The Secure Communication Interoperability Protocol (SCIP) over an HF Radio Channel

The secure communication interoperability protocol (SCIP) is a newly emerging application layer interoperability standard that is being developed for secure voice and voice band data communication between international coalition partners. It was designed to operate independently of the characteristics of underlying media layers. This paper will present the results of the first phase of an investigation into the performance of SCIP over a high frequency radio link. A simulation using the Watterson model for HF propagation was created and is described. Voice quality performance data was gathered over a range of radio configurations and channel conditions. Performance data is presented along with discussion and recommendations on future work