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KK4JUG

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I don't have my call sign on my tag, I'm a retired LEO so it's WUZDFUZ
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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Years ago I saw a neat Call Letter license plate:
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................... U4EAH
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I thought, "Wow, a Soviet can get amateur plates in that state ?"
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Then it hit me............
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Lauri :)
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(I've never btw, had call letter plates; I have enuff issues without flying above the radars.... :) )
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It must be a REO Speedwagon fan
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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I learned recently that, at least here in Florida, the NCIC records computers balk at the entry of Indiana tag numbers. Apparently you need the expiration date to ID the tag. So there is a lot of back and forth trying to get a run on an Indiana tag. ( Indiana wants me but I cant go back there!)

The other day, on the "teletype channel" as they still call it, an officer was trying to ID somebody, the name was no good, the DL no good, SSN was on a dummy list, they went round and round and even called for a mobile finger print terminal. I don't know what came of it but this guy was really running under the radar.
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
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That doesn't concern anyone? In this day and age with easy access to information, I'm very careful with my information. We don't throw out any garbage that has anything which could identify us.. we rip the address tag off magazines, burn bank notices, junk mail, etc.. I use a virtual credit card number for internet purchases, never hand out personal information when someone calls me, and it basically takes an act of God to get me to hand over my social security number to anyone but a bank.
It depends.

Other than not using my callsign on this forum, I use it elsewhere. My call is on my license plate. I use APRS. If someone wants to find me, it would be pretty easy. While I understand taking precaution, it would take a bit of doing for me to try to obscure myself unless I moved to another country. As it is, I sleep rather well.

Some people are anxious about things, others not so much. I suspect my life experience and critical thinking allows me to take reasonable precaution, avoiding the pitfalls of trepidation. Still, what works for one may not work for another.

It depends.
 

GROL

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Do you really think the average idiot out on the road is going to know your plate is an amateur radio plate and not just some random vanity plate? As I mentioned in my earlier post, the crooks who broke into my truck didn't target me because of my plate, but because mine was the one the were able to get into. And they still had no idea what they took when they grabbed my radio.

In North Carolina, the tag says Amateur Radio on it. I suppose you could request a vanity plate instead of an Amateur Radio plate. Either way, I am not going to put it out there.
 

GROL

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I think call sign or vanity plates draw unwanted/undesirable attention to you and your vehicle. Same goes for NRA stickers, political signs, etc. The key is to blend in, not stand out in a crowd.

Agree 100% ! I do not put NRA on my car or anything political, these days people will damage your car or maybe even burn it, or attack you. Absolutely, blend in.
 

GROL

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Its been my experience criminals are not scouring the ULS site, running amatuer plates on QRZ or scanning the ham bands to find out where you live to steal your identity or your TS-990....smh.

To each their own, do whatever makes you feel safe, but man I hope you realize some of you are making it out to be that, a new ham should be terrified of even uttering their call in public....much less letting anyone know what it is.

You don't need ULS or QRZ to look up a callsign. Someone doesn't even need to know it is a callsign. Suppose they are really pissed at you for whatever reason, and they think maybe I can Google their tag number and find out who they are, not even thinking maybe you cannot lookup other tag numbers that way. When they Goggle it, they will get your callsign and address.

When I Google my call, this is the very first thing listed.

ULS License - Vanity License - K4FLB - COLEY II, HAROLD D
wireless2.fcc.gov › WTB › ULS › Online Systems
Call Sign, K4FLB (Vanity), Radio Service, HV - Vanity. Status, Active, Auth Type, Regular. Dates. Grant, 05/28/2014, Expiration, 05/28/2024. Effective, 07/14/ …

All they have to do is click on the link to get all the rest.
 

KK4JUG

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You don't need ULS or QRZ to look up a callsign. Someone doesn't even need to know it is a callsign. Suppose they are really pissed at you for whatever reason, and they think maybe I can Google their tag number and find out who they are, not even thinking maybe you cannot lookup other tag numbers that way. When they Goggle it, they will get your callsign and address.

