Motorola's Advanced Keys

Tutorial Scripts

The Introduction See This Tutorial Segment

Advanced Keys allow or deny CPS-programming of certain Trunking System and Trunking Personality protected-fields and features, and allow for certain Conventional-dispatch feature access.

The three Advanced Key Types include: Advanced Conventional, Trunking Advanced System, and Trunking Advanced WACN. Distributed on a Key Device from Motorola, specific Master Key - Key IDs, and specific Master Key - Keys Types, allow for the creation of Advanced Keys.

Advanced Keys are defined and created within the Advanced Keys Administrator program. Loading Master Keys and loading Advance Keys into the Administrator program is accomplished with a Key Device Reader. Within this Administrator program, creating specifically-defined Advanced Keys allows a manager to determine CPS-programmer limitations, or allows for unlimited CPS-programmer access to all CPS fields and features.

Once defined, Advanced Keys are then created by saving them to a Key Device. These keys may then be distributed to the appropriate CPS-users. Ultimately, CPS-users may load Advanced Keys into the APX or ASTRO 25 CPS, where their Key Definitions for limited-access or full-access will apply.

Defining and Creating Keys See This Tutorial Segment

The Advanced Keys Administrator program can be launched from the Windows “Start” menu. Alternately, the Administrator program may be launched from the APX CPS. From the Ribbon Bar’s Tools tab, click to select the “Options” button, then click to view the “Admin” page, and finally click the “Advanced Key Administrator” button. The Administrator program may also be launched from the ASTRO 25 CPS. From the Tools Menu, click the “System Keys”, “Advanced Keys Configuration” selection.

In all three program-launch cases, in order to run this program  you must either be logged into your computer as an Administrator, or you must right-click to launch the program in Administrator mode.

The first thing to note is that a Key Device containing Master Keys allows for the creation of Advanced Keys that can then be distributed on other Key Devices. Once a Key Device containing appropriate Master Keys is attached to your computer’s USB port, click the “Read Keys” button in order to load these Master Keys into the Administrator program. And, when a Key Device containing Advanced Keys is attached to your computer’s USB port, click the same “Read Keys” button in order to load the Advanced Keys.

Master Keys allow Advanced Keys of the same Key ID to be created. Different Master “Key Types” are possible based-on your specific Conventional or Trunking dispatch needs. To begin creating Advanced Keys, click the desired “Add” buttons from within the “Available Master Keys” list.

For Trunking Systems, the “Advanced System Key’s” “Key ID” identifies the actual in-the-field Trunking System’s “System ID” with which the radio will communicate. And for “Advanced WACN Keys”, the “Key ID” identifies the actual in-the-field Trunking System’s “Home WACN ID” of the Wide Area Communication Network with which the radio will communicate.

For both types of Trunking Keys: “Advanced System”, and “Advanced WACN”, the administrator program offers two predefined “Access Level” definitions. However, Advanced Conventional Keys must always be defined to have Unlimited CPS field and feature access.

Note that for “Trunking” Advanced Keys, additional custom-made “Access Level” definitions may be created from the Administrator’s “Access Levels” tab. Select “New” to create a custom Access Level definition, and then, enter an appropriate name for this new Access Level definition. Now, from the Product View field, select if this “New” Access Level definition will apply for the “APX” CPS, or for the “ASTRO 25 XTS / XTL” CPS. Notice that with Trunking Keys, Write Protecting a radio to guard against unauthorized use in the case of radio-theft is also possible. For more information on product-specific Write Protection details, please refer to the appropriate CPS Online Help system.

The CPS’s Cloning features may also be allowed or denied. Only for the “XTS / XTL” CPS, features like adding and deleting certain types of records may be allowed or denied.  CPS “Trunking System” fields may be set to determine if CPS-programmer access is allowed or denied. And “Trunking Personality” fields may also be set to determine if CPS-programmer access is allowed or denied. Many of these fields may also be defined to have a limited data-entry range for CPS input, even with multiple ranges per field. Note that as many as two hundred data entry ranges per Advanced Key are possible. Even the “Over-the-Air-Programming” feature-set known as POP25 can be easily allowed or denied.

With all of the desired “Access Level” fields and features defined, remember to click the “Save” button for this new Trunking Advanced Key definition. Once defined and saved, from the Advanced Keys tab, select the new Access Level definition for the appropriate Advanced Key.

Also, do be aware that, Advanced Keys may be password-protected against unauthorized Advanced Key modification and usage. This PIN applies on a per Key Device basis and therefore protects all Keys for a particular Key Device.

Finally, selecting the “Append” button adds all new keys to the currently connected device, or you may choice to completely “Overwrite” the device’s existing Advanced Keys.

And always remember that, detailed information on how to define and create Advanced Keys is available from the Administrator’s online help system.

