Friday ? let your voice be heard on what you want for ham radio.

Let the ARRL Board know that ham radio should be open for all, with all transmitted data readily available for open decoding, for meaning,  by any listener over the air.  This is the only way our avocation can self-police, ensure transparency in all that happens on our airwaves, ensure emergency assistance when needed, and keep out business and commercial bypass. All of the ARRL director addresses are easily found and pasted into your email at: 

https://wireless-girl.com/ARRL_officers.html (refresh your browser at that page).

PLEASE, today, urge the ARRL Directors to **end the use of ham radio as a common carrier email system***. Please spread the word to all hams you know, and urge that the current ARRL directors vote for all data to be open and transparent for over-the-air intercept.

Hopefully, with many , many simple emails to the ARRL Directors:  (1) expressing your desire to have them represent our hobby and take actions such that all radio transmissions may be received over the air in an open, transparent way, and (2)protesting the use of ham radio  as a pseudo-commercial email system that lets ham radio be used to provide email service to any non-ham and to any business, including spam,  without any human oversight of the emails that go out over the air.  

In taking a few minutes out of your day for our hobby, please think how NOT addressing this issue could impact the future of our country, our hobby, and our amateur radio spectrum for the long term. thanks for your interest and for spreading the word before Friday.  

73 ted n9nb  

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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 19:53:41 -0400
From: <roland.anders at comcast.net>
To: "'PVRC'" <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [PVRC] 1A0C loud on 7.004 up ~2
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 20:17:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ed Kucharski <k3dne at comcast.net>
To: PVRC <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [PVRC] Force 12 C3 For Sale
Message-ID: <689669840.713227.1563322629387 at connect.xfinity.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I hate to part with this antenna however the space at my new QTH is just not big enough. 

It is a Force 12 C3 tribander. It has been on the ground for the last 15 months and for the last year stored in my garage. It is partially disassembled - I broke down several of the longer elements (by removing the rivets). The boom is still at it's full 18 foot length. I can provide a couple of photos of it sitting in my garage if interested. I have the manual but it is buried either in a box in the garage or at my storage unit in Greenwood SC. When I come across it I will forward to the new owner.

$300.

Pick-up at my temporary QTH in Simpsonville, SC.

73,

Ed K3DNE

410-274-6261
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 20:53:01 -0400
From: Anthony Brooks <glen.anthony.brooks at gmail.com>
To: pvrc-roabburg at groups.io, PVRC <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [PVRC] SWVA Chapter Meeting Tomorrow!
Message-ID:
<CA+DC6GLAD9EwXP5KsAFj5Jqj5XM1pX83yV6hvg=1zzVdj_GV5Q at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Just a reminder that tomorrow evening, there will be a SWVA Chapter PVRC
meeting at 630PM at Jersey Lily's in Salem.

Hope to see plenty of folks tomorrow night.

73 de
Anthony, WM3T
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 20:56:10 -0400
From: "W3YY" <w3yy at cox.net>
To: "'PVRC Reflector'" <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [PVRC] FW:  1A0C loud on 7.004 up ~2
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Just running barefoot, I just worked him on the first call.  He was
listening up 1.  He's 599+ here.

73, Bob - W3YY

From: pvrc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:pvrc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On
Behalf Of Rol K3RA via PVRC
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2019 7:54 PM
To: 'PVRC'
Subject: [PVRC] 1A0C loud on 7.004 up ~2

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