FCC Enforcement, tasty, tasty enforcement….

[N4DES]

System is wide open ?
(ie. UNC-W Default Access Permissions: "yes" - only way to get ZC$xxxxx)

Not true.

 

[StoliRaz]

Yeah, stuff like this is why I stick to scanners and SDR. I'm not a pro nor am I going to pretend to be one. I'd wager that this guy is going to get porked by the F double C big time especially since it isn't his first offense

 

[ArkTex]

I don’t understand the mentality of wanting to transmit or affiliate with TG’s that haven’t given permission. A lot of us here work in public safety or around public safety radio systems, and I think we’ve all heard those whackers trying to get access.

Just gives more reason for the FCC to have someone constantly watching this forum, and they’re probably doing that already.

you don’t need to listen, it might be a fun hobby but it’s just a hobby. You don’t want someone breaking into your house and listening to your conversations right? Some conversations you might be okay with being public, but sometimes conversations need to be private.

it’s the same thing operating a radio system.

 

[R8000]

Just gives more reason for the FCC to have someone constantly watching this forum, and they’re probably doing that already.

Just about every government radio shop/tech watches the forums. Most don't have an account and just monitor.
We appreciate the heads up!

 

[chrismol1]

I don’t understand the mentality of wanting to transmit or affiliate with TG’s that haven’t given permission.

It's not the first time I've heard of folks who just had to program a subscriber to affiliate because their burning yearning to drag a talkgroup outside of their local monitoring capability to their local site overrode their otherwise normal virtue

I'd love to find out the backstory here. It had to be something good for them to show up at his door with the FCC involved versus inhibiting the cloned ID or maybe they already did something like that with no lasting effect resulting in increased efforts to find a result

 

[K7MFC]

I don’t understand the mentality of wanting to transmit or affiliate with TG’s that haven’t given permission…it’s just a hobby.

Yeah, sadly this mentality is too prevalent. Any time I’ve encountered whackers like that, the justification for having a radio programmed to tx on unauthorized systems is usually “just in case.”

And thanks for reiterating that amateur radio is a hobby. The amount of hams who think that their license confers any kind of rights and/or responsibilities as a first responder is too dang high!

 

[ArkTex]

Yeah, sadly this mentality is too prevalent. Any time I’ve encountered whackers like that, the justification for having a radio programmed to tx on unauthorized systems is usually “just in case.”

And thanks for reiterating that amateur radio is a hobby. The amount of hams who think that their license confers any kind of rights and/or responsibilities as a first responder is too dang high!

This kind of behavior is exactly what gives a bad name for hams/hobbyists in the first responder community, especially system admins and the upper command staff of departments.

Its going to create even more tension and is more ammo for people who want to see hams restricted more/kicked off the airwaves.

 

[merlin]

DUH...what does that blinky red light mean ??

Sheesh

 

[WX4JCW]

I don’t understand the mentality of wanting to transmit or affiliate with TG’s that haven’t given permission. A lot of us here work in public safety or around public safety radio systems, and I think we’ve all heard those whackers trying to get access.

Just gives more reason for the FCC to have someone constantly watching this forum, and they’re probably doing that already.

you don’t need to listen, it might be a fun hobby but it’s just a hobby. You don’t want someone breaking into your house and listening to your conversations right? Some conversations you might be okay with being public, but sometimes conversations need to be private.

it’s the same thing operating a radio system.

that argument is extremely debatable, Especially with "Public" Safety agencies, holding agencies accountable cant be equated to breaking into someone's personal communications, my argument is more with the wording of that argument than anything else.

Having said that, if you are not an actual employed or volunteer member of a Public safety agency you have zero business affiliating or even transmitting - "just in case" is absolutely not a valid argument and makes you a whacker.

 

[AM909]

Having said that, if you are not an actual employed or volunteer member of a Public safety agency ...

... or are servicing their equipment.

 

[mmckenna]

Having said that, if you are not an actual employed or volunteer member of a Public safety agency you have zero business affiliating or even transmitting - "just in case" is absolutely not a valid argument and makes you a whacker.

It goes a step further. Actually, a big step further.
Simply being an employee, volunteer, indentured servant, "friend of the chief", or anything else, is not enough on its own to be programming radios on the system. The FCC is abundantly clear that the Licensee is responsible for ALL radios on their system. It also says that users cannot put radios on a system without the approval of the licensee.

That tends to get ignored, and some will assume that as an employee, they can add radios to their employers system. Some will supply their own radio, some will mess with programming of the employers radio, some will assume that it's OK to buy crap radios off E-Bay/Amazon and put them on the system.

Again, a good justification for locking down trunking systems, adding encryption, and locking read/write on radios.
Unfortunately there are too many that assume they are "YooToobs certified radio experts".

 

[belvdr]

"YooToobs certified radio experts".

