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Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

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Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#61

Post by mywittyname »

jcpham2 wrote: post #55
UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #35

Baofeng's, Baofengs everywhere. Of all the images I have seen of the attempted coup, I have only seen baofeng radios. These are very cheap ($20'ish) radios that work very poorly (they splatter all over the bands) even when equipped with decent antennas. They barely work when equipped with the stock rubber-duck antennas. It's easy to be a snob about the type of radios that they are using, but that's not even the point…

100% agree with this comment. Why the warning from the FCC, who knows. I was always told ignorance of the law is no excuse. It must be cheaper to issue a warning rather than expend resources to prosecute the people involved.

There's lots of issues regarding burden of proof. I doubt the FCC has enough evidence to identify these people, much less enough to arrest or convict them.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#62

Post by generalizations »

jjoonathan wrote: post #8

I can already hear the cries of censorship. "What do you mean crimes aren't protected speech?"

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but I think you've got that backwards: freedom of speech is a right, that a government ought to recognize. "Protected speech" makes it sound like the only speech we're allowed is what is specifically allocated to us.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#63

Post by ballenf »

jcpham2 wrote: post #55
UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #35

Baofeng's, Baofengs everywhere. Of all the images I have seen of the attempted coup, I have only seen baofeng radios. These are very cheap ($20'ish) radios that work very poorly (they splatter all over the bands) even when equipped with decent antennas. They barely work when equipped with the stock rubber-duck antennas. It's easy to be a snob about the type of radios that they are using, but that's not even the point…

100% agree with this comment. Why the warning from the FCC, who knows. I was always told ignorance of the law is no excuse. It must be cheaper to issue a warning rather than expend resources to prosecute the people involved.

The warning is probably directed more at politicians or civilians making complaints than the lawbreakers. It gives the agency something to point to when they get inquiries or complaints.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#64

Post by bitxbitxbitcoin »

lsh123 wrote: post #45

Does it also apply to WiFi? :)

Good question! The way it is normally used: No.

However, 2.4GHz and 5Ghz are in the frequencies alloted to licensed Hams so many do set up WiFi networks that can transmit stronger signals than off the shelf consumer wifi devices where this would certainly apply.

tldr; No, if you aren't using an external antenna or firmware that would cause your WiFi device to change from being considered a Part 15 device to a Part 97 device under the FCC.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#65

Post by damnyou »

jjoonathan wrote: post #8

I can already hear the cries of censorship. "What do you mean crimes aren't protected speech?"

There were times when being in an intimate relationship with someone of the same gender was a crime, and a lot of sex work is still criminalized, so I'm actually quite bothered by (particularly) the prohibition against using encryption. Obviously I have no sympathy for white nationalists, but "crimes" in general tends to cover both things that are bad and things that aren't.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#66

Post by moftz »

rmason wrote: post #36
JosephRedfern wrote: post #7

This might be a dumb question, but is there any information out there about how much official monitoring goes on for amateur bands (and other bands, for that matter)? Are there strategically placed logging stations that allow triangulation of signal origin based on RSSI etc? I guess this stuff is super commonplace in SIGINT, I just don't know much about it.

When I became a ham back in the sixties the amateur bands were policed by the FCC themselves. They even had rolling vans with directional antennas. You even had to go to the local FCC office to sit for the license test of all but the novice license. I still can remember the sound Morse code made in the room with glass on all four sides. They looked in at you and for a kid it was like being in a fish bowl. But in a co…

I think its mostly people with Baofengs operating on MURS and GRMS bands. The prepper and tactical larper forums all talk about how to setup a Baofeng for unlicensed use at these bands. I hope all hams out there do their best to help monitor our airwaves and report any abuse.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#67

Post by bitxbitxbitcoin »

mindcrime wrote: post #56
nimbius wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a pinch of salt... If you can get a baofeng to last out of the box longer than a week, and manage to DX a handheld or a repeater further than a parking space away, you should at least win a QRP award and a discount on your technicians test before you get sent to the klink.

I've been using my Baofeng for a couple of years now and have no problem working many repeaters here in the Triangle (NC) area. YMMV.

Similarly, my Baofeng has no problem on the many repeaters in the Northern Nevada area. Definitely YMMV.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#68

Post by mzs »

UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #35

Baofeng's, Baofengs everywhere. Of all the images I have seen of the attempted coup, I have only seen baofeng radios. These are very cheap ($20'ish) radios that work very poorly (they splatter all over the bands) even when equipped with decent antennas. They barely work when equipped with the stock rubber-duck antennas. It's easy to be a snob about the type of radios that they are using, but that's not even the point…

also Wouxun

https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/militia-radio-fr...

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#69

Post by walrus01 »

chmod600 wrote: post #3

What is the practical implication? I guess they are saying: "don't involve radios in your crime, or else the feds will be after you, too".

It's actually quite hard to get the FCC to fine you, you have to do something very clearly illegal for a very long period of time, and ignore the warnings given... Such as the WISP in UT some years back which continued to operate PtMP last mile 5 GHz stuff in the DFS radar bands, and got fined $25,000.

If you go through the notices of apparent liability issued by the FCC, which are all public, the individual persons getting fined are egregiously dumb, such as the guy who operated a multi band cellular jammer on his daily commute north/south on the interstate freeway in Florida. Or you have to do something like operate a pirate FM radio station for many months at a time always from the same fixed location.

The FCC's enforcement bureau does not have a great number of staff or resources to go chasing down everything.

Re: Radio users reminded not to use radios in crimes

#70

Post by killtheliterate »

mindcrime wrote: post #56
nimbius wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a pinch of salt... If you can get a baofeng to last out of the box longer than a week, and manage to DX a handheld or a repeater further than a parking space away, you should at least win a QRP award and a discount on your technicians test before you get sent to the klink.

I've been using my Baofeng for a couple of years now and have no problem working many repeaters here in the Triangle (NC) area. YMMV.

same. it's a perfectly fine shitty radio. i have 3 of them that i keep stashed in various places. they certainly aren't as nice as my yaesu, and they do splatter, but they do work just fine.
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