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Militia Radio Frequencies

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Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#21

Post by jameshart »

tzs wrote: post #2

> MURS is the longest range VHF radio service that can be legally utilized by anyone without the need for a radio license. The operator does not need a license, but I believe that the radio must be certified for MURS operation. The Baofeng UV-5R is not [1]. It is certified under Part 90. MURS requires certification under Part 95. [1] http://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/attachments/FCC_Part_90...

It seems like FCC-regulatory compliance would not be a top priority for people who believe that the federal government has no authority....

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#22

Post by ocdtrekkie »

seangrant wrote: post #19
jff wrote: post #9

> (obscured by the upper receiver of the assault weapon) You mean the stock of the semi-automatic rifle which happens to be scary and black?

Let's not forget these people had every intention to use those weapons against humans. This isn't some guns club hanging out.

Arguably, they intended to use them to defend themselves if they were attacked. (By humans, yes.) They were not hunting people down and assaulting them.

That being said, they were looking to defend themselves while illegally occupying a federal facility... but the particulars of that situation don't really reflect on the choice of weapon.

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#24

Post by sithadmin »

nathanm412 wrote: post #20
jff wrote: post #9

> (obscured by the upper receiver of the assault weapon) You mean the stock of the semi-automatic rifle which happens to be scary and black?

Assault weapon is colloquially defined as a firearm with a detachable magazine and a pistol grip. I've seen this definition in common use going back 30 years, whether or not it helps anyone's political ideals. A thorough discussion of the definition and it's history can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_weapon

>Assault weapon is colloquially defined as a firearm with a detachable magazine and a pistol grip.

Rifle. Not firearm. Otherwise every pistol that isn't a muzzle/breech loader or revolver is an 'assault weapon', which is makes the distinction even more functionally useless.

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#25

Post by golergka »

smacktoward wrote: post #18
golergka wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody is a terrorist until he plans or engages in terrorist activity. Do you have evidence that they did something like that?

Seizure of government property at gunpoint is certainly something. (Though I'm not sure it really tracks with the definition of a "terrorist," since a terrorist is an armed combatant who explicitly strikes at civilians instead of at their government. A better term here might be more 19th-century-flavored words like insurrectionary or seditionist, though terms like those fell out of use as rebel and guerrilla groups a…

> terrorist is an armed combatant who explicitly strikes at civilians instead of at their government

Uhm, no. This is closer to the definition of terrorism, but it's still not it. Drug store robbery gone violent involves armed people who may explicitly strike a civilian shop owner who turned out to have a gun under the counter.

Terrorism is about intent: to spread terror. If you're blowing a bomb up just to see the bodies fly, you're not a terrorist. But if you're conjuring an alien monster abomination to prevent a nuclear war between two super-powers through _terror_ against an imaginary alien adversary, you are a terrorist (although in this case one could argue that you indeed do it for the greater good).

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#26

Post by threeio »

sliverstorm wrote: post #7
tzs wrote: post #2

> MURS is the longest range VHF radio service that can be legally utilized by anyone without the need for a radio license. The operator does not need a license, but I believe that the radio must be certified for MURS operation. The Baofeng UV-5R is not [1]. It is certified under Part 90. MURS requires certification under Part 95. [1] http://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/attachments/FCC_Part_90...

To my knowledge you are correct. Although I kind of hope the rules get reworked a little. As a public service volunteer, it would be beneficial to be able to operate on many services with one radio, and many modern radios are capable of being "good citizens" on multiple services simultaneously. (For example, we operate on Part 90, but may interact with members of the public who are carrying a Part 95 radio. Luckily a…

Thats when you end up getting a used Motorola radio as your primary carry... you can't get FRS, but you can at least do GMRS and 70cm... if you do VHF you can do 2m and likely any SAR pairs. -- 73s.

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#27

Post by Aloha »

tzs wrote: post #2

> MURS is the longest range VHF radio service that can be legally utilized by anyone without the need for a radio license. The operator does not need a license, but I believe that the radio must be certified for MURS operation. The Baofeng UV-5R is not [1]. It is certified under Part 90. MURS requires certification under Part 95. [1] http://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/attachments/FCC_Part_90...

So long as you're fitting within the spectral emissions and power limits expected by the FCC - its highly unlikely that anyone would notice, or much less bother to enforce the rules.

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#28

Post by gaius »

golergka wrote: post #15
zekevermillion wrote: post #12

These photos remind me of William Gibson's observations on tactical fashion -- if you are really a militant, then the last thing you'd want to do is look all tactical and stuff. The Army surplus look, radios with whip antennae, etc., is fun. But in any scenario where militia were up against organized force, I would think they should try to blend into the population. But I guess it's hard to keep morale up if you just…

> But in any scenario where militia were up against organized force, I would think they should try to blend into the population. It's very effective indeed, if you disregard all problems with international law and basic human morals. It's a tactic that have been very successful for Hamas in recent years, for example. Fighting in civilian clothing means that (1) your adversaries will kill much more civilians, honestly…

Hence the orange jumpsuits of the Rebel Alliance.

Re: Militia Radio Frequencies

#29

Post by twothamendment »

Interesting read, but it almost paints anyone who owns a Baofeng as a terrorist. It does do a great job of showing how lame it is to think that those radios will help in a standoff like that. If the government was going to go in, you can bet the first thing they'd do is jam those cheap radios.

For anyone interested in ham radio, there isn't a better place to start. Without these cheap, not-as-good-as-something-that-costs-10x-as much radios you can get into the hobby for under $50 including your license. I'd spend a tad bit more and go for the UV-82hp and a new antenna, but $75 to get going isn't bad. Without these I don't think there would be many younger people getting started. In my area there is a very active repeater of normal people (many of them software guys, so maybe not all that normal) chatting about all kinds of topics and there is always someone to answer a question.

Passing the test isn't bad - checkout the mobile friendly http://www.hamstudy.org (no, affiliated, just a happy user).

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