Bandwidth is a finite resource. An installation that is open for everyone to use still harms other people who would like to use that bandwidth for other purposes.
This assumes that whoever set these up made sure there is no interference and hikes up there to remove the device when it breaks instead of just leaving it up there to rot.
It would seem that hogging up spectrum so you can surf the internet is probably a selfish usage? I mean most ham operators don't go 24/7 while talking and using channels.
It disappoints me that americans are seemingly so ambivalent to this particular government overreach. The same thing appears to be playing out with drones now as well.
You can easily do it legally easily, ham test is slightly harder than a written driving test. Basically just learning what emergency bands not to stomp on.
I think ham radio is super neat and good enforcement of the rules makes the space better overall. I've also got lots of friends who are passionate and dedicated hams who've shown me the thrill of chatting with someone continents away over the open airwaves.
... but I get huge hall monitor vibes from a disproportionate percentage of folks in that crowd. For some it seems like it's not about using rules to protect the airwaves– the rules become an end themselves.
Looks like they don't care that much. If they did they probably would have put contact info on it.
Also, theft of one of these things is probably a criminal charge regardless of what rule someone was breaking with it. I'm a licensed motorcycle operator. If I see someone irresponsibly biking in a national park, I can't just take it when they're not looking.
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