http://www.radioreference.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1901&d=1140822840
Some of you may know that this is pretty much the definitive site for radio frequency information on the web. Apparently the owner got a letter from AETC stating that he should remove all the info pertaining to all of the agencies/ bases on the list, which includes us. Read to the bottom of the 2nd page.
SO....AETC and Nat'l ARE realy ramping up the OPSEC stuff. Also nice to know that AETC still knows we're around.
Thoughts????
I Know Nothing About That?!?
It actually puts heed to notion that WE need to keep our freq. info. quiet, since the AF has now stepped up and demonstrated they are doing that.
I noticed recently that Popular Communications listed our frequencies on their magazine as well. >:( These people just don't get it..................... >:(
Jerry
Its not Pop Comm, or anyone else, its US, as in CAP.
Its public airwaves, and public information. The only way to keep it confidential is to
make it classified and prohibit interception (like they did with cel phones years ago).
That anyone at NHQ thinks you can roll out thousands of radios, and then keep the freqs a secret is silly.
Also, IANAL, but in my opinion, since AETC is neither a law enforcement agency, nor a regulatory body, Ms. Alexandria can "respectfully request" all she wants, and the website can choose to "respectfully deny".
From there, it would be up to the intestinal fortitude of the parties as to whether to pursue in court. Since at the core of this we are talking about public information, readily available from a variety of sources, my guess is that any attempts at enforcement would be struck down.
This is as silly as those OPSEC NDAs.
I'm afraid you are mistaken Eclipse. The frequencies are not public information and do not belong to CAP. They are USAF frequencies that CAP is ALOWD to use. They have been deemed to be FOUO (For Official Use Only). Did you know that FOUO information is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act?
I may be wrong (have been many times) but I don't think the results would be as you think should this end up in the courts.
In the end, we as users must not release any frequencies that we use short of those that belong to the FCC such as VHF AM airband which is public information. This is why NHQ instigated the OPSEC training requirement.
In the end, this all boils down to professionalism or the lack of it.
If youre interested here is the radioreference.com thread discussing this:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31846
CAP comes in around page 11:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31846&page=11
Yes. Some radio frequencies are not classified as public domain....BUT radio WAVES are! ANYONE with a scanner can intercept them, and regardless if the frequency is not published, one can easilly find a frequency by pressing *search* on a scanner keypad.
Ask me how...I know for a fact. I found the 437th AW Security Forces main channel by doing this late one night. If I can do it with that USAF frequency with a $50 scanner, what's to say that someone with similar experience in RF with a $500 scanner can't find and listen in on our frequencies.
The only way to make it to where the general public can not listen to our frequencies is to use some sort of digital encryption, which in that case would make it highly illegal to descramble them. Is that going to happen? Who knows....I certainly can't get a strait answer as to what is going to happen to CAP comms sub September 2006.
Making this information classified / illegal and prohibiting interception would not stop people from listening. You're right, cell phones are a great example.......as it took cell companies making their units digital and not analog to force people to not listen in on other's private conversations. However, you can still listen to a cordless phone channel between 900-906 mhz. What does that tell you? $ makes the world go round.
And, YES...I agree that we need to keep quiet about our freq. info. If the AF deems it FOUO, we need to keep it that way. But the gist of my post is to instill on everyone the fact that you shouldn't expect people not to listen and not to be surprised when they do.
Another reason NHQ is only purchacing P25 compliant equipment. I expect the days of just "scanning" to pick up radio chatter for certain frequencies will be a thing of the past.
Of course, you milage may vary.
Hmmm....perhaps CAP should be teaching "Beadwindow" proceedures.