Amateur Radio Stasi
This post is being put in The General Board section because it is more than just about ham radios. It has to do with censorship. Before you want-a-be Stasi folks jump all over me; it is illegal to broadcast (TX) on ham frequency's without a license. That is not the point of this post.
I received an email from a likeminded, licensed amateur radio operator, this morning. The email was a copy & paste of an email he received from his county club in New Jersey.
Apparently, someone was playing on the air with their new HT (Handy Talkie). Because the user did not identify themselves (Use their call) the club member challenged the radio user.
The ham radio frequency abuser (HRFA) admitted that he did not have an amateur radio license and in fact was studying for his tech exam. He had received a new HT and was trying it out.
Rather than encourage the HRFA to get his tech license to legally use a ham radio within the ham bands and to invite him to a club meeting, hoping they will join the club; instead send out an email to all of the club members 'telling' them,
"If anyone hears any suspicious non-Identified transmissions please note time and if possible if you can hear station directly. Please email details to XXX@YYY.org. DO NOT confront or engage in a QSO with this station."Opportunity lost.
As I have written in the past, it will not be the government checking in to make sure your are 'walking the line' or staying within law, it will be your neighbor turning you in. File that away, as new laws or executive laws come down from Mount Olympus.
