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Actually, most of the 802.11b spectrum is in the 2.4GHz amateur band.

The are a couple of problems with doing this as a ham radio project though.

1) Everybody would have to have an amateur license.
2) You would have to play by the FCC rules for the amateur service.

I'm sure there are others, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

Here is an article highlighting the proposed licensing changes. Finally, we can get rid of the stupid code requirements for HF bands. Maybe now we can get enough new users to set up some high speed long distance radio links.

isn't it highly illegal to have a police radio scanner in a moving vehicle? I thought it was only legal to posess them if it was in a fixed location like your living room

During November 2002 the BBC was invited, by courtesy of the operator Scottish & Southern Electricity, to make measurements of two different PLC technologies, which were being used in a trial in Crieff, Scotland. The BBC measurements confirmed that the forms of Access PLT employed in Crieff have the potential to cause significant interference to indoor reception of broadcasts in relevant bands:
- Where the PLC system was operating in the broadcast band then severe interference was caused to broadcast services in that band. This condition applied both within the PLC subscriber's home and the neighbouring properties.
- Where the PLC operated outside the broadcast band, reception of broadcast services was still impaired, but to a lesser extent.

The BBC report on its findings in Crieff has been published: BBC R&D White Paper WHP 067, "The effects of power-line telecommunications on broadcast reception: brief trial in Crieff"

Then you have this where one of the exact same systems as trailed by SSE has been banned.

For actually encoding the data into an audio stream, I would suggest googling for Amateur radio data protocols using modulation schemes like MFSK, QAM, Raised Cosine, etc. Hams have been battling the narrow bandwidth problem for a long time, and have come up with many encoding schemes to protect the data against fading, multipath, etc (many of which are also present on cassette recordings). this site gives examples of digital modulation schemes, as well as a link to cool audio samples!

You might also google for "Phil Karn" or "KA9Q" - he's done a ton of work in this field. Also, the AMSAT or ARRL folk may have some info.

Self-building a system, especially with a creative enclosure, is never a Bad Thing. However, there is one very important -- I would even say 'critical' -- aspect of doing so that no one seems to be paying attention to, and it applies to ANY computer case that is not a full wrap-around all-metal enclosure.

Specifically: Unless you take explicit steps to electrically shield the transparent parts, the enclosure will never meet FCC Part 15 requirements for not radiating RF energy, or being susceptible to outside RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).

Here's the filthy details, and some more info on why this is a Bad Thing. Early computer systems and peripherals were classed as "Unintentional Radiators" under part 15.3(z) of the FCC regs. Later, as processor speeds climbed, an additional category of 'Digital Device' was created under part 15.3(k).

It was under this part that two subclasses were created. You may have heard references to something being a "Class A Computing Device" in the commercial world, or a "Class B Computing Device" in the consumer world. Both of these subclasses have to do with how much RF the device radiates under normal use, and how much potential it has to interfere with other nearby devices, including TV's, stereos, etc. The ARRL's web site has a page that summarizes this, and provides a great explanation on the issue of what 'harmful interference' is, and what the rules say about responsibility for solving issues involving it.

The Reader's Disgust version is this: Sure, you can build your computer into the flashiest Lexan-and-Aluminum enclosure you can find. You can equip it with all kinds of see-through parts, flashing LEDs, and other useless fluff to your heart's content.

HOWEVER -- remember that any material other than metal, solid or mesh, is going to be pretty much transparent to whatever RF energy your system spews into the surrounding environment in the course of its normal operation. If your flashy see-through system causes interference to ANY other RF-using device that is NOT covered by Part 15, to the point where said device cannot operate properly, it is YOUR responsibility to clean it up, electrically speaking.

Transparency to RF is a two-edged sword. You might get incredibly lucky, in that your way-cool see-through system might not be causing any interference at all. But what happens when, just as one example, the ham radio operator next door to you starts transmitting with a 1,000-watt-plus signal? (Yes, we are allowed to use that kind of power, and more).

