Calif. hams face thousands of dollars in state fees for repeater sites in the midst of wildfire emer

Calif. bureaucrats demand fees from hams for emergency communications sites while fires burn...meanwhile the official state communications system designed to replace hams is reportedly in disarray....

https://pjmedia.com/trending/cal-fi...dangering-lives-amid-blackouts-and-wildfires/

 

Hmmmmm . . . yeah . . .
Ya think they are up to something?


Here is a video by Gun Guy TV from YouTube. It is a little windy and takes about ~17 min to watch. But if you are a Amateur radio operator ANYWHERE in the US; then I suggest you might take the time and understand what is happening.
Can't wait to hear comments!
PS - this is also true for any CB radio ops working with emcoms - few as they may be.

 

slow news week, see
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/california-repeater-news-the-real-story.675941/

 

old news, see this thread
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/california-repeater-news-the-real-story.675941/

 

its not "OLD" news at all, its current ongoing news.

The Ca general public and all affected Amateurs need to be informed about this.

 

Seems like current news unless the whole thing is done and over with and CA has a system in place equipped to deal with any level of emergency.

 

The "article", if you can call it that, appears to be a completely biased rant. The title, "Cal Fire Moves to Dismantle Ham Radio System, Endangering Lives Amid Blackouts and Wildfires" reveals that.

Hosting equipment costs money, period. Ethically, you can't give something away if it costs the taxpayers money.

"What is infuriating here is people are going to die because of this decision. It costs the State of California nothing to allow these repeaters on public land; in fact, Ham Radio Operators pay for the equipment and maintain the equipment at their own cost."

People are going to die? How does the author know this?

"Instead of continuing to use a system that has worked for decades, the California government has instituted a cell communication plan that has already failed.

In 2012 the federal government launched FirstNet, a public safety nationwide broadband network that many in the government think will make Ham radio operators obsolete. In reality, its nothing more than a $47 Billion Federal Cell Phone Network that itself is already obsolete. In fact, it needs LOTS of infrastructure to function, and it creates multiple, single points of failure."

Ham radio is not a substitute for a public safety 4G network.

Sorry. Fake news. If hams want to help, show an organization that has a plan, and qualified people to execute on it, with agencies signed up. Ham repeaters don't intrinsically "save lives".

 

My local repeater association has it's own locations for repeaters independent of any city, county, state, or federal direct control. Perhaps this needs to be the norm?

 

Actually, it's common for State and local municipalities to blow millions on communications gear that never works, or doesn't match the performance of the system it is intended to replace. Several cities and towns nearby had just that occurrence. If Hams are run out of town and the existing comms are garbage, what do you think is going to happen? Flowers, bunnies, sunshine and rainbows?

 

I friend knows that I am a HAM and wanted to know if this is real.
I told him that I don't know but will attempt to see if it's true.

Ignore all the adds, the web site name, and just read read the subject matter.
Then please tell me this is someone's idea of a sick joke.
This can't be real.

https://offgridsurvival.com/california-officials-declare-ham-radio-no-longer-a-benefit/

http://www.shastadefense.com/FAX-CalFireHamRadio20190923.pdf

 

Ah, hate to tell you this, but there are already two other threads on this subject on this forum.

Suffice to say that there’s more to the story.

 

Please point me in that direction so that I can read more about it.

 

Holy crap! I just realized...I haven’t heard any California hams on the air in two, maybe three years!

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH THEM!!!!11!!

#freethecaliforniahams #neverforget

 

This is someone‘s idea of a sick joke.
It isn’t real.