The Unusual Suspects have long been big supporters of Simplex Operation on 2 meters. Effective Monday November 28th 2011 The Unusual Suspects aligned with the Local Amateur Radio Community will begin promoting the use of Simplex Operation for San Antonio and promoting 146.520. Not only is this a local goal, but part of a wider National Effort to increase activity on 146.520.



We would like to encourage all local Amateur Radio Operators to join in and promote 2 Meter Simplex Operation. On the National Simplex Frequency of 146.520 you will find new Amateur Radio operators who need your support and mentoring, you will find travelers and visitors to the San Antonio area, help promote a positive image of San Antonio Amateur Radio Activity plus for those who enjoy working 2 meter DX, 146.520 is where you will hear those distant stations, coming in from 100, 200, 500 and even a 1,000 miles. It is exciting to work another State or Country on 2 meters.



Please join in, and help promote and use 146.520. N5XO on 2012-01-24



The 2nd E-mail in response to the positive e-mail response. This set the plan and action in to motion. I just returned to town from a weekend trip for hunting to 48 new e-mails regarding PROJECT TAKE BACK 146.520 and I must say the EXTREMELY POSITIVE AND SUPPORTIVE RESPONSE FROM SAN ANTONIO HAM RADIO OPERATORS HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING. It is clear from the massive and almost instant response to this planned project that San Antonio Ham Radio operators are tired of dealing with this problem and that some thing needs to be done to resolve it. I will share some of the responses that I got to give everyone an over all idea of the tone of responses that we have received. I sent out PROJECT TAKE BACK 146.520 to 130 individual licensed ham radio operators in the San Antonio region, we have gotten a response back from 92 of them. Of the 92 responses so far, 1 expressed some concerns, and 2 were not in favor of the project. The remaining 89 individuals who responded were over whelming in favor of this project and action and pushing to move forward. EFFECTIVE SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27TH 2011 AT 12:MIDNIGHT WE ARE REQUESTING ALL LOCAL TWO METER HAM RADIO OPERATORS START OPERATING ON 146.520. What is Project Take Back 146.520? Project take back 146.520 is a plan to combat the negative trash that has been over whelming the frequency for the past 10 to 15 years. As new ham radio operators join the ranks for many of them the first place they go is to the national calling freq. As Travelers pass through our city of visit our city many of them monitor and call out on 146.520 as the National Simplex Calling freq. Unfortunately for those travelers and new hams the response they get is Trash Talk which paints a very negative image of San Antonio and San Antonio Ham Radio operators. Our Goal is to provide an alternative to the Trash Talk and provide an extremely positive face for San Antonio and San Antonio Amateur Radio Operators. How do I participate? It is simple, all that you need to do is operate Base / Mobil on 146.520 Simplex. Put positive voices out there, providing POSTIVE QSO'S and providing a FRIENDLY FACE to New Ham Radio operators and Travelers through and to San Antonio. The more operating you do, the more successful we will be. WHAT NOT TO DO: While the every day operation of our local radio terrorist is extremely negative, we do expect the response to our using 146.520 to generate even more hostility. IT IS VITAL THAT EVERYONE DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE TRAP OF RESPONDING NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING IT MAY BE. This is what they want and strive for a response. WE ask that everyone participating in Project: TAKE BACK 146.520 keep four simple rules in mind at all times. #1: Do not respond to taunts, baiting or personal attacks #2: Do not communicate with the problem individuals as doing so only fuels them with validation that what they do is acceptable, do not respond to them when they call you. #3: At all times keep your conversations 100% positive and promote an extremely positive image of you're personal operating habits and Amateur Radio in San Antonio. #4: While Unusual Suspects run an open round table operation each morning and EVERYONE IS ALWAYS WELCOME TO JUST JUMP RIGHT INTO THE CONVERSATION, no matter if it is 1 person, 2 or 10. Please insure that they people you try to join are not part of the problem and or are open to you doing this. Note: The Unusual Suspect group is normally very active from 6:am to about 9:am with conversations and activity through out the day, and again early evening. We tend to be the early bird group. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT AND HERE IS HOPING AND PRAYING FOR SUCCESS TO PROJECT TAKE BACK 146.520 NOTE: A SAMPLE OF THE COMMENTS WE HAVE RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THIS PLAN SO FAR: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a really good plan. Glad to see initial responses are positive. We'll certainly do all we can to promote the take-back and encourage all 2m Hams to use 52 and obey all the rules. ==================================================================== I for one have been rather discouraged since I first became a HAM that 146.520 was being used by CB'rs. I have no problem with the final objective of restoring that frequency back to normal amateur use. ==================================================================== I too have enjoyed friendly, healthy, genuine conversation on 52 as I travel through Dallas, Houston, OKC, Corpus and Louisiana. You have my full support to move our operations to 52 as of Monday. Take back 52 once and for all. If I acted like "mr. tough guy" and didn't admit a little bit of fear, I would be a liar. This does frighten me a little bit. I know I shouldn't be afraid of these two bastard lids as they just blow hot air into the mic.... I have a bit of uncertainty but I`m with you. One for all and all for one! ================================================================================= Your plan sounds well thought out and fair. I will start monitoring Simplx every time I'm out and about. When ever I on at home I'll have 146.52 tuned up as well. ================================================================================= See you on .52 ==================================================================== there are a couple guys one for sure that i can hear from boerne. i would really like to choke the crap out of. my wife wont even stay in the room if she hears him. cant think of the call. but he is a self proclaimed everything. guys like that is what keeps me off fm. ==================================================================== Since I seldom operate 2 meters I know little about the 52 situation? Amateur Radio is pretty much self policing now and the San Antonio 52 situation appears to need attention, the ONLY way we are able to protect and clean up out spectrum is to make the freq active with positive operators and force the bad folk out or make them such a small minority they are meaningless. Taking the frequency back is what the San Antonio ham community needs to now do. I now have 52 programmed into my rig and will be monitoring it when on 2 meters and I hope most in the S.A. ham community agree with this effort. Peer pressure is our only tool in policing the bands. N5XO on 2012-01-24