Another example: What happens if a cop, the paramedics, or anyone else with a portable transceiver happens to transmit with said portable and they happen to be close to your computer at the same time?

Either way, a good chunk of the RF energy from those transmissions are going to go straight into your computer, because all that Lexan is going to let it in like a firehose stream through tissue paper. At best, your system may lock up or reboot unexpectedly. At worst, you could be looking at hard drive corruption.

And guess who's responsible for clearing up the resultant mess? Not the ham radio op. What they're doing is covered very well indeed under FCC Part 97. (That's not to say they'd just tell you to fix it yourself -- most hams are pretty nice about helping you to fix such issues if their transmitters appear to be wreaking havoc, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the owner of the Part 15 device).

Not the cops, paramedics, or whoever else was using the portable radio either. They're operating perfectly within the limits of their FCC license as well. No, the onus for fixing the problem lands right back on your shoulders, as the computer owner, all because you wanted a

Self-building a system, especially with a creative enclosure, is never a Bad Thing. However, there is one very important -- I would even say 'critical' -- aspect of doing so that no one seems to be paying attention to, and it applies to ANY computer case that is not a full wrap-around all-metal enclosure.

Specifically: Unless you take explicit steps to electrically shield the transparent parts, the enclosure will never meet FCC Part 15 requirements for not radiating RF energy, or being susceptible to outside RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).

Here's the filthy details, and some more info on why this is a Bad Thing. Early computer systems and peripherals were classed as "Unintentional Radiators" under part 15.3(z) of the FCC regs. Later, as processor speeds climbed, an additional category of 'Digital Device' was created under part 15.3(k).

It was under this part that two subclasses were created. You may have heard references to something being a "Class A Computing Device" in the commercial world, or a "Class B Computing Device" in the consumer world. Both of these subclasses have to do with how much RF the device radiates under normal use, and how much potential it has to interfere with other nearby devices, including TV's, stereos, etc. The ARRL's web site has a page that summarizes this, and provides a great explanation on the issue of what 'harmful interference' is, and what the rules say about responsibility for solving issues involving it.

The Reader's Disgust version is this: Sure, you can build your computer into the flashiest Lexan-and-Aluminum enclosure you can find. You can equip it with all kinds of see-through parts, flashing LEDs, and other useless fluff to your heart's content.

HOWEVER -- remember that any material other than metal, solid or mesh, is going to be pretty much transparent to whatever RF energy your system spews into the surrounding environment in the course of its normal operation. If your flashy see-through system causes interference to ANY other RF-using device that is NOT covered by Part 15, to the point where said device cannot operate properly, it is YOUR responsibility to clean it up, electrically speaking.

Transparency to RF is a two-edged sword. You might get incredibly lucky, in that your way-cool see-through system might not be causing any interference at all. But what happens when, just as one example, the ham radio operator next door to you starts transmitting with a 1,000-watt-plus signal? (Yes, we are allowed to use that kind of power, and more).

Another example: What happens if a cop, the paramedics, or anyone else with a portable transceiver happens to transmit with said portable and they happen to be close to your computer at the same time?

Either way, a good chunk of the RF energy from those transmissions are going to go straight into your computer, because all that Lexan is going to let it in like a firehose stream through tissue paper. At best, your system may lock up or reboot unexpectedly. At worst, you could be looking at hard drive corruption.

And guess who's responsible for clearing up the resultant mess? Not the ham radio op. What they're doing is covered very well indeed under FCC Part 97. (That's not to say they'd just tell you to fix it yourself -- most hams are pretty nice about helping you to fix such issues if their transmitters appear to be wreaking havoc, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the owner of the Part 15 device).

Not the cops, paramedics, or whoever else was using the portable radio either. They're operating perfectly within the limits of their FCC license as well. No, the onus for fixing the problem lands right back on your shoulders, as the computer owner, all because you wanted a

Yeah, I know. a lot of people write it like that though, and I tend to interact with them enough that I just don't give a damn.

