Amatuer radio at Defcon

[nak]

I think it would be cool if there was a small ham-net on a local repeater at a set time. A set simplex frequency so ham hackers could listen for others could also work to unite hackers with licenses. Never attended DC before, it's just a thought.

[noid]

Ah, you're a HAM. Maybe you could add your input on this thread:

http://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?t=5626

[nak]

Yeah I saw that thread when I did a search for HAM radio, but seeing that I don't own a car yet I use a magnet-mount antenna when I want to ham on road trips.
I plan on getting a car before DC13 though.

Is there much HAM radio activity in LV (during defcon in particular)? Where I live its pretty much limited to older folks and obnoxious middle aged men on 2M, therefore I am not very active

[bascule]

There's usually a repeater up. However, be aware of a few variances in the typical ham rules at Defcon:

1. Use of profanity is compulsory

2. IDing is expressly forbidden. You should only ID with a special handle of your choice that meets the requirements of rule #1, such as 'cockgoblin' or 'cumchugger'

3. NEVER wait for the courtesy tone/squelch drop when using the repeater. If the repeater times out while you're transmitting, you win a prize

4. Transmitting music is still taboo. If you want to transmit music, use the police band

[A]

bascule missed a few:

5. License, ummm, you need a license for this thing?

6. The band for 90% of users goes from 108-221.950 MHz & 303-580 MHz.

7. If hams in southern Utah arn't complaining about you, you need a bigger amp.

8. Stay off of the pirate FM frequency used by Defcon Radio.

[Cowthief]

Ham radio at DefCon.

Hello.

The most common area for DefCon seems to be a tossup of MURS and GMRS/FRS.
The hotel uses the color-dot type of thing for housekeeping.
There is a "hospitality network" for both the shuttle bus and security.
None of this is digital or trunking, so a dual band ham talkie with freeband mods will work just fine.
The thing to remember, the feds are at DefCon, so, if you do something really dumb, you stand a really good chance of getting busted.
Remember, anyone at DefCon is the carrot on the end of the stick.

[nak]

Heh, thanks for the information guys, sorta :-P
I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on a optoelectronics scout, so that will be interesting (frequency counter and recorder) and my ICOM handi-talkie has been modded for sometime now :-)
Defcon will be fun, I can hardly wait :-D

[russ]

You know, there must be a dozen ways we could bring a HAM contest into all this, but I can't think of any that would be even SOMEWHAT legal.

haha

[bascule]

You know, there must be a dozen ways we could bring a HAM contest into all this, but I can't think of any that would be even SOMEWHAT legal.

You could always do a foxhunt. Or better yet, combine a foxhunt with Spot the Fed and plant a transmitter on a fed, then try to find him...

[astcell]

You could always do a foxhunt. Or better yet, combine a foxhunt with Spot the Fed and plant a transmitter on a fed, then try to find him...

Sounds like a Scavenger Hunt item.

[nak]

A fox hunt would be really fun, and it would force me to learn about directional antennas.
For a beacon that can be picked up on "normal" tuneable FM radios, information unlimited sells kits so people wouldnt really have to look far or spend lots of $$... if there would be a hidden transmitter on a person (besides the running man) for some reason, like the scav hunt :-P

[LosT]

Speaking of HAMs, I couldn't sleep tonight, so while laying there trying to sleep I came up with a basic design for a device that takes Morse and translates it to spoken English text....and from there it would be trivial to send it to the net, an email ,etc....

LosT

[theprez98]

Speaking of Morse code:

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article...id=215&tid=137

[nak]

LosT, for your design, here is how morse code is transmitted most efficiently (and most commonly). We should both learn morse code, get general licenses and rigs, we can keep in contact that way. :-P

*edit*

Speaking of Morse code:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/articl...tid=215&tid=137

That article is interesting, but then everyone would have to learn to send morse code (harder than copying it!) but with a little practice it could be a more efficient way of sending messages, and it would reduce the amount of buttons on cellphones.
I was thinking of this for a desgin:
http://www.hackingisfun.com/imglib/gif/morsevssms.gif

[skroo]

1. Use of profanity is compulsory

And make it *good* profanity... Saying 'boobies' followed by schoolboy giggling is not profanity.

2. IDing is expressly forbidden. You should only ID with a special handle of your choice that meets the requirements of rule #1, such as 'cockgoblin' or 'cumchugger'

Or ID with the call of someone you really, really don't like.

3. NEVER wait for the courtesy tone/squelch drop when using the repeater. If the repeater times out while you're transmitting, you win a prize

If you can lock the repeater, the repeater is the prize. Now go find it.

4. Transmitting music is still taboo. If you want to transmit music, use the police band

Or FRS. Seriously, I hate FRS and maintain that the best thing to come over the air on it was three solid hours of Oingo Bongo on (IIRC) channel 13 at DC9. Well, that and 'blueberry clitoris'.

5. License, ummm, you need a license for this thing?

See addendum to 2. above.

6. The band for 90% of users goes from 108-221.950 MHz & 303-580 MHz.

Correction: the band for 90% of users goes from the audible range to infrared. The other 10% are somewhere either side of those.

7. If hams in southern Utah arn't complaining about you, you

need a bigger amp.

Utah? Feh. Guatemala. Utah's a piss across the puddle from Vegas.

8. Stay off of the pirate FM frequency used by Defcon Radio.

Indeed.