Just purchased a baofeng, do I really need a license?

[Robert Bills]

. . . I don't got a call sign to end my post with. I'm Tryna get a ham antenna for my car, which one do yall recommend?

For you, none.

Come back with a valid call sign and some respect for Ham radio and I'm sure that many here will be more than willing to assist you.

 

[MrWesson]

IMO, this sums up the point of the OP and the follow ups by his "adventure squad."

Time to let this thread die a natural death. [Bla, bla, bla, I don't need no stinkin' Ham license.] [Bla, bla, bla, I'm a punk kid.] [Bla, bla, bla], I don't participate or follow the rules. [Bla, bla, bla], I admit to keying up a local repeater to make sure my radio reaches it [but] I have no interest in talking to hams. [Bla, bla, bla did I mention that I'm a troll???]




.

Lock me up and throw away the key!

I silently keyed up once to test my radio on a repeater oh no! Gonna call the FCC now?

It's always interesting to read the various attempts to rationalize bad and/or illegal behaviour by hypocrites.

Ironic that given the time and the mental energy they expound trying to rationalize could be better spent getting educated and licensed.

I particularly liked the part where they claim to not want to talk to other people...that certainly explains why they buy transceivers instead of scanners.

As for not hearing a lot of radio traffic, I wonder if they've ever considered the simple notion that those Ham operators held in such disdain may simply not want to talk to the miscreants.

Off to another adventure...With my squad...

I doubt scanners are cheaper than Baofengs but maybe so.

I think people who are going to buy a Baofengs aren't really serious about Ham's or are just breaking into the hobby. Why buy a transmitter instead of a scanner with no interest in talking? Simply for emergencies.

For you, none.

Come back with a valid call sign and some respect for Ham radio and I'm sure that many here will be more than willing to assist you.

Spoken like a true ham. You forgot to lord over and call him an unlicensed peasant first.

Try to remember its not illegal to listen and be able to transmit in an emergency.



To the OP do you asked if you really need a license to talk to your buddies on simplex on the trail.. I and others may not like it but the answer is yes.

To others who want it for emergencies I'd say don't bother unless you can't resist playing with it. Ham's are trying to build support for their community which is completely understandable but also why you get alot of answers like "just get your license" under any circumstance.

I started a war apparently by saying I'm not interested in being recruited to this particular club.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Squad up homies. Yall still so mad. I don't get it. I never admitted or even tried to key up the local repeater. Don't know where you fools got that from. The only thing I ever keyed up is my nose. Sorry I don't got a call sign to end my post with. I support the rules of law, but you all are SHEEP. I would never rat or snitch on nobody that's my only problem with HAM.

I'm Tryna get a ham antenna for my car, which one do yall recommend?

Yeah, a tangent about licenses for public goods. The airwaves can be seen as the same as land or water, a common resource. How do we manage common use of these things? It's a rhetorical question in a way. We've assigned stewardship of it to the government so like roads use of them is subject to whatever laws to which we agree to abide, implicitly or explicitly. I'd prefer not to get a government driver's license or ham license or any of it.

But I'm under no illusion that if we did in fact privatize control of common resources someone would need or want to control access, for one to pay for it but also, just as now, to prevent chaos. Roads would likely require tolls and some entrance criteria, for example. We already have private groups that have rules controlling access to some things. You can't just enter SCORE races or do SCCA events or ride the Tour d'France without demonstrating competency. Racing licenses in almost all cases are privately issued. This extends all the way down amateur racing. Even races without a sanctioning body there are insurance and liability requirements.

I don't know exactly what it would look like without FCC and WARC authority, but I am reasonably certain that in any case, public or private, you'd have to demonstrate a functional understanding of RF and EMI/EMC to operate a radio and honestly I think the guts of it would have the same functions being performed, some sort of rules/licensing/enforcement. If there's not central authority then a lot of lawsuits over interference would result in a de-facto standard.

