The People’s Republic of California is at it again! Reports are coming in that through unelected state officials, California is trying to sever ties to ham radio repeater owners throughout the state, jeopardizing the lives of millions of Californians who depend on these repeaters to operate during emergencies.
Last month, repeater operators were sent emails telling them the State would no longer allow them to operate repeaters on public land without paying substantial rental fees. In the letter sent by CAL FIRE, the state claims Ham operators no longer provide a benefit to the state or public safety. They claimed that “constantly changing technological advances” has made Ham radio obsolete during an emergency.
Keep in mind; this was done while the state was shutting power down in 34 of its counties because its infrastructure cannot handle 20-30 mph winds without risking wildfire breakouts throughout the state.
What is a Ham Radio Repeater
An amateur radio repeater system is a two-way radio system that takes weaker or low-level amateur radio signals and retransmits them at a higher level or higher power so that the radio signal can cover longer distances without degradation. It is a vital part of the local emergency communications system, and Ham Radio operators have been using them for decades to provide support during disasters that take out local communication infrastructure.
Why would they remove something that is the last line of defense during a disaster?
What is infuriating here is people are going to die because of this decision. It costs the State of California nothing to allow these repeaters on public land; in fact, Ham Radio Operators pay for the equipment and maintain the equipment at their own cost. Ham Radio operators also make nothing from running these radio repeaters; they do so as a service to the public to help ensure the public’s safety during natural disasters and emergencies.
While paying billions of dollars a year to cater to illegal immigrants and welfare bums, California is now targeting hard-working Ham operators who provide critical and vital Disaster Emergency Communications. These people have absolutely lost their minds!
There is a nationwide effort to Kill Ham Radio
Even most Hams haven’t taken notice, but in 2012 the federal government launched FirstNet, a public safety nationwide broadband network that many in the government think will make Ham radio operators obsolete. In reality, its nothing more than a $47 Billion Federal Cell Phone Network that itself is already obsolete. In fact, it needs LOTS of infrastructure to function, and it creates multiple, single points of failure.
The real story here is Ham Radio is a threat to the government. We make them look stupid! They spend billions on infrastructure that breaks down, while we can literally take a hundred bucks in equipment, some random wires, and in minutes set up a radio system that can communicate with anyone in the world. Hell, I’ve used my kid’s slinky, some Television Coax Cable, and a solar battery system to build a mobile rig that I’ve used to talk to people around the world — You can check out the Radio Rig Here.
They don’t want the public to realize that we can take care of ourselves, and do a much better and cheaper job doing so!
UPDATE:
Over the last couple of months, a bunch of so-called Ham Radio operators from the ARRL have been trying to debunk the facts of this article. Unfortunately, The American Radio Relay League is full of shit and is hell-bent on not upsetting the FCC or any other government agency.
The truth is the ARRL is about as useless as the NRA when it comes to actually defending the rights of their members. They are only interested in maintaining memberships and fundraising money.
But let’s look at the argument these people and some of the sellout hams are using to try to pretend this didn’t happen in California. They claim that this is a non-story or it is being blown out of proportion because it was a repeater on public land.
FIRST, Public land is OUR land. It’s not the government’s land! And it sure as hell isn’t CAL FIRES land!
It’s beyond sickening that these ARRL assholes and the hams defending California’s actions have never seemed to have heard the phrase WE THE PEOPLE. It’s amazing how many have allowed the government to become their parents, believing they need the government’s approval for everything.
They are forcing repeater owners off public land by increasing fees to levels that no repeater owner can afford. Land that you and I pay for, land that WE THE PEOPLE pay with our tax dollars
Second, these repeaters that are on “public land” are everywhere. They are the backbone of the communication network in some of these remote areas. Ham Radio would not exist without these public land repeaters. These repeaters, as well as the public land around them, are paid for, managed and usually maintained at great expensive by the repeaters owner.
Third, even in the ARRLs fake investigation basically admits this happened but they say they can’t determine how many repeaters it affected or who was actually affected by these actions– yeah great fucking work ARRL, way to spend that membership money supporting hams! They claim this has all been blown out of proportion, but to the dipshits saying the ARRL said it’s not true – how can it be both not true and blown out of proportion?
And one last thing for the people who keep citing the ARRL article, maybe read the quote where they admit this has been happening in California for years while then again trying to tell you there is nothing to see here and that it’s all being blown out of proportion.
To learn more about Ham Radio:
- Prepper Radio: The No-BS Ham Radio Technician Exam Prep Guide
- Communications Monitoring: The Importance of Radio Monitoring and Intelligence Gathering During Crisis Situations
- Why Ham Radio is Essential to Emergency Communication
- How you can become a ham radio operator
- Our Latest Ham Radio News and Article
Everyone read and listen. They are not banning Ham Radio and they cant. They are charging for repeater sites . This will kill the emergency communications . Let California burn to the ground. After all it is California.
It’s a 1st Amendment thing that allows a form of mass communication by non-government entities. Not unlike the 2nd Amendment controversy.
They already banned them from public property in michigan and minnesota
Now they can locate them free on hospitals
WA6E
Cutting out the hams is a disaster looking fo a place to happen. A single terrorist could easily shut down all communications in the USA for about a week. A group working together could shut it down for months. Very stupid idea California.
