CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Shady Radio

We have emphasized throughout this Opus that radio is governed by the unalterable laws of physics. Laws made by mere human beings have also attempted to govern radio, almost since its very discovery, with varying degrees of success. Unlike the laws of physics, which are unwavering, eternally fixed, and disconcertingly impartial, the laws of Man are fleeting, temporary, petty, and largely illogical. There's something inherent in the depravity of Man that would compel him to desire to control that over which he has no control. Small-minded men are threatened by things that are bigger than they are, and even more by things that outlast them.

There is, admittedly, something rather subversive about radio. It penetrates walls with impunity, leaving no permanent trace of its existence. It recognizes no geographical or political boundaries. Even the FCC was forced to acknowledge this fact, way back when.

If you look at the backside of the old FCC First Class Radiotelephone License or Radiotelegraph License, you will find, in all the fine print legalese, the subtle implication that you, the holder of said license, are under Admiralty Law—the law of the High Seas. At first, this seems rather bizarre, but after a bit of thought, it makes perfect sense. What other possible man-made law could apply to something as immune to geography as radio? It's the best the FCC could do at the time. And, many other nations assumed a similar approach toward radio licensing. It's worked reasonably well, admittedly. In fact, this has probably worked better for radio amateurs than for anyone else.

But, it's still a flawed law, because it's Man's law. Unfortunately, the laws of Man are generated, primarily, by politicians, not physicists who wisely understand that you can't write a physical law into or out of existence.

The end result of this is that you have politicians saying you can't do something, when the laws of physics say you can do something. Guess who ultimately wins?

During two World Wars, Amateur Radio was banned in the United States. During two World Wars, American Radio Amateurs did radio.

Through much of the Cold War, Amateur Radio was banned in much of the Soviet Union and Red China. During the Cold War, Soviet and Red Chinese Radio Amateurs did radio.

In unstable and oppressed regions around the world, Amateur Radio does not exist. In unstable and oppressed regions around the world, where Amateur Radio does not exist, Radio Amateurs are doing radio.

Of course, they aren't doing it openly. And they don't always call themselves radio amateurs. But they are doing it. Why? Because the laws of physics say they can, even though the laws of man say they can't. It's really a no-brainer. Physics wins every time.

Now, none of the above should imply that we condone illegal radio operation. Most of us worked really hard to get our ham licenses, and are, therefore, most reluctant to do anything that would jeopardize them in any way. We are simply acknowledging that the very concept of radio has been, at various times and places, deemed unlawful by puny minds. As in nearly any field of endeavor, the true innovators have been outlaws—if only because their innovations preceded any laws anyone managed to contrive.

In this chapter, we wish to celebrate the tenacity, if not the technique of these pioneering amateurs who dared to fly under the wire. There have been many.

Caveman Radio

In the chapter, How Radio Works, we brought up the point that radio is so simple, even a Caveman can do it. It is this point alone that has been understood by competent shady radio operators since the beginning of the last century.

Every once in a while, some wannabe NSA agent will come up to me at a ham fest, and in a feeble attempt to impress me or something, whisper in a clandestine manner that he has acquired the secret formula to modify his Icomaesuwood PSOF/CRP 666 transceiver so it can—shhhh!—transmit outside the amateur radio bands! (Oooooh! Gasp!)

I have a Grid Dip Oscillator built in 1955 that I bought for twelve bucks at a TRW Swap Meet in 1972. My GDO can transmit continuously from the A.M. broadcast band clear up to 500 MHz. I can couple the probe of my GDO into a random-wire antenna and transmit a signal (admittedly a very weak one) anywhere in the radio spectrum the NSA groupie can. I also have an ancient vacuum tube FM deviation monitor (about the size of an RV refrigerator) that can receive most communications throughout the VHF and UHF radio spectrum. I picked up this gem absolutely free because the guy who had it didn't have a clue what it was. A weekend of twiddling and tweaking brought the thing right up to speed. I can listen to every police, fire, ambulance and Red Cross transmission, and a lot of local military stuff right from my own cave—uh, garage. Big deal. (The Homeland Security Gestapo would probably have a field day with me, because neither my GDO nor my deviation monitor qualifies as a “radio” in even their most contrived definition thereof).

The point of this is that, to outlaw radio, you'd have to outlaw wire and electricity. And even that won't work, because there's always wet kite string and bicycle generators.