From: irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re: Idiots in Congress
Date: 9 Oct 92 18:46:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BvvAtz.AM3
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In article <1992Oct9.124302.21941@netcom.com> crisp@netcom.com (Richard Crisp) writes:
>Well our unworthy lawmakers have really screwed up the scanner business
>by passing a ridiculous law banning the sale of receivers capable of 
>receiving cellular frequencies. I suppose they have even benned cellular
>phones themselves (although I haven't read the text), since a cellular
>phone is a receiver capable of receiving cellular transmissions.

Yeah, and it (*cringe*) SCANS over the frequenies in question!  Oh No!

Well, if that is true, then sell a scanner that is called something else.
(Frequency Agile Receiver).

>
>I wonder if selective voltmeters have been banned too? what about
>Spectrum analyzers? How about mixers that could be used with
>a scanner and an RF generator to heterodyne a cellular frequency down
>to the 440 mhz ham band? Etc, Etc,....

Just do what they did in the USSR (rip) for Xerox machines:  Keep them
under lock and key and do not allow anyone to use them except in groups
of 3 or more, with a witnessing political officer.  

>
>This garbage thought process our fools on the hill have expoused
>reminds me of efforts to ban so called Assault Rifle, and large 
>capacity magazines: Lo protect us from ourselves, we are too stupid
>to do so! And you could tell how it would pass for sure: the media
>was already starting the scare tactics, the Washington Post article,
>the spot on 48Hours, etc... it was all designed to influence the
>Congresscritters. No, when the media decides something has to go
>they go after it. We really do not control anything,

Unfortunately, the Media is not to blame, except of sprucing up a rather
boring story so it will sell papers, and increase TV rating for their shows.

The lawmakers are, since they are ignorant of the thing they are trying
to 'regulate.'  Basically conversion KITS will be allowed (bag of parts
and instructions) for those that want to listen to cellular.

What is really laughable, is that the whole law is unconstitutional by
the interpretation that what travels on the public airwaves is fair game.

What a crock.  What a bunch of dorks! (Go figure, when the techno-idiots
that can't handle the preactise of law go and make them! [those that
can do, those thatr can't LEGISLATE, to paraphrase...:) ]).

>
>The sad thing about this new law is that in a few years the problem
>of cellular privacy would solve itself as over crowded urban areas will
>force a change to digital technology anyway for better spectrum utilization.
>Meanwhile we have the nose of the Camel in our tent: the precedent has
>been set. I now envision the police arguing for privacy citing the cellular 
>ban. next will be the fire and other emergency services. Finally they
>will ban receiving everything except for broadcasts and amateur services.

That is the logical next step.  

>I will vote for no incumbents in the Congress!

Neither will I (well did I, Absentee ballot).

-- 
+-------------------------+---------------------------------------------------+
| Brent L. Irvine         |  "Reality is not the world, but the perception of |
| irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu |   the world."			-Sneakers     |
+-------------------------+---------------------------------------------------+