5 ms·

Let's not confuse encryption with encoding.

• geofft 7y ago
  But encoding is relevant here too. If people cannot make sense of the messages, whether or not they're cryptographically secure, the messages aren't fulfilling the pedagogical purpose of the amateur service.
  • steve19 7y ago
    The average English speaking American probably won't be able to make sense of someone speaking Haitian, nobody says everyone must be able to understand you. But you can record the Hiatian speakers message and get it translated. With sufficient encryption, recorded messages cannot ever be decoded unless the key was broadcast, which it never would be.
    • falcolas 7y ago
      > But you can record the Hiatian speakers message and get it translated. However, this exact form of encoding was used as a form of encryption while the US was at war; the Navajo Code Talkers. Somewhat off topic, of course, but a great example of how encryption and encoding can have identical end results.
    • Retra 7y ago
      You can record an encrypted message and get it decrypted by anyone who demonstrates knowledge of the key. The process is identical to finding someone who demonstrates knowledge of Haitian. Encryption is nothing more than an uncommon encoding.
  • jpindar 7y ago
    Analog video signals are pretty distinctive, anyone with an oscilloscope could recognize them.