Here is why it's Ham Radio.

Not and acronym, and not kosher...

Keep in mind also that hams routinely make contacts with less than 1 watt of power output. I don't know how much raidation a BPL system would throw out, but the Amateur's Antenna Rule is that the higher the antenna and the more wire you put into it, the better it is. A BPL system would be a fairly high antenna and possibly miles long. The ionosphere would propagate BPL noise as well as it would propagate any other ham radio signal of comparable power output and antenna characteristics.

It's quite usual, for instance, to have the net control for a hurricane network far away from the path of the hurricane. (In fact it's a pretty good idea for obvious reasons.) A ham in Corpus Christi in the middle of a hurricane might be able to get a signal just fine, assuming the atmospheric noise would let him and his antenna stays up, but net control in Florida might not be able to hear him -- or anyone else on the net -- due to the BPL interference.

The ARRL (national amateur radio organization) is very opposed to BPL, because it would most likely cause severe interference to radio hams. See the ARRL's BPL web page for the hams' version of the story.

Well, first I'd point you at the Amateur Radio Relay Leagues's website - www.arrl.org.

That said:

You need to lock the problem in a bit more. If you are just looking for FM radio LO's, you'd be looking in the range of about 70-125 MHz (assuming 10.7 MHz IF, high and low side injection).

For an omnidirectional antenna, you'd be looking at a discone. For a directional antenna, that wide, you'd probably want to use a log-periodic as a yagi would be too narrow band.

Then, if you are looking for signals, a sensitive spectrum analyzer or communications service monitor - I'd suggest looking for a used IFR-1200S, IFR-1200Super, or IFR-COM-120B, but I'm biased as hell since I helped design the 120B. Check eBay (gag). Don't buy a 1200 dash-nothing or 1200-a - it does not have the spectrum analyzer in it. If you can find a 1200SRA that would be even better, but I don't think No Such Agency has given those up.

For DF work - IF you get a strong enough signal, then you can use something like a Ramsey electronics kit DF rig. You can also look up Fox hunting for more information.

Simplest way to scratch that itch - Get a ham ticket, find your nearest club, and sit at the feet of the Elmers.

I think it would pay for at least 2 of these chaps to earn a no-code Amatuer Radio license. You have pretty much free range from 900Mhz and upwards.

You could use upto 1500 Watts of power and it would all be legal.

P.S. You would have to transmit callsigns, but thats really no biggie.

--

This page has links to MPEG video showing the effects of BoPL on HF communications, from field tests conducted by The American Radio Relay League's engineering lab as well as the Austrian Amateur Radio Society.

This page has links to MPEG video showing the effects of BoPL on HF communications, from field tests conducted by The American Radio Relay League's engineering lab as well as the Austrian Amateur Radio Society.

The tests showing ruinous interference and used in the ARRL's formal comments to the FCC were conducted in July and August of this year. At least one of the technologies/companies that still seeks general deployment obviously hasn't licked the interference problem.

I have to grant you #10, multi-day outages of telephone service seem routine out here 30 miles from Nashville... while the electricity is rarely out for more than a few minutes. What the utilities *should* do (and a report last week which I can no longer find showed one who had) is use their existing right-of-way to run fiber.

The ARRL has a page on all you want to know about BPL, along with numerous studies (both domestic and international) on harmful intereference caused by BPL. Go here for the article. If you just want to see videos of interference BPL causes, click on this link on the same page.

The ARRL has a page on all you want to know about BPL, along with numerous studies (both domestic and international) on harmful intereference caused by BPL. Go here for the article. If you just want to see videos of interference BPL causes, click on this link on the same page.

The ARRL has a page on all you want to know about BPL, along with numerous studies (both domestic and international) on harmful intereference caused by BPL. Go here for the article. If you just want to see videos of interference BPL causes, click on this link on the same page.

When broadband over power lines came up as a possibility in the United States, the American Radio Relay League (now the association for Amateur Radio operators) raised concerns about potential interference.

