Posted on 09/11/2009 11:29:39 AM PDT by William of Barsoom
Getting your ham radio license is an idea well worth considering if you think comunications might be restricted under some circumstances.
Don't expect the internet to stay up and open in case of obama declaring an emergency .
The laws have long allowed for use of any radio regardless of license if necessary to preserve life and property(like a sinking ship)but that doesn't mean they won't confiscate the "illegal" radio afterwards;as in the case of a California ham who call for help on a police channel using his modified 2 meter radio.
But for people who store thousands of dollars of emergency rations,and survival gear,spending another $1000 or less on any of several hf/vhf/uhf transceivers with general coverage receivers might be prudent.
Only independent units can be counted on if through gov't or other calamities the networks are shut down.That means independent power ,too.
“They” already know who you are. The info in the FCC database is very, very basic. Little more than name and address. One look at your mailbox, and “they” know as much. The guy who fixes your car, or your bartender knows more about you.
The listnership with scanners is vanishingly small. It’s possible, of course; but I’ve been a ham since 1959 and never yet met a non-ham who eavesdropped with a scanner. They could easily enough, but they just don’t.
Let me say this: if “it” happened tomorrow, and the radio and TV nets were either silenced or heavily constrained, you’ll wish you had set it up today.
I believe events are converging, and September and October will see momentous events.
...for what that may be worth.
I think that insults newcomers. Nobody is born knowing this stuff. Everybody has a “square one.”
You begin. You get a book. You talk to a few people. Over time, you develop.
Even the lowest license is earned — not given away — by reading and effort.
Several other very worthy radio services are either license-free, or just a name & address formality. Marine VHF, “M.U.R.S.”, Class A (UHF) CB, Family Radio, CB, Aircraft Pilot’s Radio License — a few others.
Even at the lowest level, one takes a test before honest fellow ham examiners. That’s a lot harder, and not a give-away.
Throw a piece of wire over a tree, and hook it up.
99.99% of all useful intel comes from listening. Only.
The Nazis also discouraged the use of ordinary AM broadcast receivers as well, and encouraged the adoption of "Drahtfunk", or cable radio connected to landlines, much like modern internet radio.
The rationale was that the British were broadcasting fake 'all clear' announcements when bombing was imminent, the real reason was Nazi control of information and irritation with BBC counter-propaganda broadcasts.
127’ foot “80-Meter” (3.84 MHz) dipole fed in the center just laying on the roof in a big S-curve shape on a single story wood-frame structure works for me; even a little bit better if you can hoist the center up 10’ off the roof.
There are 40 main channels available, but with Single Side Band (SSB) transceivers you can effectiviely triple that.Mention should be made that operating outside the normal 'forty' is frowned on (literally: it's illegal) and could earn one a 'citation' (infrequently a fine)
Placemarker
Thanks for your quite timely post.
I am taking the test at 9:00am tomorrow morning.
Something I have been putting off for years (since having a novice license 45 years ago). I feel that even if they ban transmissions, having your ears tuned worldwide can be very beneficial in such circumstances. Knowledge is power...
An excellent online resource is:
The questions are all standardized multiple choice and the test consists of 35 questions from the pool of about 395 questions. The link above generates tests and grades them, along with showing you the correct answer for ones you missed.
Side Band operation is perfectly legal in addition to the 40 AM channels. But, yeah, if you go there be prepared to be walked on.
Let me add this to the info-stream:
we have a good-sized group that meets on 3840 kHz (3.840 MHz) LSB (lower sideband of course in the 80 M band!) receivable in the SW and central states down into Tejas from about 7:30 AM until 9:00 to 9:30 AM every day of the week.
Side Band operation is perfectly legal in addition to the 40 AM channelsTrue; I was thinking 'freebanding'/freebanders ... sometimes they will splatter 10 Meters and that gets some of us to DFing the 'source' ...
I don't understand. What would be considered "big"... What does RACES stand for?
Good reminders; I lived in such an environment where fellow hams were detained and ‘visited’ at home more than once.
The hobby is certainly not THE answer, just a small piece of it, as with it (if one so desire), come skills that, well, are good to have!
Try also The North Carolina SSB Net every night at 7:30 pm on 3.938 MHz. Plan on staying awhile. These guys often talk into the wee small hours, and quite a few are retired military or have other interesting histories. They can get a bit obstreporous at times, but they’re usually pretty interesting. They have folks come by from Maine to Florida and as far inland as Missouri some nights.
Been there, done that, but not recently. Worst thing I do now is use a tube linear (once in a while). Built it myself back in 1974, and it still works. ;~)
The easy-access public callsign database is why I never opted for the call-sign license plates.
“Big” in the noted context would mean a declared emergency where the gooberment moves into ‘war mode’ if you will.
RACES is Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, in some areas now known with various other (wider scope) acronyms.
Info here: http://www.usraces.org/
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