Comment on Senate GOP budget bill has little-noticed provision that could hurt your Wi-Fi
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
bruhduh@lemmy.world 2 months ago
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
[deleted]bruhduh@lemmy.world 2 months ago
stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Who’d have thought WWIV was so prescient as to when it would become re-relevant.
Time to dust off my SysOp skillset lol
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
I mean, does anyone actually communicate on the ham bands? HF is for contesting and contesting only, 2 meters is for “checking in and out” on ragchew nets, 70cm is 2m again except half the range, 220 is hipster 2 meter, and I’ve never been given a reason to even think about 33cm and above. You’re more likely to find discussion about Icom vs Yaesu’s incompatible 2 meter digital things than high UHF.
Most actual communication is illegal on the ham bands one way or another so…I haven’t renewed my license.
ProfThadBach@lemmy.world 2 months ago
[deleted]gallopingsnail@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
This guy’s full of shit. You can talk all you want on the HF bands, they’re certainly not exclusively for contesting. You can do Morse code or digital modes too.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
It’s illegal to transmit music, it’s illegal to transmit anything encrypted unless you’re controlling a satellite, it’s illegal to transmit anything for commercial purposes, and it’s actually illegal to transmit anything on a regular basis that could reasonably be communicated some other way.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
[deleted]stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
The FCC hasn’t really punished anyone for not having a license other than those that are really bothersome/disruptive or are doing jamming. But like, if there’s civil unrest, the laws probably don’t matter anymore so you can just ignore the law.
Thanks for reminding me of this movie. :D en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump_Up_the_Volume_(film)
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Get into ham radio if you like radios, that’s pretty much the only topic you’ll find on the air.
MajorasMaskForever@lemmy.world 2 months ago
A HAM license realistically is for two things:
#1 the test teaches you major items you should know about how radio works #2 how to not fuck shit up for everyone else
For the bands allocated to HAM radio in the US, as long as you’re not fucking shit up for everyone else the FCC doesn’t really care. A good example of that and my personal favorite rule is the power transmission rule of “only enough power to complete the transmission”. Functionally it’s so vague that I doubt anyone would ever actually get their license suspended over it.
The group AFRL has a pretty restrictive “band plan” that I think is where the above comment’s salt is coming from. A perception I have and have heard others talk about is the HAM community has a tendency to be borderline hostile to newcomers and are very gate-keepy, which AFRL in my experience embodies.
I have a license purely to play by the rules from a legal standpoint when I’m out in the rocky mountains hiking and camping with friends, makes communicating with different groups way easier
Cenzorrll@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Do you mean ARRL?
I agree their bandplan is pretty restricty, but it’s also not law. It’s more for playing nice with each other. Keep high power up here so it doesn’t wipe out the people playing with low power, digital here so they don’t get overrun by voice, etc. You wouldn’t have any idea you’re stepping on someone sending Morse if you’re on FM. So there’s reason for it.
And yeah, with line of sight radios, nobody gives two shits 20 miles from civilization in the woods.
MangoCats@feddit.it 2 months ago
If you intend to practice the hobby, get the license. I let mine lapse after 10 years because I don’t practice anymore, but I generally still remember the basic rules and how to operate the gear, so if I ever had an emergency need I’d use what I had access to - but I haven’t transmitted anything in years and years.
MangoCats@feddit.it 2 months ago
Most actual communication is illegal on the ham bands one way or another
Except in case of emergency, natural disaster, etc. Before we carried cell phones, I had ham handhelds that we would talk directly to each other on 70cm for the usual “Hi honey, I’m on my way home” or… in the days before cell phone lots existed at airports, I’d call her on the handheld to let her know I was approaching the passenger drop-off/pickup area at the airport after a flight so she could start going there from whatever makeshift staging area she was in.
Anyway, when we would be out in the woods, we could reach each other roughly 1/2 mile like that from handheld to handheld, but if we ever had a serious problem we could switch to 2m and hit the local repeater which would get us more like 12 miles of range and coverage all the way into town where there was usually somebody who could make a 911 call if we needed it.
So, yeah, we have cell phones today, and they work when they work, but I find that when the cell phones don’t work (like during / after a hurricane) the ham bands generally are working - or at least are restored quicker, and nobody is going to press charges for emergency communications on the ham bands.
If you want to use the ham band for instacart dispatch coordination, yeah, you’re gonna get more than static about that.
rezifon@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I lost power and water for several days following a hurricane. No internet and no cell signal.
A dual band HT was our only way to learn what was happening across the city and in our neighborhood. It was a lifeline. I’ve got a bigger mobile unit set up now with a better antenna. Easy thing to keep on hand for the next zombie attack.
kieron115@startrek.website 2 months ago
I live in Appalachia and people here regularly use ham for weather reports but that’s about it. If there was an actual emergency I assume that would be sent out as well.
MangoCats@feddit.it 2 months ago
For what it’s worth, I think Cruz’s proposal (all of it) was defeated 99-1.
stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Yes, Rafael suffered a 99-1 loss. Guessing he’s the 1, so a total loss.
MangoCats@feddit.it 2 months ago
What a way to advertise your impotence.
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 2 months ago
Image