I believe the claim was that Broadband over Power Lines caused so much interference on HF (High Frequency) bands that this world-wide amateur band would be rendered inoperable.

Is this proving to be the case where this technology has started to be rolled out, or did it turn out as something else?

It is interesting to note that a proposal for a new amateur radio band at 136KHz (available in many other countries) was denied by the FCC earlier this year. The Commission felt amateurs would be unable to make effective use of the band because of excessive interference from existing power-line communications at the lower frequencies. They also feared that amateur transmissions in this band would interfere with the power companies' low-frequency communications.

Yet now, the utilities feel they can use shortwave spectrum, where the lines "leak" RF even more effectively, without causing - and receiving - ruinous interference? I guess in a country full of lobbyists this makes sense...

The amateur service is not the only one affected, though we're certainly yelling the loudest. CB radio, 27MHz cordless and wireless devices, and a variety of commercial and military communications also continue to use shortwave spectrum.

Some forms of BPL are rumored to use frequencies as high as 80MHz - this would wipe out over-the-air reception of all three major TV networks at my location. Not to mention the local fire department.

I am not completely convinced the utilities actually want to provide broadband data communications. There have always been occasional problems with defective power distribution equipment causing severe interference to shortwave, but lately FCC enforcement action (here too) seems to be increasingly necessary to get stuff fixed.

I have to wonder whether what they really want is to get Part 15 regulations relaxed so they don't have to fix these problems anymore?

It is interesting to note that a proposal for a new amateur radio band at 136KHz (available in many other countries) was denied by the FCC earlier this year. The Commission felt amateurs would be unable to make effective use of the band because of excessive interference from existing power-line communications at the lower frequencies. They also feared that amateur transmissions in this band would interfere with the power companies' low-frequency communications.

Yet now, the utilities feel they can use shortwave spectrum, where the lines "leak" RF even more effectively, without causing - and receiving - ruinous interference? I guess in a country full of lobbyists this makes sense...

The amateur service is not the only one affected, though we're certainly yelling the loudest. CB radio, 27MHz cordless and wireless devices, and a variety of commercial and military communications also continue to use shortwave spectrum.

Some forms of BPL are rumored to use frequencies as high as 80MHz - this would wipe out over-the-air reception of all three major TV networks at my location. Not to mention the local fire department.

I am not completely convinced the utilities actually want to provide broadband data communications. There have always been occasional problems with defective power distribution equipment causing severe interference to shortwave, but lately FCC enforcement action (here too) seems to be increasingly necessary to get stuff fixed.

I have to wonder whether what they really want is to get Part 15 regulations relaxed so they don't have to fix these problems anymore?

It is interesting to note that a proposal for a new amateur radio band at 136KHz (available in many other countries) was denied by the FCC earlier this year. The Commission felt amateurs would be unable to make effective use of the band because of excessive interference from existing power-line communications at the lower frequencies. They also feared that amateur transmissions in this band would interfere with the power companies' low-frequency communications.

Yet now, the utilities feel they can use shortwave spectrum, where the lines "leak" RF even more effectively, without causing - and receiving - ruinous interference? I guess in a country full of lobbyists this makes sense...

The amateur service is not the only one affected, though we're certainly yelling the loudest. CB radio, 27MHz cordless and wireless devices, and a variety of commercial and military communications also continue to use shortwave spectrum.

Some forms of BPL are rumored to use frequencies as high as 80MHz - this would wipe out over-the-air reception of all three major TV networks at my location. Not to mention the local fire department.

I am not completely convinced the utilities actually want to provide broadband data communications. There have always been occasional problems with defective power distribution equipment causing severe interference to shortwave, but lately FCC enforcement action (here too) seems to be increasingly necessary to get stuff fixed.

I have to wonder whether what they really want is to get Part 15 regulations relaxed so they don't have to fix these problems anymore?

