surprised there's no charge for unlicensed operation. What an idiot
Man Arrested after using wal-mart radio to make terror threat
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surprised there's no charge for unlicensed operation. What an idiot
What radios are they using in that walmart? I have seen a few of them on frs which I believe free for all, no license required.
902
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I thought that for the most part they operated on MURS channels so they could circumvent the costs of frequency coordination and licensing (I could be wrong).
Nonetheless, this has to be one of the most idiotic things I've ever read about someone doing with a radio.
Walmarts use the nationwide Murs frequencies, either ch.4 or 5. Anyone can use them as they're license by rule. No doubt the 26 yr old male in that case had some fries missing from his happy meal! :roll: 73, n9zas
ecps92
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Most I've seen are licensed anyway since they were in use before MURS even existed.
As for unlicensed operation, it does not say if he was using one of their (licensed) radios. It seems odd they would be able to track him down so quickly unless he was an employee.
All that aside, the local PD cannot represent themselves as Federal Agents of the FCC.
As for unlicensed operation, it does not say if he was using one of their (licensed) radios. It seems odd they would be able to track him down so quickly unless he was an employee.
All that aside, the local PD cannot represent themselves as Federal Agents of the FCC.
. I'm sure they probably baited him, to get him back on the air to tell them more. No doubt he was clueless that officers were probably standing there with walmart managers asking him questions to narrow down his location. Finding him wouldn't be too difficult. : . 73, n9zas
We did that with someone using a cell phone several years ago. Multiple bomb threats (25+) were made to a particular Walmart by calling 911. Caller ID noted the phone number but that number was actually being used by a legitimate cell phone user who had traded in the other phone. The suspect was making the calls at a relatively regular time and all the calls were all being picked up by the same cell tower.. When the "regular" time approached, we had a Cellular One technician at the tower. Sure enough, the call was made and the 911 dispatcher kept him on the line. The technician picked up the info at the tower and told us the call was coming from the Walmart parking lot, probably the southwest corner and it was a NEC bag phone. (This was before digital.) Officers were in the parking lot and a quick search turned up the guy, still on the phone.
It turned out the phone was acquired by this guy when he worked for a cell phone company. It was not activated to make regular phone calls but it would still make 911 calls. He was an employee of the Walmart and made these calls while he was on break.
On a side note, Walmart told us it cost about $7000 each time the store was evacuated. Toward the end, they quit evacuating the store when it was determined that it was the same guy making all the phone calls.
W8RMH
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I remember the case of a parolee calling in a bomb threat to his ex-wife's employer, and he used 911 from home. That sent him back to prison for 15 years.
Also all non-activated cell phones have to have the 911 capability at no cost. Good to keep an old phone around just for emergencies.
Also all non-activated cell phones have to have the 911 capability at no cost. Good to keep an old phone around just for emergencies.
Well some yahoo's have been selling the motorola murs radios same model as wally world uses on ebay and selling them with the dpl tones as such listing them as wal mart two way radios. This doesn't surprise me.
True I recall though some stores which had issues were messing with the motorola 900mhz hopping radios I forget the model I have a sticky some where. Wouldn't surprise me if that store goes to same setup.
W8RMH
Feed Provider Since 2012
No big crime there, since pretty much any frequency agile radio can be programmed with the Murs channels and Pl/Dpl assuming there's one used which many Walmarts are Csq. 73, n9zas
True but I figure when they market them as wal mart two way radio while the majority would change or use it to monitor it'll invite the few who will do what the guy did in article. From all the actual programming data I have seen from legit in store radios 2 channels are csq and the rest use dpl with the two that are csq are also re used using dpl tones. They are all pretty much same lineup in every store I have seen minus ones not on murs such as the Digital Spread Spectrum. While on the subject of wally world does the smaller wal mart neighborhood market chains use the same setups or they small to point they don't utilize anything? We have a couple being built back home and I been meaning to run by to check it out when they open. As all radio lovers you notice the radios before anything else.
Doesn't that sort of assume people are programmed to break the law? I'm 72 years old and I have a half a dozen or more portables around the house or in the car. I can't recall ever wanting to call in a bomb threat to anyone.
There is one major problem with this: Most of these phones will not accept calls. So, if your 911 is transferred to a new answering point, you hang up, they let you go, etc., they might not be able to get back in touch with you (you would have to decide that the response should have arrived and call back 911 yourself).
. Unless of course you don't WANT 911 to be able to call you back! :wink: 73, n9zas
To quote Sheriff Andy Taylor, "Yeah, boy!"
Not trying to stray too far off topic here, but many PSAP's across the country use digitally recorded hard drives for all their 911 calls which can be pulled up from several years ago. IF a person knows the local internal phone numbers for their PSAP or Sheriff Dept. then they can avoid being recorded or even called back. This is such the case with my county anyway. :wink: 73, n9zas
And many public safety answering points, appropriately, record all of their phone calls.
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