When I Google my call, this is the very first thing listed.

ULS License - Vanity License - K4FLB - COLEY II, HAROLD D
wireless2.fcc.gov › WTB › ULS › Online Systems
Call Sign, K4FLB (Vanity), Radio Service, HV - Vanity. Status, Active, Auth Type, Regular. Dates. Grant, 05/28/2014, Expiration, 05/28/2024. Effective, 07/14/ …

All they have to do is click on the link to get all the rest.

I would refer back to post #44. I'm not going to become a prisoner in a tiny little world because I think there might be people out there who want to do harm. The technology changes but the threats have always been there from the pilgrims to the present. I'm 74 and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the idea of some wannabe thug who may or may not exist get in the way.
 

GROL

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I would refer back to post #44. I'm not going to become a prisoner in a tiny little world because I think there might be people out there who want to do harm. The technology changes but the threats have always been there from the pilgrims to the present. I'm 74 and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the idea of some wannabe thug who may or may not exist get in the way.

How you handle your personal security is your responsibility. I am only relating what the risk could be. I chose not to assume that risk.

There are many factors about personal security we sometimes don't think about or realize. Things like, if we always travel the same route at the same time everyday, then someone that may be targeting us can take advantage. I hear many people ask, who would do something like that? If we know the answer to that, we can lock them up and leave our doors unlocked. Problem is, we never know who will do something like that. Sometimes not even our own family.
 

Murphy625

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I agree with most of the statements above. How we handle our own personal security issues varies as much as our own dress codes.

Everyone lives in different places, has different neighbors, travels to different areas, has different opinions on what risks their willing to take and various views on the loses associated with those risks.

I live in a rural area where properties are usually measured in acres. I don't throw out personally identifying mail or give information out on the phone or post personal stuff on the internet..

But I do leave my home and cars unlocked regularly because the type of threats I worry about are not those which walk up to the front door.

Environment and the risk-to-loss ratio varies substantially among us.
 

iMONITOR

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But I do leave my home and cars unlocked regularly because the type of threats I worry about are not those which walk up to the front door.


Seriously? You can never predict what kind of threats you may encounter! Most violent crime stories include someone saying... 'this kind of thing never happens here'.
 

GROL

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I agree with most of the statements above. How we handle our own personal security issues varies as much as our own dress codes.

Everyone lives in different places, has different neighbors, travels to different areas, has different opinions on what risks their willing to take and various views on the loses associated with those risks.

I live in a rural area where properties are usually measured in acres. I don't throw out personally identifying mail or give information out on the phone or post personal stuff on the internet..

But I do leave my home and cars unlocked regularly because the type of threats I worry about are not those which walk up to the front door.

Environment and the risk-to-loss ratio varies substantially among us.

I live in a rural area surrounded by farms. I am in a small neighborhood. A few months ago someone walked through our neighborhood at around 4AM rifling through unlocked cars and made a real mess of some of them. They stole a few items. My cars were locked and I have my driveway lit. They walked right by our cars as seen on our Ring Doorbell video, and onto our next door neighbor. He had forgotten to remove a gun from his truck when he got home. They removed it for him. They also went through another neighborhood a few miles away. With video from a few houses,the perp was caught a few days later.
 

GROL

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Seriously? You can never predict what kind of threats you may encounter! Most violent crime stories include someone saying... 'this kind of thing never happens here'.

My wife and I enjoy watching the real crime shows on Investigation Discovery channel. The ones that cover mostly murders. It is amazing to us sometimes, some of the things we learn that we had not thought about before that make you vulnerable and how to protect yourself.

Such as the emergency dial feature on your smart phone even when it is locked. You have to enable it and add contacts. 3 quick presses on the power button, or 5 quick presses. The internal latch release inside the trunk of newer cars. Do members of your family know about that internal release? Never ever go with someone under any circumstances, make them have to try and kill you in public. You have a far better chance to survive an attack in public. Places you don't think are dangerous. Places attackers like to frequent.

