Can you show me on the doll where the bad ham man touched you?
I am going to reply to the specific comments for the benefits of those who do not know the details. If you are a ham, you should know better than to take things out of context in order to push a victim narrative.
because govts gonna govt....and if they can make a buck selling you privileges, they are going to.
Currently, the FCC does not make a buck from amateur radio operators. The $15 exam fee goes to the organization (ARRL) who administer the tests on behalf of the FCC. Now, the FCC has proposed the collection of a $35 license fee for themselves but so far not collected yet. Even if they do, compare that to the millions of dollars these radio band allocations are worth on the commercial market and it does not look like .gov is getting rich from ham operators.
but the answer in the back of the book is pretty much:
"many of the frequencies used in HAM are close to frequencies used for other things (emergency frequencies, MARS frequencies, Aviation, Radio, other comms equipment) and many ham radios can be tuned into these frequencies, given the power they are capable of putting out, its easy for HAM radios to interfere with those frequencies and cause trouble"
Realistically, the only reason licenses are even still required is because the Boomers who have their ticket like to think of themselves as Ersatz FCC deputies.....and will track you down and turn you into the FCC if they think you are operating without a license, whether you are doing anything inappropriate or not.....
How do you like idiots showing up on your range and skipping rounds over the berms and doing other stuff that could cause a closure of the range? Like everyone vies for real estate on the planet's surface, there are multiple parties who are just looking for a reason to snatch up another part of the electromagnetic spectrum. How people behave on their assigned air bands is as important as how people behave on a gun range. Plus, stupid and reckless people are just annoying in any hobby. Everyone expects newbies to have some basic decorum and respect or to stay out of the adult space.
Therefore, unlicensed folks who tie up repeaters (that cost plenty of private coin and time to install and maintain) with broadcasts of music or profanities are being used as an exercise for direction finding and handed over to the FCC because they do not quit this nonsense no matter how often you tell them politely to knock it off.
OTOH, if you grab a ham radio in an emergency and call for help as an unlicensed person, you will have a dozen of folks going out of their way to get you out of your pickle. Even if you are totally lost, they'll know very quickly where to look for you.
ARES/RACES was also mentioned before, which is ham operators using their equipment, knowledge and time to assist first responders in either emergencies or scheduled events like parades, bike races, mountain runs, etc.
fuck, go onto a HAM forum, and ask about using a baofeng on FRS/GMRS channels.....they will be frothing at the mouth quoting FCC guidelines, and threaten you with fines and jail time for doing so....as if it were their fucking job.
The problem with FRS/GMRS on a Baofeng is that these folks inevitably end up on the ham bands with the most power they can get out of that box. OTOH, if you know what you are doing and use your Baofeng to talk to a hunting buddy who has a dedicated FRS/GMRS radio, nobody is going to give a shit about it. The point is not so much whether the action is legal or not but whether it interferes with other people's opportunities to pursue their activities - like in the example with the shooting range.
If a novice does not have a clue of how to get over the next technical hurdle, all he/she need to do is to talk to someone on a frequencies she is licensed to operate on. At the lowest level, this would be using your voice as a guest of a ham club meeting. You will be surprised how much hard earned knowledge gets offered for free and without having to pry. The assistance and support we get here on the internet forums existed already decades ago on the airwaves. Why? Because everyone had the same issue at some point in time and you just pay forward as you learn from others.
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