The e-mail that started Project Take Back 146.520 rolling: My job requires a lot of drive time as I make regular trips to Houston, McAllen, Corpus, Laredo, Austin, etc, I also drive most of the time on our vacation trips to Ohio on a regular bases, Guadeloupe Mountains, Big Bend, etc and one of my more enjoyable activities during the long drives is talking on the radio meeting new people and breaking up the monotony of the long drive with nice conversations with people. The common link around the country is 2 meters 146.520 the National Simplex Calling Frequency. Every place I go you run into great people and have enjoyable conversations on 146.520. Another excellent past time that many around the State and Country enjoy is making long distance contacts on 2 meters, During openings you can enjoy 2 meter contacts from 200 to 1500 miles on average. Myself and many other Ham radio operators around San Antonio, Texas and the Globe enjoy chasing grids and working DX on 2 meters. {I have 39 states and 2 countries on 2 meters}. When the band open's there are two hot spots to monitor for activity and that is 144.200 for those who use SSB and 146.520 for those who are on FM. Monitor some time and you will hear dozens of Stations coming in from Houston, Louisana, Dallas, Waco, Corpus, but dead silence here in San Antonio with the exception of myself and one other. WHY? Because people are afraid to use 146.520 here because the frequency is held hostage to a group of Amateur Radio Terrorist who plague the freq 24/7 attacking anyone who dares to step onto the frequency, anyone who is a leader in the Amateur community or anyone who some how slighted them in any fashion over the past 30 years. I can count on both hands the number of times I have had hams I talk to on HF or 6 meters say they have passed through and either 146.52 is dead or they hear the trash that flows through there. Both leave a negative image of Ham Radio in San Antonio. How many new hams have gotten a license and got on 146.520 to hear this crap or become a target and left ham radio in disgust? We have a large and flourishing Amateur radio community in San Antonio, but we are isolated and terrorized off of a frequency that is a powerful tool for 2 Meter operation. We need to make changes in our community and we need to work to promote a positive image of San Antonio. The Unusual Suspects have been an extremely fast growing group for the past 6 years for the simple reason we put a very positive face to Ham Radio and we enjoy the friendship and hobby a great deal and it shows. The stories are the same, I moved to San Antonio, or I just got my lic and I got on 52 and was disgusted by it. Most new Hams or new arrivals to the San Antonio area find us based on recommendations from the folks at Kcomm and other ham radio operators. It is natural for New Ham Radio Operators and New Arrivals to go to 146.520 and we as the Amateur Radio Community need to put forth a positive face on 146.52 and we as the San Antonio Amateur Radio Community need to start enjoying the benefits of operating on 146.520 with meeting new hams and arrivals and welcoming them into the community and we need to enjoy the band openings and show new hams that with modest stations and the right conditions just what they can do with those radios with long distance contacts. I am proposing that we as the San Antonio Amateur Radio Community take back 146.520. I am proposing that the Unusual Suspects Amateur Radio Group move our base of Operation to 146.52 effective Monday Morning and that the rest of the Amateur Radio Community supports this and makes the move for day to day operation there as well. This will not work with out full and complete Support: IT IS ALSO VITAL THAT EVERYONE FOLLOW TWO VERY SIMPLE RULES. #1: Do not engage in conversation with the two individuals. We do not want to encourage them in any fashion #2: Do not allow them to anger you and make you respond on the radio. At all times ignore them. The goal is to put regular Amateur activity on the air. PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINION AND IF YOU WILL COMMIT TO RESTORING 146.520 TO AMATEUR RADIO USE..... With out all of us working together we can not accomplish this goal. REMEMBER THERE IS A REASON OVER 190 INDIVIDUAL HAMS SIGNED A PETITION TO THE FCC TO HAVE THESE INDIVIDUALS REMOVED. PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINION AND IF YOU WILL COMMIT TO RESTORING 146.520 TO AMATEUR RADIO USE...... N5XO on 2012-01-24