Using Keys within the APX CPS See This Tutorial Segment

Once Advanced Keys are created in the Administrator program, and saved to a Key Device, Advanced Keys with their Access-Level Definitions may then be loaded into the APX CPS.  

When Advanced Keys are PIN-protected, the CPS-user must enter the correct PIN, otherwise the keys will not be loaded into the CPS. Note that the PIN applies on a per Key Device basis and therefore unlocks all Keys for that specific Key Device.

Advanced Keys are loaded into the CPS at any time from the Ribbon Bar selection, or automatically upon CPS-startup with a Key Reader attached to your USB port.

Once loaded into the CPS, as seen in this System Key Report, individual Advanced System Keys are available for assignment to individual CPS Trunking Systems. An Advanced Key’s “Key ID” must be a match for a Trunking System’s “System ID”. This allows or restricts certain Trunking field selections and features, based on the Advanced Key’s Access Level Definition. Or, an Advanced WACN Key’s “Key ID” must be a match for a Trunking System’s “Home WACN ID”. Again, this allows or restricts certain Trunking field-selections and features, based on the WACN Key’s Access Level Definition. Advanced Keys and their Definitions assigned to Trunking Systems therefore also apply to their corresponding Trunking Personalities.

Additionally, when an Advanced Conventional Key’s “Key ID” is assigned to the Conventional Wide, Conventional Customer ID field, on a per Conventional Personality basis, the Tactical Inhibit Stun and Kill features may then be programmed to Portable radios.

Be sure to remember that, detailed information on How-To-Use the different types of Advanced Keys, is available from the CPS’s online help system.

Write Protecting APX Radios See This Tutorial Segment

Write Protection for a radio is used to guard against unauthorized codeplug modifications in the event of radio theft.  

Do note that Write Protection is only available for Trunking-capable radios.

When implementing Write Protection, you must be aware of the significance of the Owner ID. For instance… all Write Protect capable radios will have an Owner ID, which is originally created by Motorola.

In order to Write Protect a radio, an Advanced Key must be created to contain the same Owner ID, which can then be considered the Owner ID Key for that radio.

Depending on the radio’s in-the-field usage, the radio will use one of two possible Owner ID Types: an Owner System ID, or an Owner WACN ID.  Be aware that, for the purposes of Write Protecting the radio, the radio’s Owner ID Type whether “System” or “WACN”, and its “Owner ID” must match the Owner ID Key’s Key Type, “System” or WACN” and its Key ID, respectively. Also be aware that, The Owner ID Key’s Key ID will typically match a CPS Trunking System’s System ID, or WACN ID, which in turn will match the radio’s in-the-field Trunking System’s System ID, or WACN ID.

With this Owner ID in mind, Write Protection begins in the Advanced Keys Administrator, which allows you to create the appropriate Owner ID Key. From the Advanced Keys Tab’s Create New Advanced Keys selection, as previously stated, the Owner ID Key that will be used to enable or disable radio Write Protection, must have an Owner ID, also known as the “Key ID”, and a Owner ID Type also known as the “Key Type”, equal to the radio’s Owner ID and Owner ID Type, and… must also be assigned to have an “Unlimited Access” Access Level. With this “Unlimited Access” Access Level, Write Protection will always be Enabled.

Once the Owner ID Key is manually loaded into the CPS from the Ribbon Bar, or automatically loaded into the CPS upon CPS start-up from an attached Key Reader, it then becomes visible in the System Key Report.

With the Owner ID Key loaded in the CPS and also attached to the PC, there are two very distinct methods of enabling, or disabling, Write Protection in a radio: One method is accomplished with the codeplug open, and one method is accomplished without a codeplug open. The codeplug closed method, is accessed, from the Ribbon Bar’s, Device Tab, and is known as the “Query / Update Radio Data” feature.

The codeplug open method, is accessed from the Radio Wide, General Page. With this method, the Owner ID Key Type and Owner ID can only be viewed and not modified. Note that, write protecting the radio actually occurs when “writing” the CPS codeplug to the radio.

With the codeplug closed method, the radio must be read in order to see the current Owner ID Key Type, Owner ID, and Write Protect status, which is accomplished with the Query Radio button. And, to modify the Write Protect status, use the Update Radio button, to Write this change to the radio. The Owner ID Key Type and Owner IDs can also be modified from this screen. The possible choices, are determined by the currently loaded, and currently attached, “Unlimited” - “Access Level”, Advanced Keys. Once you have selected the new Owner ID Key Type and new Owner ID, write them to the radio using the Update Radio Data button.

For more information on Creating Advanced System Keys, and Using Advanced Keys within the CPS, including radio Write Protection, please refer to the CPS’s Online Help System.