Opsec concerns about HAM licenses.

[Jonas]

(15 August 2013, 15:04)Skean Dhude Wrote: I'll happily set up the equipment and get a license if someone will do the course for me. I don't have an OPSEC issue I have a time issue.

SD, when I sat for the AE test all I could think of was "it's been forty-five years since I had college algebra and college physics. What the hell am I doing here?"

Seriously, take the courses and get the licenses. I keep reading how "we won't need no steenkin' license when the SHTF. We'll just pull that used rig we bought on Ebay for £20 off the closet shelf, plug it in, and we're all set!"

Guess what, folks. There's a learning curve here! If you don't know how to rig and tune an antenna, set up your radio, and what frequencies to listen to (not to mention which are USB and which are LSB), you are the proud owner of a £20 electric boat anchor!

By the way, there has been a surge of new ham licenses issued here in the US in the last few years. The death of amateur radio seems to be greatly exaggerated (to paraphrase Mark Twain).

[River Song]

With regard to Opsec, I worry just a bit, and have tried to adopt a much more low profile approach by coming off facebook, and taking some comms security measures. Its difficult for me to totally disappear because I have a public profile in my community - I cant say more.

Like SD, learning HAM and taking the test is more a problem of time. However I agree that just taking the kit off the shelf and expecting it to work just won't do it. The very idea of getting my head round "antenna tuning" drives me to the Harveys Bristol Cream.

However Im not convinced that TPTB will come against Hams. Indeed the civil contingencies major disaster plans include some dependance on RAYNET, the ham emergency network. (cf the London Major Emergency Plan book I posted)

I wish there was some blonde-proof way of getting a comms network up and running - maybe regional - thinking out loud - Morse CW maybe the cheapest way to go because of low power requirements. If i recall, there used to be a bit of kit that translated typed text into morse and vice versa - layer that with encipher it and you're pretty secure.

[Scythe13]

(15 August 2013, 15:04)Skean Dhude Wrote: I'll happily set up the equipment and get a license if someone will do the course for me. I don't have an OPSEC issue I have a time issue.

Agreed!

LS, want to earn some easy money and do a test for me mate? haha

[Lightspeed]

(20 September 2013, 11:43)Scythe13 Wrote:

(15 August 2013, 15:04)Skean Dhude Wrote: I'll happily set up the equipment and get a license if someone will do the course for me. I don't have an OPSEC issue I have a time issue.

Agreed!

LS, want to earn some easy money and do a test for me mate? haha

No need for the coersion S13. I'm 100% certain I can coach you to get you a pass first time all on your own.