Unlike roads there's not much preventing more than one person attempting to use the same frequencies. When you buy a tract of land and build a road, it's more or less impossible for someone else to do the same. Maybe building an elevated road over yours, but practically speaking it's owned by one person or group without much question. Without someone organizing the airwaves then you have a power race, the biggest stomps on the weaker. Like the free-for-all that CB has become, with 1kW linears and echo mics dominating.

How do you propose to make the system work without FCC licenses? I'm really interested. There are a few compelling libertarian ideas for privatizing public goods like roads but never really heard a good way to control access to air, radio and light. These are everywhere and generally a little impact goes a long way and affects a lot of people. One person with a radio essentially controls a frequency plus some bandwidth for tens of square miles and with HF that could be hundreds or thousands of square miles. In the city one ham might control the airwaves covering thousands of people. Who gets to use it and when? When you consider that there are relatively few ideal frequencies, a combination of range and antenna length means 2m and 70cm are HIGHLY coveted, how do we agree to get along? There is a legitimate argument that in the backcountry the need for licensing a relatively low power mobile station is by-and-large unnecessary. But who gets to decide when the population is sparse enough to justify no licenses and when you need to have someone in control?

There is already some mechanism for doing this within the ham bands. The FCC just allocates chunks of spectrum to amateur radio, how it's divided up within is by gentlemen's agreement among hams, clubs and the ARRL. They are called Band Plans. You don't have to abide by them legally, the FCC could care less, but if you don't you create a mess. Some hams like to see how far they can talk on small amount of power, so we all agree that certain frequencies are dedicated to them. Others like to talk to satellites or bounce their signals off the Moon, so we agree not to interrupt their use. Others like to talk simplex, others use repeaters, so we carve out chunks for each. Some people like to use Morse Code, use AM or SSB or digital modes like RTTY, so we agree some frequencies are for that. So even where there no FCC license, there is a completely private group that tries to organize things.

 

[kojackJKU]

Again, My question is, If I carry one of my Radios for emergency only, Need help, que up a repeater and call for help, someone is going to RAT me out and fine me? REALLY, what is the world gone too. I can understand if you are mic-ing up and blasting in etc. BUT, for a true emergency situation, that's seems pretty childish. I have had a "ham" radio for along time, monitoring marine, I could cue up my local Mobile phone repeater system, which I was allowed to use, etc. I never once started yapping over the airwaves etc. However I can tell you if I was in an emergency situation I would be cueing up the repeaters and getting my *** help. And anyone wants to come to my door and fine me, well, lets just say They would be seeing me again.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I doubt anyone is going to neglect your emergency while simultaneously reporting you to the ARRL or FCC monitors.

No one denies there are constantly ticked off operators who either don't like change or just are mad at everything. I've run into a few who think No-Code license holders or anyone who wants to talk about APRS needs to disallowed on the air. But at any moment in time there are probably dozens of people who are just listening and would be willing to help call someone or give you some information.

I have actually only reported one person to the ARRL liaison, but that was because they were blatant, they were using a friend's call sign. I couldn't tell you if anyone tried or was able to figure out where he was, though. I will admit to hearing unlicensed operators and they were receptive to the invitation to sit in one of our club class-and-tests. I took them at their word that they didn't know you needed a license to use the ham bands and they weren't jerks about it.

It's not something I've commonly come across but I'd be willing to let it slide as long as someone didn't make a habit of it on club runs and stuff. In that case I'd be more likely to address the situation face-to-face. I don't want to turn the machine on anyone.

 

[robgendreau]

Again, My question is, If I carry one of my Radios for emergency only, Need help, que up a repeater and call for help, someone is going to RAT me out and fine me? REALLY, what is the world gone too. I can understand if you are mic-ing up and blasting in etc. BUT, for a true emergency situation, that's seems pretty childish. I have had a "ham" radio for along time, monitoring marine, I could cue up my local Mobile phone repeater system, which I was allowed to use, etc. I never once started yapping over the airwaves etc. However I can tell you if I was in an emergency situation I would be cueing up the repeaters and getting my *** help. And anyone wants to come to my door and fine me, well, lets just say They would be seeing me again.