> is prone to both causing and receiving interference from radio services, including those that operate in the 1-60 MHz range, such as amateur radio, commercial radio, television, and the shortwave broadcasting service

> has a high signal degradation rate, requiring transformers at least every mile

> is expensive, and prone to failure (power blackouts)

> is less cost-effective than laying fiber optic cables

Amatuer Radio enthusiasts have logos, though.

This is one among many published accounts of the part played by amateur radio after the events of 9/11. The effort was large, well-coordinated, and in a number of cases, absolutely crucial.

Accounts of amateur participation in emergency and disaster relief are posted regularly on the ARRL home page.

This is one among many published accounts of the part played by amateur radio after the events of 9/11. The effort was large, well-coordinated, and in a number of cases, absolutely crucial.

Accounts of amateur participation in emergency and disaster relief are posted regularly on the ARRL home page.

Here's some quick good links. I'm sure there are hundreds of others. Please educate others. There is no voodoo and radio waves for the most part will not hurt you, unless you stand in front of a high power transmitter.

How Radio Works

How Antennas Work

105 km is a good ways off. But Amateur Radio operators have been getting better than this with their voice transmissions (and possibly digital) on frequencies from 50 MHz to 10 GHz at the 2003 September VHF QSO Party.

See some of their setups at http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/?con_id=53.

Our university station was making contacts on frequencies greater than 2.4 GHz for distances longer than 200 miles. Contrary to common sense, Line-of-Sight is not necessarily required to get microwave transmissions to work over long distances. But they're very weak ;-)

-StarMaven

More info about the ARRLs take on that:here. They point out that channels 1-6 fall within the amateur band around 2.4 GHz, and if they get modified within the part 97 allowances for amateurs they could use them instead of the slower packet radio (although I have read about 5-10Mb/s links, but they are more for backbones between the slower areas).

So yes it is posible, just remember that you can't encode/encrypt to obscure the meaning of the data. (Although I have never read anything about putting a passowrd, you might run into trouble because some OSes (i.e. Windows 95B & later ) encrypt the password before sending it).

The Novice license is no longer available. Existing Novices can continue to operate.

The Technician license grants nearly all privileges above 50 MHz, but Techs are only allowed to operate HF (below 30 MHz) if they've passed the Morse Code test, and then only Morse Code at low power (and one phone allocation on 10 meters) in a few small slices of spectrum.

General class licensees have some privileges on all amateur bands, including voice, data, and video where it's allowed. Extra Class operators have full privileges.

Here is a good summary of the license classes and operating privileges.

The Novice license is no longer available. Existing Novices can continue to operate.

The Technician license grants nearly all privileges above 50 MHz, but Techs are only allowed to operate HF (below 30 MHz) if they've passed the Morse Code test, and then only Morse Code at low power (and one phone allocation on 10 meters) in a few small slices of spectrum.

General class licensees have some privileges on all amateur bands, including voice, data, and video where it's allowed. Extra Class operators have full privileges.

Here is a good summary of the license classes and operating privileges.

Should have been modded Insightful, not merely Funny.

CW (Morse code) is often the only way to get a message through when all other methods fail. All you need to be able to do is switch a carrier on and off. And it can be done with very low power.

And to think the ITU now allows countries to do away with the Morse requirement for operation under 30 MHz. (There are petitions before the FCC to do this in the US.)

Should have been modded Insightful, not merely Funny.

CW (Morse code) is often the only way to get a message through when all other methods fail. All you need to be able to do is switch a carrier on and off. And it can be done with very low power.

And to think the ITU now allows countries to do away with the Morse requirement for operation under 30 MHz. (There are petitions before the FCC to do this in the US.)

First, here is some background info.

Second, study up for the 35 question multiple choice exam using the Now You're Talking book.

Third, take your test.

Then get some gear - you'll be the one helping out in the next disaster in your area!

K9JRW

First, here is some background info.

Second, study up for the 35 question multiple choice exam using the Now You're Talking book.

Third, take your test.

Then get some gear - you'll be the one helping out in the next disaster in your area!

K9JRW

First, here is some background info.

