Any ideas or input about the "shroud of disbelief" surrounding Motorola equipment?
So this probably should get moved to an appropriate forum; I apologize in advance to the moderators if this is posted in the wrong location.
Some quick history. I am an honest person. I have had some type of regular full time employment pretty much since my freshman year of high school. Paid my own way through community colleges to become an EMT, state certified firefighter, and later paramedic. I worked for two different ambulance companies and two different fire departments. Worked for a communications company installing, configuring, etc radios, emergency equipment and such on different public safety agency vehicles. Finally got a "real" job operating freight trains ("real" = pays enough to support a family).
Through all of this I have been an amateur radio operator. I love radios. I am fascinated with wireless communication the same obsessive way many people I come across at work are obsessed with trains.
Anyone who uses traditional amateur radio equipment (Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Alinco, etc.) knows well that most have low audio output. Until recently they weren't built very tough either. Same goes for radio scanners (GRE, Uniden, AOR, etc.) Easy way around this= Use "commercial" radio equipment (Motorola, Kenwood and Icom business gear, etc).
After I save and save and plan and save some more to buy comparatively high priced commercial gear (in my case, over time, HT1000's, MT1000's, P200's, GP300's, Maxtrac's, Radius gear, XTS3000's) and jump through all the hoops with Motorola to purchase even higher priced cables and programming software, or get them programmed by a local radio shop willing to trust me and add ham freqs as well as receive only public safety stuff, I come to the question for all of you=
Why is it seemingly EVERYONE I come across who also has some level of interest in radios immediately decides I am in possession of stolen, hacked, pilfered, unlawful, non-allowed, not okay, somehow illegal and bad and scary and untrustworthy equipment/motives/reasons for possessing said equipment? Not to mention how many of them immediately assume I am trying to impersonate a law enforcement officer of some sort, or in some manner project an aura of (nonexistant) authority over them somehow, simply by having in my possession and making use of a Motorola radio. I don't drive a former police issue Crown Vic, I don't wear uniform-like clothes complete with basketweave belts and radio holsters with speaker-mics in full view. My vehicle is not covered with installed covert emergency lighting. I wear shorts and t-shirts (usually plain with no logos or prints, although I must admit I still favor navy blue like I used to wear in the fire service) and drive a 10 year old pickup.
Any ideas/questions/concerns/comments? Candid, critical, honest replies are definitely appreciated.
Thank you, as well, for this haven of fellow radio nuts that is RadioReference.com!
So this probably should get moved to an appropriate forum; I apologize in advance to the moderators if this is posted in the wrong location.
Some quick history. I am an honest person. I have had some type of regular full time employment pretty much since my freshman year of high school. Paid my own way through community colleges to become an EMT, state certified firefighter, and later paramedic. I worked for two different ambulance companies and two different fire departments. Worked for a communications company installing, configuring, etc radios, emergency equipment and such on different public safety agency vehicles. Finally got a "real" job operating freight trains ("real" = pays enough to support a family).
Through all of this I have been an amateur radio operator. I love radios. I am fascinated with wireless communication the same obsessive way many people I come across at work are obsessed with trains.
Anyone who uses traditional amateur radio equipment (Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Alinco, etc.) knows well that most have low audio output. Until recently they weren't built very tough either. Same goes for radio scanners (GRE, Uniden, AOR, etc.) Easy way around this= Use "commercial" radio equipment (Motorola, Kenwood and Icom business gear, etc).
After I save and save and plan and save some more to buy comparatively high priced commercial gear (in my case, over time, HT1000's, MT1000's, P200's, GP300's, Maxtrac's, Radius gear, XTS3000's) and jump through all the hoops with Motorola to purchase even higher priced cables and programming software, or get them programmed by a local radio shop willing to trust me and add ham freqs as well as receive only public safety stuff, I come to the question for all of you=
Why is it seemingly EVERYONE I come across who also has some level of interest in radios immediately decides I am in possession of stolen, hacked, pilfered, unlawful, non-allowed, not okay, somehow illegal and bad and scary and untrustworthy equipment/motives/reasons for possessing said equipment? Not to mention how many of them immediately assume I am trying to impersonate a law enforcement officer of some sort, or in some manner project an aura of (nonexistant) authority over them somehow, simply by having in my possession and making use of a Motorola radio. I don't drive a former police issue Crown Vic, I don't wear uniform-like clothes complete with basketweave belts and radio holsters with speaker-mics in full view. My vehicle is not covered with installed covert emergency lighting. I wear shorts and t-shirts (usually plain with no logos or prints, although I must admit I still favor navy blue like I used to wear in the fire service) and drive a 10 year old pickup.
Any ideas/questions/concerns/comments? Candid, critical, honest replies are definitely appreciated.
Thank you, as well, for this haven of fellow radio nuts that is RadioReference.com!