Decode the given message manually or using a table only

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around decoding a message encoded in ASCII from a captured transmission. Participants explore the process of interpreting hexadecimal values and their corresponding ASCII representations, with a focus on the specifics of the encoding format and the challenges faced in decoding the message accurately.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes the binary representation of the header and suggests that the message starts with the hexadecimal value 54.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about whether to decode single hexadecimal digits or pairs of digits, indicating confusion over the encoding process.
  • Some participants clarify that each hexadecimal digit represents 4 bits, while ASCII characters require 8 bits, implying that two hexadecimal digits must be used to represent one ASCII character.
  • There is mention of previous successful decoding attempts for other problems, contrasting with the difficulties faced in this particular case.
  • Several participants emphasize the importance of understanding the relationship between hexadecimal values and ASCII characters, discussing the total number of possible representations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need to use pairs of hexadecimal digits to decode ASCII characters, but there remains uncertainty regarding the specific decoding process and the interpretation of the message.

Contextual Notes

Some participants indicate that the homework assignment was not fully covered in class, leading to confusion about the expected decoding methods and the use of external resources for assistance.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students learning about ASCII encoding, hexadecimal representation, and decoding techniques in digital circuits or computer science contexts.

Wolverine31
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Homework Statement


We have captured some transmission from some transmission media and it is not a clear readable text. We know that the message part of the frame is using ASCII-coding to code the message. The transmission is in several parts. We know that the start of frame is 1010101010101011 and we know that the message is always 70 bits long. What is the message in clear clear text if the message is the following.

AAAB5452414E534D49535349AAAB494F4E20464C5549442052AAAB4544204C494E45393030

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution



This homework was given to us by our professor after giving brief introduction about ASCII codes (nothing in detail) as a part of digital circuits course. I tried using the tables and some tools online to convert it to readable text but failed. Can you please give me a hint ?
 
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the binary 1010-1010-1011 is 10-10-11 in decimal

The hex starts A-A-B which is, you guessed it, 10-10-11 in decimal

I'd assume AAAB is the header, and the message starts with the 54...

Not sure how far I should go with a homework question
 
d3mm said:
the binary 1010-1010-1011 is 10-10-11 in decimal

The hex starts A-A-B which is, you guessed it, 10-10-11 in decimal

I'd assume AAAB is the header, and the message starts with the 54...

Not sure how far I should go with a homework question


Thanks for the hint. It got me started. But I got stuck again. I am not sure if I should use the ASCII value of 5(hex) at a time or 54(hex) at a time. And I am sorry because homework was totally out of what was taught in class and the professor wanted us to find the solutions using online resources.
 
By outside resources he means that you should find and read articles on the subject, not that you should crowd source the answer. It's a mathy class not a social engineering class.
 
d3mm said:
By outside resources he means that you should find and read articles on the subject, not that you should crowd source the answer. It's a mathy class not a social engineering class.

Ok i got your point. But I did that beforehand it worked for all other problems I had but not this one and also i compared the message part with ASCII characters in the table but i still cannot get a readable text. And there are 70 bits in the message part and each bit when decoded using the table give out something stupid and very long.
 
Wolverine31 said:
Thanks for the hint. It got me started. But I got stuck again. I am not sure if I should use the ASCII value of 5(hex) at a time or 54(hex) at a time. And I am sorry because homework was totally out of what was taught in class and the professor wanted us to find the solutions using online resources.

What does 54 in hex represent in ASCII? What does hex 52 represent in ASCII? Keep going...
 
berkeman said:
What does 54 in hex represent in ASCII? What does hex 52 represent in ASCII? Keep going...


Thank you. I tried doing with a single bit value ie fot 5,2 and so on. So i did not get readable message. Thank you once again. But i still don't understand why the we use twot bits at a time but not 1 or 2. thanks once again
 
Wolverine31 said:
Thank you. I tried doing with a single bit value ie fot 5,2 and so on. So i did not get readable message. Thank you once again. But i still don't understand why the we use twot bits at a time but not 1 or 2. thanks once again
Each hexadecimal number in the message is 4 bits. Ascii characters are represented by 8 bits (one byte).

Think of it another way. The hexidecimal numbers in the message range from 0 to F (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F). That's a total of 16 values for each hex digit. (24 = 16). If only one hexadecimal numeral mapped to an Ascii character, there would be only 16 Ascii characters, maximum. One couldn't even represent the alphabet that way, not to mention numbers and special characters.

With two hexidecimal numerals per Ascii character, there's 8 bits (one byte). That allows for a total of 28 = 256 possible representations. (And, if you haven't guessed, the Ascii table plus the extended Ascii codes total to 256 different characters.)
 
collinsmark said:
Each hexadecimal number in the message is 4 bits. Ascii characters are represented by 8 bits (one byte).

Think of it another way. The hexidecimal numbers in the message range from 0 to F (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F). That's a total of 16 values for each hex digit. (24 = 16). If only one hexadecimal numeral mapped to an Ascii character, there would be only 16 Ascii characters, maximum. One couldn't even represent the alphabet that way, not to mention numbers and special characters.

With two hexidecimal numerals, there's 8 bits (one byte). That allows for a total of 28 = 256 possible representations. (And, if you haven't guessed, the Ascii table plus the extended Ascii codes total to 256 different characters.)


Thanks a bunch for a crystal clear explanation. :smile:
 

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