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srothstein wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:00 pm I have a different question. A long time ago I was studying to get a technician class license. At the time it required 5wpm in code while a general required both more knowledge and 13wpm in code. I never got good enough to reliably get 5wpm, let alone 13.

I understand that all code requirements are now gone (except maybe the extra class - I am not sure on that). If this is true, is there any reason to not study and take the general class test instead of the technician? Or am I so far out of date on this that my question is now irrelevant?

ShepherdTX wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:39 am Not meaning to hijack the thread or anything but I have a ham radio related question.

Decades ago when I was a wee teenager I got my ham radio license. I ended up eventually expiring past the renewal and renewal grace period. Checking the registry it still shows my name on the original call sign though it's obviously flagged as expired. Recently I was thinking of studying up and getting back in to it again. Does anyone here know if there there is any way I could take the test again and get my original call sign back? I would love to have my original one back but I couldn't find out anything online if it was possible or if I would just be assigned whatever is available.

Soccerdad1995 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:18 pm Regarding HAM Radios being potentially outlawed, am I correct in assuming that the only potential for detection relates to the transmitters and not the receiver? Obviously, things like having a huge antenna on your house would be a way to possibly detect a receiver, but short of that it seems the risk would be detection of the transmitter(s). Is this correct?

Soccerdad1995 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:35 pm

2farnorth wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:27 pm

Soccerdad1995 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:56 am

Grayling813 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:09 am

2farnorth wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:35 am The Feds can eliminate legal Amateur Radio any time they want too. All it would take is an edict from Biden/Harris. Just like Hitler did. There is no constitutional protection for us. But anyway, the constitution doesn't matter anymore to the usurpers. It's being stomped on every day.

N5PNZ

The new federal authority can eliminate anything that is now legal. The question is what are Americans going to do about it? Comply or resist tyranny?

It is normal and natural for people to have differences of opinion / values. Ideally we talk through these differences and come to a peaceful resolution. But when talk doesn't work, or in this case, when one side shuts out any differing opinions, we are left with much less desirable ways to settle our differences.

Shutting down debate inevitably leads to bloodshed. I pray that we find a way to reverse that course in our present case.

By the way, I'm not a technician, but I'm not sure the government can easily "shut down" radio frequencies. They can revoke licenses to use radio frequencies, but I believe the equipment people currently have would still work to broadcast and receive transmissions. I may be wrong about this.

Yes, the equipment will still work. They may confiscate. During WWII armature radio was shut down. I don't know if they confiscated any equipment though. The government/military now have massive jamming capabilities if they deem it necessary. They can block huge ranges of frequencies. It can be ground or airborne based. They also have capabilities to trace transmitters down to a few feet of the transmitting antenna.
So radio may not be dependable if the government becomes more oppressive.

So basically the same net effect as a "ban" on gun ownership. Short of door to door confiscations, the guns / radio equipment would still be out there, just hard to actually use it without being detected. I think the old Army rule was to limit your transmissions to 6 seconds at a time. Not sure if that still works. Maybe combined with a mobile transmitting location (vehicle)?

And even a door to door confiscation will only get the things that are physically at an address vs hidden elsewhere.