Question to anyone who knows about radios (preferably police scanners)

[Frijid]

Moral of the stories: Know the rules and follow them!

Right, i had no plans on using a ham without a license, i was just quoting what i heard. i get tired of flipping through the 40 channels of cb and get tired of hearing the people way off using linear, i can hear them even though their in other states, they blow away people i'm trying to talk to a few miles away. i understand skip, but these guys i don't think are shooting skip 24/7, i think they are pushing a lot of power

 

[moldyoldy]

Right, i had no plans on using a ham without a license, i was just quoting what i heard. i get tired of flipping through the 40 channels of cb and get tired of hearing the people way off using linear, i can hear them even though their in other states, they blow away people i'm trying to talk to a few miles away. i understand skip, but these guys i don't think are shooting skip 24/7, i think they are pushing a lot of power

I did hear of one time when the CB bands were quieted down very abruptly: An airline pilot, now deceased, was at about 18000 ft over LA and the flight engineer was fiddling around with his HF radio, which was normally used for transatlantic/transpacific flights when they were out of the range of VHF comms. The engineer came across the CB bands with the usual cursing, etc. The pilots looked at each other, then at the engineer, and he said something to the effect of "I've got it". whereupon he flipped on his transmitter, set it to that frequency, keyed the mike, and said something to the effect of "This is God, clean up the language down there". The band went totally silent for almost a minute. Then somebody came on and asked "Man, did you hear that? that was wall-to-wall". it took a while before the band livened up again.

 

[moldyoldy]

Frijid:

Since you posted that you enjoy radio, and evidently have explored a bit, I and any hams on CPF strongly encourage you to obtain a ham license to expand your enjoyment of a fun hobby.

If you want to work in radio/TV, then the rules change a bit. Then you will need a General RadioTelephone Operators' License, or GROL. Notably if an "L" is added at the end, that abbreviation has an unfortunate meaning in German.

Nonetheless, a ham license for the progressive classes and corresponding privileges, authorizes the holder to function in the amateur frequency bands, but does not provide the authorization to work with radio/TV/etc. transmitters - and that includes the transceivers in squad cars. The knowledge may be similar, but the focus is different. Transmission power levels range from Ham QRP transmissions of 5 watts or less up to commercial FM transmitters of ~300KW. The larger rhombic antennas will handle 100KW.

In my case, I currently hold a GROL license, although back when I took my tests in an FCC office in NYC, there were 1st, 2nd, and maybe 3rd Class Radiotelephone licenses with various added certifications such as radar. One minor point: even though I hold an EE degree, that degree gives me no rights either as a ham or as a GROL technician. An EE degree only makes taking the appropriate radio tests easier. The FCC controls both the ham and GROL licenses which have evolved over the years. At one point, I was familiar with the "Unlimited" ham license which is now the Amateur Extra Class, (I think).

At any rate, whether for a hobby or for your employment, the world of radio can provide many interesting avenues of exploration. You will find that the Hams are just as passionate about their radios as flashaholics are about their flashlights.

a retired moldyoldy...