I think it is important that everyone understand what we in this area have been faced with. The original poster brushed upon it briefly. For the past decade 146.52 has been held hostage to basically two individual radio terrorist who have attacked anyone whom they deem "newbies". If you got your lic under the VE system they have determined that you are a fake ham and declare you basically an illegal amateur radio operator. They then pull personal information and if they can find any negative details in your life they begin attacking you. They go after bankruptcies, Divorces, anything negative. For example: One Wednesday about 8 months back we had a brand new Ham Radio operator come onto the air for his very first transmission. He was a young man about 24 years old and totally new to the hobby. He came on with his call, one of them answered him talked to him for awhile and got his name, call, etc. They ran a back ground search on him and Thursday night {one day after he got his lic} they savagely attacked him for a recent divorce. They brought ever painful detail out on the air. There was no purpose this ham was not even talking them that day, they just came on and said another "newbie" who is not responsible, etc and typical "newbie ham" divorced, etc. A few days later they began accusing him of jamming the radio freq, and threatened his job with the school district he worked at. We were able to contact him and invite him over to our group and he has turned into a fine, very energetic ham radio operator. But this is the introduction to Amateur radio most new hams to the area have gotten. So in November we planned out and launched project take back 52 to put a positive voice and give New Hams and Visiting hams a friendly sociable group of people to talk to and the ability to enjoy Amateur Radio. N5XO on 2012-01-24



Thanks we launched project Take Back 146.52 Thanks Giving weekend and frankly it has been a big success. We have provided the San Antonio region with positive radio, and have helped 5 new ham radio operators come into the hobby with a positive approach, rather than be hit in the face with the negative attacks that was so common for the past decade. Our group has been joined in this project by a host of hams from around San Antonio, Austin and the area and so far it has been met with nothing but positive comments and support. K7CB on 2012-01-24



Good luck. Your approach is sound - ignore them and you deprive them of that which they seek, which is the satisfaction they get from making others upset. If I ever find myself in San Antonio, I'll make sure I give a call on that frequency. Reply to a comment by : N5XO on 2012-01-18



Since it was brought up and I think it is important to get the word out. Project take back 146.520 is not about running anyone off a freq as is reported very often. It is all about putting forth a positive image of Amateur Radio out there for New Ham Radio Operators and Visitors to San Antonio and the region. It is about putting the enjoyment back into Amateur Radio and making 146.520 a comfortable place for the average ham to operate from. Reply to a comment by :on 2012-01-24 Reply to a comment by :on 2012-01-24 Reply to a comment by :on 2012-01-24 Reply to a comment by :on 2012-01-24 Reply to a comment by :on 2012-01-24