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/
 
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I have ponder'd the idea of personalized license plates my entire teenage-into-adult life. I have to admit that they appealed to me early on. But I received a lot of non specific negative comments about the idea from myriad quarters that I rethought the idea long ago; and for all the reasons discussed here.
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And I have to throw in one other parameter- all these good comments are male centric. The other half of us live lives a a bit more ......what's a good term ?... "aware ?" -- that will do. I don't like to think of myself as an easier target** but by the simple virtual of my sex, I am. Hence, no callsign license plates and other personal stuff.
I had to inject the female pesrpective into this mix.
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______________________________________________________________________
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My new life takes me to Washigton DC all the time now- enuff I have a place to stay there of my own. Its in a lovely neighborhood in the shadows of the Capitol, but surrounded by some not so nice neighbors. I have had to get reacquainted with cities- deadbolt locks, CCTV cameras, gates, ID badges, armed guards, Capitol Hill Police. I don't keep a car in this city- part of my new life comes with a vehicle and 'driver(s)' - no small deal in a city with non-existent parking. I am forever being charmed by these guy's comments about "staying safe in DC."
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(I think they delite in trying to make me paranoid- but its not working.... :) )
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Lauri :)
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** However, I am not going to be a victim -if at all possible- CCW whenever in public :)
 
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k6cpo

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After 3+ decades as a LEO, I have to agree. Most thugs don't have a clue about amateur radio let alone the way to access ULS.

As demonstrated by the idiots that stole my radio. And left the control head sitting up on the dash in plain sight...

In North Carolina, the tag says Amateur Radio on it. I suppose you could request a vanity plate instead of an Amateur Radio plate. Either way, I am not going to put it out there.

Yet you have your call sign splattered all over an internet forum open to anyone...

I would refer back to post #44. I'm not going to become a prisoner in a tiny little world because I think there might be people out there who want to do harm. The technology changes but the threats have always been there from the pilgrims to the present. I'm 74 and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the idea of some wannabe thug who may or may not exist get in the way.

I'm the same age as you and I refuse to succumb to the paranoia that seems to afflict the greater portion of our population today.

My wife and I enjoy watching the real crime shows on Investigation Discovery channel. The ones that cover mostly murders. It is amazing to us sometimes, some of the things we learn that we had not thought about before that make you vulnerable and how to protect yourself.

Such as the emergency dial feature on your smart phone even when it is locked. You have to enable it and add contacts. 3 quick presses on the power button, or 5 quick presses. The internal latch release inside the trunk of newer cars. Do members of your family know about that internal release? Never ever go with someone under any circumstances, make them have to try and kill you in public. You have a far better chance to survive an attack in public. Places you don't think are dangerous. Places attackers like to frequent.

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/

You know a lot of these shows are scripted for more drama and may not represent the absolute truth? I would take anything I see on reality TV with a grain of salt and would filter it well.
 

KE0GXN

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Echo Mike Two-Seven
You don't need ULS or QRZ to look up a callsign. Someone doesn't even need to know it is a callsign. Suppose they are really pissed at you for whatever reason, and they think maybe I can Google their tag number and find out who they are, not even thinking maybe you cannot lookup other tag numbers that way. When they Goggle it, they will get your callsign and address.

When I Google my call, this is the very first thing listed.

ULS License - Vanity License - K4FLB - COLEY II, HAROLD D
wireless2.fcc.gov › WTB › ULS › Online Systems
Call Sign, K4FLB (Vanity), Radio Service, HV - Vanity. Status, Active, Auth Type, Regular. Dates. Grant, 05/28/2014, Expiration, 05/28/2024. Effective, 07/14/ …

All they have to do is click on the link to get all the rest.

I am not worried about it. See post #39.
 
D

DaveNF2G

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"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid"

For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound) - Stephen Sills, 1966
 
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