Second, study up for the 35 question multiple choice exam using the Now You're Talking book.

Third, take your test.

Then get some gear - you'll be the one helping out in the next disaster in your area!

K9JRW

You'd think the editors would use the preview button if the submitter doesn't.

A major step forward occured on July 5, 2003, when WRC-03 adopted changes to the ITU Radio Regulations that remove the international requirement that all administrations require Morse tests, leaving that determination to the individual administrations, but the work does not end there.

Other countries are already moving in this direction, so it sounds like it's just a matter of time before morse code is removed entirely or reduced even more.

More details here and here and here.

For the sake of completeness, I'm KD5YRD, just Technician class. I've passed the General and Extra tests, but failed the Morse code test when I tried it (yesterday!) ... so I'll need to work on it bit more (perhaps in two weeks I'll try again.) The written tests are quite simple, especially since you have access to all possible test questions, but the morse code part can be a lot harder for many people, even though 5 wpm is extremely slow.

In any event, don't get the idea that you need to know morse code to do ham radio, even today. You absolutely do not -- the Technician class license does not require it, and gets you access to many (most?) of the `fun' things that ham radio has to offer. But you may want to learn it eventually -- you'll hear a lot of it even mixed in with voice communications.

Some of the sister organizations have already moved this way. The international body has dropped the requirement, and Switzerland has dropped the requirement and I think England might soon. http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/07/22/1/

There's already packet for 2-Meter ... so changing the Morse requirement would only allow it on different frequencies.

As an Amateur Extra class holder, I can see both sides of this ... if you drop the requirement, then more people would be able to get the General or AE license.

However, if there is a roadblock (not a very high one), that would limit the number of poor operators on HF frequencies that would travel around the world.

If BPL does come to fruition, it really won't matter on HF anymore.

BTW, what type of communication would prevail if aliens invade?

http://www.arrl.org/lotw/ Logbook of the World is a open source ham radio software project. A log book keeps track of what stations that a ham contacts on the ham radio bands.

Now You're Talking

I read a bit of the 4th edition in preparation to get my license, and I enjoyed what I read. However, I got distracted by a new job and a move and the tests have been updated again. I've just ordered the 5th edition, and will give it another try.

If you in the USA, you could check out the American Radio Relay League. Other countries should have a similar oragnization.

You're way off base, although you could simply be trolling.

First, Part 15 defines radio interference from consumer electronics, and what interference it must simply accept from other stations. It's not automatically a ham's fault if you can't listen to your easy-listening station while you surf about the difference between off-white and eggshell white over your WiFi.

There are clear guidelines set by the FCC on who is responsible for fixing the problem. If it's your responsibility, and it's your Part 15 consumer electronic, you'll need to have it fixed. If it's the radio operator's responsibility, he or she will have to fix it. The FCC is quite active when it comes to policing up those who violate the rules.

Second, a few notes on how hams are regulated w.r.t interference:

97.307(c) Emission Standards "All suprious emissions from a station transmitter must be reduced to the greatest extent practiciable. If any spurious emission, including chassis or power line radiation, causes harmful interference to the reception of another radio station, the licensee of the interfering amateur station is required to take steps to eliminate the interference, in accordance with good engineering practice.

97.101(d) General Standards No amateur operator shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any other radio communication or signal.

97.121 Restricted Operation If the operation of an amateur station causes general interference to the reception of transmissions from stations operating in the domestic broadcast service when receivers of good engineering design, including adequate selectivity characteristics, are used to receive such transmissions, and this fact is made known to the amateur station licensee, the amateur station shall not be operated during the hours from 8pm to 10:30pm, local time, and on Sunday for the additional period from 10:30am until 1pm, local time, upon the frequencies used when the interference is created.

There are more, but you didn't know that, and until you go read the entire reg, there's no point in trying to argue.

Maybe CB is about sticking up the most watts you possibly can, I wouldn't know - I don't use it, so I'm not part of that culture. You'll find that most hams enjoy doing MORE with LESS. Try talking to your friend in the Czech Republic on 1/4 or 1/2 watt on CW. Oh yes, it can be done, and is often done.

