Denver's radio hams advised on handling DNC protesters

Hams in Denver are being warned to be on the lookout for unlicensed operators. This as the Democratic National Convention comes to town.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, reports:

With the Democratic National Convention about to descend on Denver Colorado, ARES District 22 Operations Officer Dan Meyer, N0PUF, has some advice for hams in the area.

In a posting to the World Wide Web Meyer says that after reading on some of the web sites set up by protesters coming to the convention, he finds that some say that ham radio is the best way to communicate instead of using FRS or GMRS radios.

Meyer says that Denver area hams need to be ready to
T-hunt down any illegal transmissions. He also notes that just about every usable repeater channel pair in the Denver metro area is assigned on some basis. Most as secondary or tertiary frequencies. But if illegal transmissions do appear on Denver area repeaters, the trustees need to be prepared to shut them down.

Meyer also has some advice to T-Hunt teams. He says that if the transmissions are tracked to the Denver downtown area, he would suggest that the T-Hunters do not go there. And if by chance the T-Hunters do spot someone who is operating illegally that they not confront that person, He says that the protesters are likely better prepared for more than you are.

The bottom line. Meyer believes that as soon as the Democratic National Convention is over and everyone leaves town, the rouge operators will go away as well.

Bruce Tennant, K6PZW
Amateur Radio Newsline

One suggestion we might make to our friends in the mile-high city if illegal operators do show up on local Denver repeaters. Rather than shutting then down the owners might consider placing them into CTCSS or Digital CTCSS tone access mode. Its very doubtful that political protesters will have the technologic insight needed to program an access tone into an HT or mobile. Especially if that tone is unpublished and unknown.

Also, if you do go tone access during the convention, do not use the standard 100 hertz default tone most radios come set to. A protester might inadvertently turn it on by fiddling with the keypad. Instead, use an lesser occupied sub audible tone that will leave the unlicensed protesters scratching their heads as to why they cannot communicate using those wonderful mountaintop relay devices that the properly licensed radio amateurs in Denver can.

Source: KB6CC, ARNewsline™, others