No one is going to rat you out and fine you. Chill. Well, unless your definition of emergency is you ran out of camembert and white wine. Then it's off to the slammer buddy....:wings:

I've seen the same question by tech licensees about bands that are off limits to their license class. And you raise a good point: I'd like to see the equivalent of a channel that all boaters are free to use. There is one by convention for FM simplex, but it isn't nearly as prevalent as the system using on the water.

As to licensing in general, I guess we're always stuck with people who pee in the pool. Probably drive without insurance, don't get driver's licenses, don't get their hunting licenses or tags, don't respect fishing rules, screw the campfire permit, pirate the software, don't pay taxes, and are always in the bathroom when it's their turn to buy a round, etc etc. But just ignore them because at the end of the day they are just annoying. Most people do the right thing, and are conscientious about all those activities. And most people realize the scofflaws aren't representative. And people spout here for effect.

Me, I got my ticket cuz being a ham is the last way in this millenium you can get REAL nerd cred. Computer stuff and what not just marks you as a gentrifying hipster snot. Thank goodness. :sombrero:

 

[pugslyyy]

Your question has been answered several times. Anyone can transmit on the amateur bands in the case of an emergency. If your idea of what constitutes an emergency differs from the FCC's, there is a possibility that your usage might be called into question, as it should be. There is nothing you can do to stop someone from reporting you for making illegal transmissions, that doesn't mean that they'll prevail or that action will be taken by the FCC.

The people who would "rat you out" aren't the same people who would take enforcement action. If you are using the amateur bands to transmit during an actual emergency you have nothing to worry about.

Now with even more irony...if you were licensed, you'd already know all of the above.

To me it's the same as hunting or fishing without a permit. Do the crime, pay the fine. Why wouldn't I turn in someone who was abusing the resource and potentially jeopardizing the access of those who play by the rules?

 

[mm58]

As to licensing in general, I guess we're always stuck with people who pee in the pool. Probably drive without insurance, don't get driver's licenses, don't get their hunting licenses or tags, don't respect fishing rules, screw the campfire permit, pirate the software, don't pay taxes, and are always in the bathroom when it's their turn to buy a round, etc etc.

Perfect analogies. There will always be that portion of society that has to figure out a way to cheat the system and/or try to get something for nothing - no matter at whose expense.

 

[dstn2bdoa]

I had a 5w ham radio for ten years before I got my license, someone owed me $$$ and that's all they had. I took it with me on trips in case of emergencies and sometimes monitored local frequencies. I also thought the morning "nets" we're incredibly boring. A buch of old guys telling each other the weather at their house, even though they live 10 miles apart. I wrongly assumed that this was a correct representation of hams. After I got my ticket, I realized that that was just those hams. Like a group of old timers hanging out at the donut shop every morning. Sure their grumpy, and their annoyed when you ask them for directions, but that's just them. Not all old people are like that. Just like all hams are not as described above. You just need to go to the next repeater, or make your own, that's what a friend of mine did.

It's hard to believe, but the airwaves are insanely valuable. Corporate America wants to make money with them. If we lose them because of our inability to control or regulate ourselves regarding a few simple rules, they will not be given to the public, they will be sold to corporations and we will be using FRS radios bought from Walmart on our adventures. Recently while exploring in the Mojave, my two young sons were able to say goodnight to their mom in Big Bear and I was able to tell her our location and planned route in case we didn't show up later.

I don't want to loose my privilege of using ham radio, carrying guns, exploring wilderness, modifying cars, worshipping how I want to worship (or not worship)... All these things and more, are tenuous privileges, that can be taken away if we push the limits set upon us by those that have authority.

 

[Chazz Layne]

I don't want to loose my privilege of using ham radio, carrying guns, exploring wilderness, modifying cars, worshipping how I want to worship (or not worship)... All these things and more, are tenuous privileges

You got 3 of 5 correct...2 of those items in your list are RIGHTS, not privileges.



As to the rest of the thread, I'm forced to agree that for the most part the HAM community is ruled by a bunch of stuck-up jerks, but there are some good guys out there. Regardless, trolling is not allowed on Expedition Portal...the trolls are being banned and this thread locked.