Your gaming license analogy doesn't hold, either. Go check out the test pools and find out how much you have to know to be a Technician class operator. The FCC only gives you rights to the bands and transmission power you're assumed to know, given that you pass your test. Guess who administers the tests. Go on. It's other hams who are volunteer examiners. You're being tested by other radio operators who know what they're talking about. Last I checked, the bar isn't that high to get a fishing license.

Am. Radio isn't about "Wheee, look at how much I can pump out of this here radio." You certainly misjudge the level of pride most amateur radio operators take on NOT creating interference. We enjoy transmitting in our designated bandwidth, thank you very much.

WiFi (2.4Ghz) is unlicensed, by the way. Your microwave will cause as much or more interference on that band than a properly tuned rig.

You're way off base, although you could simply be trolling.

First, Part 15 defines radio interference from consumer electronics, and what interference it must simply accept from other stations. It's not automatically a ham's fault if you can't listen to your easy-listening station while you surf about the difference between off-white and eggshell white over your WiFi.

There are clear guidelines set by the FCC on who is responsible for fixing the problem. If it's your responsibility, and it's your Part 15 consumer electronic, you'll need to have it fixed. If it's the radio operator's responsibility, he or she will have to fix it. The FCC is quite active when it comes to policing up those who violate the rules.

Second, a few notes on how hams are regulated w.r.t interference:

97.307(c) Emission Standards "All suprious emissions from a station transmitter must be reduced to the greatest extent practiciable. If any spurious emission, including chassis or power line radiation, causes harmful interference to the reception of another radio station, the licensee of the interfering amateur station is required to take steps to eliminate the interference, in accordance with good engineering practice.

97.101(d) General Standards No amateur operator shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any other radio communication or signal.

97.121 Restricted Operation If the operation of an amateur station causes general interference to the reception of transmissions from stations operating in the domestic broadcast service when receivers of good engineering design, including adequate selectivity characteristics, are used to receive such transmissions, and this fact is made known to the amateur station licensee, the amateur station shall not be operated during the hours from 8pm to 10:30pm, local time, and on Sunday for the additional period from 10:30am until 1pm, local time, upon the frequencies used when the interference is created.

There are more, but you didn't know that, and until you go read the entire reg, there's no point in trying to argue.

Maybe CB is about sticking up the most watts you possibly can, I wouldn't know - I don't use it, so I'm not part of that culture. You'll find that most hams enjoy doing MORE with LESS. Try talking to your friend in the Czech Republic on 1/4 or 1/2 watt on CW. Oh yes, it can be done, and is often done.

Your gaming license analogy doesn't hold, either. Go check out the test pools and find out how much you have to know to be a Technician class operator. The FCC only gives you rights to the bands and transmission power you're assumed to know, given that you pass your test. Guess who administers the tests. Go on. It's other hams who are volunteer examiners. You're being tested by other radio operators who know what they're talking about. Last I checked, the bar isn't that high to get a fishing license.

Am. Radio isn't about "Wheee, look at how much I can pump out of this here radio." You certainly misjudge the level of pride most amateur radio operators take on NOT creating interference. We enjoy transmitting in our designated bandwidth, thank you very much.

WiFi (2.4Ghz) is unlicensed, by the way. Your microwave will cause as much or more interference on that band than a properly tuned rig.

Click the Clicky thing!!!1!!one!!1!11

I've got a few karma points to burn, and you need to be beaten with a clue stick. I suggest you start with the ARRL.

To call amateur radio operators simply hobbiests does them a disservice. They're licensed by the FCC. Listen on your local repeater the next time some severe thunderstorms roll through. I bet you'll hear a SKYWARN net, courtesy of your local ARES group. What's ARES? This is. They are volunteers that work closely with the National Weather Service. If you're lucky enough to still have an active RACES group in your area, I suggest you go look at that site. FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the governing body that provides assistance to the local governing bodies, specifically the civil defence bodies that sponsor RACES groups.