You should make that your profile status. LOL

 

[MTS2000des]

It goes a step further. Actually, a big step further.
Simply being an employee, volunteer, indentured servant, "friend of the chief", or anything else, is not enough on its own to be programming radios on the system.

This is one of those situations where it's all good, until it's not. "Chief said it was okay" and unauthorized programming, especially trunking subscribers, commences. Then it goes bad when system owners find out (we do have tools explicitly for this purpose). That's where the "chief" denies everything, admits nothing, makes counter allegations and demands proof- classic gasligther's creed. The one who has that stolen software, bootleg system key they made with their downloaded software, and is staring at losing their career and possibly even getting charged, start to realize who their friends really are.

Think it doesn't happen? Ask this guy. As I said on another forum, don't be that guy. If one is truly authorized, one will have it in writing, a legitimate system key(s) with signed authorization, legitimately purchased software, and have received proper training from the vendor and/or system operator on subscriber programming.

Anything else is a dangerous game.

 

[mmckenna]

You should make that your profile status. LOL

Good idea.

(Not affiliated with CopSounds™ Industries)

Done:

 

[WX4JCW]

It goes a step further. Actually, a big step further.
Simply being an employee, volunteer, indentured servant, "friend of the chief", or anything else, is not enough on its own to be programming radios on the system. The FCC is abundantly clear that the Licensee is responsible for ALL radios on their system. It also says that users cannot put radios on a system without the approval of the licensee.

That tends to get ignored, and some will assume that as an employee, they can add radios to their employers system. Some will supply their own radio, some will mess with programming of the employers radio, some will assume that it's OK to buy crap radios off E-Bay/Amazon and put them on the system.

Again, a good justification for locking down trunking systems, adding encryption, and locking read/write on radios.
Unfortunately there are too many that assume they are "YooToobs certified radio experts".

for once I 100% agree with you , I'm just not as eloquent as presenting it as you

 

[WX4JCW]

... or are servicing their equipment.

But even the techs privileges are compartmentalized and restricted to their particular jobs, and I'm speaking of transmitting, there have been a couple of examples of "Techs gone wild" out there

 

[WX4JCW]

This is one of those situations where it's all good, until it's not. "Chief said it was okay" and unauthorized programming, especially trunking subscribers, commences. Then it goes bad when system owners find out (we do have tools explicitly for this purpose). That's where the "chief" denies everything, admits nothing, makes counter allegations and demands proof- classic gasligther's creed. The one who has that stolen software, bootleg system key they made with their downloaded software, and is staring at losing their career and possibly even getting charged, start to realize who their friends really are.

Think it doesn't happen? Ask this guy. As I said on another forum, don't be that guy. If one is truly authorized, one will have it in writing, a legitimate system key(s) with signed authorization, legitimately purchased software, and have received proper training from the vendor and/or system operator on subscriber programming.

Anything else is a dangerous game.

I learned very quickly in the political game of Public safety that NO one is your friend and CYA in every circumstance and every situation was essential, its amazing how quickly you can get thrown under the bus for the smallest thing. I guess that's why I get so antagonistic in certain cases.
in my career I made sure I stayed as much as possible off the radar, did my job and went home, when we did any radio programming or system access it was always in conjunction with the system administrator especially when I worked in private EMS because then you really get to see who your friends are.

Not to stray off too much but one thing never to do when you are a fire station and hate a certain county commissioner make urinal cakes with her image on them, EVERYBODY got fired or demoted for that stunt

 

[mmckenna]

Whenever someone comes on here and asks about programming their personal radio on a department system, I've always tried to tell them to get permission, and get it in writing, on department letterhead, signed by the chief and the FCC Licensee. That's about as much as you can do in the CYA department.

Apparently this guy failed to do that, or never had it.

Not to stray off too much but one thing never to do when you are a fire station and hate a certain county commissioner make urinal cakes with her image on them, EVERYBODY got fired or demoted for that stunt

Yikes.

 

[WX4JCW]

Whenever someone comes on here and asks about programming their personal radio on a department system, I've always tried to tell them to get permission, and get it in writing, on department letterhead, signed by the chief and the FCC Licensee. That's about as much as you can do in the CYA department.

Apparently this guy failed to do that, or never had it.



Yikes.

I do share your frustration

 

[natedawg1604]

It's not the first time I've heard of folks who just had to program a subscriber to affiliate because their burning yearning to drag a talkgroup outside of their local monitoring capability to their local site overrode their otherwise normal virtue

I'd love to find out the backstory here. It had to be something good for them to show up at his door with the FCC involved versus inhibiting the cloned ID or maybe they already did something like that with no lasting effect resulting in increased efforts to find a result

This is a good point, a bunch of us have assumed this gentlemen was mistakenly attempting NAS, but it's also possible he actually programmed the radio to affiliate so as to monitor distant TG's and tied up an already busy site. It would be interesting to find out which one it was.