It’s sad. Amateur radio has been a catalyst for young people to find an interest leading to vocations in electronics and communications. This will reduce the exposure. The good news is it doesn’t seem to affect U.S. Forestry Lands.
The State of Taxifornia is taking away our ability to defend ourselves and now inhibit our ability to freely communicate.
Radio clubs, repeater clubs, social and civic groups promote good will, civic responsibility, civic pride, and cooperation. More of that needs encouragement. Politics aside, the State of California will hopefully reconsider this edict and become proactive in encouraging positive efforts for groups that help the community, whether, science, ecological, social.
I would have helped you take up your cause until reading the language ( California caters to illegals and welfare bums) and then realized you are not serious. I also favor gun rights but the shirt advertised below that states “is it because i am black” is beyond stupid.
The bastards are just trying to shut down the citizens emergency communication when there are cell phone and internet outages.
I recommend that all Hamm operators continue using their systems without any licensing. I recommend that all vehicles in California have a CB radio or at least a walkie talkie with a minimum 2 mile range. In fact, I recommend that to people in all states in case of cell tower and internet failure.
If the law that you are breaking does not cause harm to others or their property, then willfully violate that law.
Using a Ham radio does not cause harm to others.
>I recommend that all vehicles in California have a CB >radio or at least a walkie talkie with a minimum 2 >mile range. In fact, I recommend that to people in >all states in case
good idea except one little (actually one big) problem.
The city of Palmdale, California has outlawed any any antennas of any sort that are more than one inch long (in either direction. The one inch limit is the total sizw of the antenna allowed) and the state of California court has ruled that they are allowed to do so. That makes both mobile radio antennas and antennas on portable hand talkies illegal.
The Kalifornia Kops can now legally give you a ticket and the Kalifornia Kourt can legally give you a fine for having an antenna more than one inch long on your portable hand-talkie (walkie-talkie) and also another ticket and another fine for having an antenna more than one inch long on your vehicle.
Since antennas are only effective at certain lengths for certain bands, there goes all the ham radio bands,
Not just the popular ones, but all of them. Even SHF and EHF since those require dish antennas that are more than one inch long, or horn antennas that are more than one inch long. Depending on if you choose a horn antenna or dish antenna.
When you need someone to do something stupid,
count on a CALIFORNIA POLITICIAN to do it!
As a founding member of FPIC and SWBCWG, I have suggested many times to review the echolink application as a low cost solution to push to talk radio communications across the nation and internationally. However, the research and development efforts of the government are somewhat undesirable. Suggestions to use the application have gone unanswered. Hence, they continue to push firstnet as a solution to first responder communications via firstnet. Unfortunately, firstnet via ATT is not an effective solution for cellular coverage across the desert southwest or other remote areas.
If the grid foes down, there won’t be any echolink communication. No internet=no echolink,, no irlp, no etc.
But simplex and repeater ham radio will still work except in places where repeaters are effectively banned such as California.
Nope, they don’t care about how they look compared to you.
They care just a smidge about how they will look after the collapse when what’s “really going on” becomes apparent to some of the lucky hangers-on.
No sense in letting the kids get any ideas. So, ix-nay on the civilian communication grid.
Leave it up. Don’t remove it. It ain’t broken.
The real reason for shutting down ham radio is to limit citizens’ ability to communicate with each other in time of war….CIVIL war.
Funny. Marines are finding it important…
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/362206/fitting-19th-century-technology-into-21st-century-warfighting
“Ham Radio is a threat to the government”
Well said.
Truth is, they want us defenseless, so they can roll out their tyranny with no ability to resist. Communications is key to resistance, and we all know that.
They want us defenseless!
This post is Fake BS… It should be taken down. Fuck your clicks to get paid for FAKE news!!! Whoever posted this is an asshole!
http://www.arrl.org/news/report-causes-concern-and-confusion-in-california-s-amateur-radio-ranks
Go screw yourself and the ARRL! If it wasn’t for sites like this talking about it, the situation would have been much worse. Screw the ARRL, they are only interested in playing nice with the government, they should have been the first ones out there helping instead of running interference for the government and California!
The ARRL has no interest in helping Hams, they are only out to protect themselves and sucker idiots into thinking they need an ARRL membership. But hey keep believing the fake ARRL propaganda they are shoving down your throat!
I started e club in the year 2000 / called the Tri-County amateur radio society call
K C 9 C F U / in Utica,IL. It is near the interstate 80 and interstate 39 intersection so it covers a few counties in each direction from that intersection and it was an old TV cable tower site I got for dirt cheap cuz nobody wanted it haha I made a repeater out of two commercial mobile radios and a ID board on top going out on belden coax to a ringo 120 ft on top of a tower and I own it all I have a few people that help me out doing stuff from time to time and one of these days I’ll put a solar panel on top of the big 5 ft x 8 ft metal building that hous ed the cable equipment then I get rid of the I can get off the grid
Really??
What happened to this thread in the middle of CCP virus ?
Are you kidding ?
and now, in April of 2020. the whole world is under lockdown.
something big is coming, bigger than the virus you’re all NOW aware of. a huge quake millions dead
Seems to me during the large earthquake in the Bay Area when the bridge collapsed a Local Ham Club brought in their emergency equipped van to help the Oakland Police to stay up and running until they could get all their radios back on line. Correct me if I’m wrong.