Field communications is an increasingly important aspect of our work. A lot of folks in the movement are suspicious of technology. I am too, but I believe it's important to take up the tools available to us. Those who don't "do" tech will have it done to them. For this reason, the following information is presented to acquaint activists with radio so that they have a better chance of establishing effective communications in the field.
Radio is magic. It has to do with rhythm just like everything else in nature. The laws of physics are another beautiful manifestation of the intricacies of Gaia. Radio frequencies are measured in megahertz (MHz), or millions of oscillations per second. The portions of the radio spectrum of primary interest to activists are the 27 MHz citizens band (CB) (which will be dealt with in more detail next issue) and a broad swath known as VHF and UHF frequencies roughly between 130 and 500 MHz. Legal Unfortunately, no effective communication systems are freely available to private citizens. CB and family radio service (FRS), another grossly inadequate system, are the only options legally available to anyone without a license. Radio communications in the US are regulated by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission or Fucking Censorship Conspiracy). This is the same agency that busts community micro-power broadcasters and sells the public airwaves to the highest corporate bidder. The FCC has it set up so you have to register with Big Brother if you want anything that works.
Now, I don't believe in these laws, but people should be aware of them. It is a felony to use radios in the commission of a crime, even a misdemeanor. Mundane campaign communications are one thing, but using a radio in connection with night work could be serious shit. It is illegal to transmit any signal over 1/100th of a watt without a license, except CB, FRS or marine VHF from a boat. Depending on the situation, fines can run from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
General mobile radio service (GMRS) is a five-watt system operating at 462 MHz. Technically it requires a license, but the licenses are free and the radios can often be purchased with nothing more than a promise to the retailer that you'll send in for one. The channels will be pretty full in metro areas and will be one of the first places the cops will listen if they know you are using radios in the woods. The radios cost $200-$300 new and can be purchased from most business radio retailers. They are also advertised in mail-order hunting supply catalogs.
Marine VHF radios are widely available and fairly affordable. They operate around 156-161 MHz and generally run five watts. Stay the hell off channels 16 and 19, especially 16. These are emergency and contact channels and are well monitored. I've heard of people being fined $5,000 for using channel 16 while hunting well inland. Anywhere near a coastline or a waterway the channels will be crammed. Again, authorities looking for troublemakers will listen here first. A brand new marine handheld can run you $300 at a boating shop, but they can be had quite a bit cheaper at pawnshops or yard sales in coastal communities.
In addition to using the above systems without a license, another option is finding frequencies allocated to unused services in your area and modifying radios to operate there. This is a more involved undertaking but has the advantages of getting you away from other users and making it harder for those who would listen. Get a scanning radio and a Police Call or Betty Bearcat frequency book at Radio Shack and familiarize yourself with frequency use in your area while learning what channels the cops use so you can monitor them. Acquire old cop or business radios and get them set up on these frequencies. This will require cultivating a sympathetic electronics person to actually do the modifications.
A quick note on amateur radio. It is tempting to bootleg on the amateur VHF/UHF bands because the equipment can be had at swap meets. Please don't. Amateurs (private citizens licensed for certain frequencies) are locked in their own struggle with corporations that want their bandwidth. Anarchy on the amateur bands only gives the corporations more ammunition, and some amateurs would curry favor with the FCC by turning you in. That said, many amateur radios can be "opened up" to operate over broader swaths of spectrum outside the small amateur range. These are truly versatile communications tools. Information on modifications to amateur equipment is readily available on the internet or in "mod books" available from ads in publications such as Popular Communications or 73.
If you choose to bootleg, pick your frequencies carefully. You should listen to a frequency a lot to insure that it is unused in your area. Do not interfere with other users. The whole idea is to exist in the cracks and never get noticed.
Don't flaunt your abilities. It's tempting to run around in front of the cops talking to each other, "Neener, neener. We've got our toys too." Don't! Cops love to bust people with radios. They figure they get to bag a leader, take out someone with an important role in the action at hand and send the radio into their lab to see what you've got. You may not get it back. Some radios seized at the 1996 Chicago Democratic Convention were gone for over a year before the cops gave them back.
So, keep the radios out of sight. The best example of this I ever witnessed was a woman wired with an earphone concealed under her hair, a throat microphone under her scarf, a push-to-talk switch in her pocket and a little wire antenna wound into her dreadlocks. The actual radio was in her day pack. She was negotiating with the cops while transmitting, and they had no clue. It was awesome!
Keep the power down if you can. If the radios have variable power and you can establish reliable communication on low power, do it. As long as the signal hits your intended audience, that's all you need. Anything more is just extra signal for someone else to find. In many situations keeping the power down is impossible. You will often need every bit of a five-watt radio and wish you had more.
Keep transmissions short. Yacking away serves no purpose, runs down your batteries and makes your frequency easier to find. Even sophisticated scanning equipment usually takes a couple seconds to lock on a transmission, unless it is really close to you. With good planning beforehand, vital information can often be distilled down to a couple syllables. I've seen operations pulled off in which key communications consisted of a couple of grunts - total time on the air, about four seconds.
Work up a private language within your affinity group. If planning time is short, a few "code" words or noises may be all you are able to prepare. Be sure to make them distinctive and sharply audible. The best codes, however, are really entire rudimentary languages that can adapt to changing communications needs in dynamic situations. Be warned, authorities have alleged in court that coded activist transmissions caught on tape alluded to planned acts of violence.
Get plenty of battery packs to fit your radios, and go into situations with all of them charged. Most handhelds eat 12 volts, so a good trick is to get sealed motorcycle or computer backup batteries and rig them to fit your radio's power jack. Be sure the +'s and -'s get to the right places or you'll smoke the radio. These batteries will last all day (or night) and with enough wire can go in a fanny pack or cargo pocket.
Effective communications can make or break an action. With enough care given to planning and training, you can create your own action communications systems that enable you to relay vital information. The FCC has its hands full at the moment with the burgeoning micro-power broadcast movement so keep 'em out of sight, keep it short, stay out of the way of other users and you can get away with a lot.