Enough examples? No?

Check out an Army or Navy MARS site and note that you can pass a MARSGRAM to any service member, anywhere, through the network of MARS operators. As an amateur radio operator, it was pretty cool to sit (once) at the MARS gateway in Frankfurt, Germany while I was in the Army. More than a handful of messages that came through were on their way to soldiers in Bosnia.

If your metro area lost traditional communications, your local hams would post themselves at the Red Cross, any hospitals, police and fire stations and keep communications going. In fact, this is what they did in New York after the towers came down.

Guess what else. We're volunteers. We don't get paid. In fact, we CAN'T get paid for our radio services. Go read the rules: 47 CFR 97.113(2)

P.S. It says no radio transmissions for hire.

That means every radio operator is out there during emergencies because they want to be. They take an active interest in the community they're serving. They invest in their own rigs and the generators to run them so that they might one day HELP YOU, as well as give them an outlet for their interests. That's a damn sight more dedicated than your whiny, milktoast ass.

I've got a few karma points to burn, and you need to be beaten with a clue stick. I suggest you start with the ARRL.

To call amateur radio operators simply hobbiests does them a disservice. They're licensed by the FCC. Listen on your local repeater the next time some severe thunderstorms roll through. I bet you'll hear a SKYWARN net, courtesy of your local ARES group. What's ARES? This is. They are volunteers that work closely with the National Weather Service. If you're lucky enough to still have an active RACES group in your area, I suggest you go look at that site. FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the governing body that provides assistance to the local governing bodies, specifically the civil defence bodies that sponsor RACES groups.

Enough examples? No?

Check out an Army or Navy MARS site and note that you can pass a MARSGRAM to any service member, anywhere, through the network of MARS operators. As an amateur radio operator, it was pretty cool to sit (once) at the MARS gateway in Frankfurt, Germany while I was in the Army. More than a handful of messages that came through were on their way to soldiers in Bosnia.

If your metro area lost traditional communications, your local hams would post themselves at the Red Cross, any hospitals, police and fire stations and keep communications going. In fact, this is what they did in New York after the towers came down.

Guess what else. We're volunteers. We don't get paid. In fact, we CAN'T get paid for our radio services. Go read the rules: 47 CFR 97.113(2)

P.S. It says no radio transmissions for hire.

That means every radio operator is out there during emergencies because they want to be. They take an active interest in the community they're serving. They invest in their own rigs and the generators to run them so that they might one day HELP YOU, as well as give them an outlet for their interests. That's a damn sight more dedicated than your whiny, milktoast ass.

No, it's HF. 3-30 MHz is HF, 40 meters is 7.0 to 7.3 MHz.
ARRL band plan.

That said, RFI problems like you described are usually NOT the fault of Amateur Radio operators. More specifically:

1. Many times the source of interference is someone operating illegally. Illegal CB operation (I.E. big huge amplifiers - which are against FCC rules, etc. etc.) is probably the biggest cause. Believe me, most Ham radio operators would love to take these people out back and teach them about respect for the rules.

2. Even if the source of the interference is an Amateur radio operator, many times the problem is tracked down to a low-quality piece of consumer equipment at the person being interfered with's end. As long as the Ham radio operator is operating within the rules, the owner of the equipment is responsible to fix the issue - as it is their equipment with the technical problem.

3. If it is in fact the amateur radio operator's problem, it is their duty to fix it. The FCC can and does pull licenses for this type of stuff.

If you are having problems along this line, contact your local Ham Radio Club a call. In most cases, they have a vested interest in finding the source of the problem and helping fix it. You can see clubs in your area by going to The club search page on the ARRL site.

Remember that Ham radio operators provide a valuable service when the crap hits the fan. Most Amateur radio operators are actually skilled in what they do and take great pains to insure they don't cause unwanted interference, as interference only hurts the Ham radio community.