Dave Hall wrote:

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:55:23 GMT, Occasional CB Listener
wrote:

To be honest with you, it is better not to organize any club or
organization, because there is too much riff-raff going on.

From living on Long Island, N.Y., until 1986 and here in Nevada, my
friends and I who organized CB clubs on Channel 18 (27.175 MHz) were
victimized by troublemakers who jammed frequencies, T-hunted (tracked
down signals), made threatening telephone calls in the wee hours of the
night, gave out classified personal information (unlisted telephone
numbers, Social Security numbers, credit history, etc.) and damaged CB
antennae/coaxial cables. In fact, three CB/ham radio operators in the
Las Vegas area were notorious for terrorizing the community back in the
1980s and 1990s by committing the aforementioned offenses.

It is very difficult to gather personal information from CB
conversations unless you provide it for them. It is alarming just how
much personal information is inadvertently given out over a period of
time. CB'ers should be conscious of this and not talk about such
things.

I've been involved in the tracking down of idiots over the years, and
the most we were able to get were names, addresses, and (if listed)
phone numbers. If these troublemakers can get more information than
that, then there is a breakdown in the security of the databases which
hold our personal information. This should be alarming for many other
reasons, as abuse of this information is not limited to CB operators.


Albeit that more than 98 percent of the troublemakers on the CB are just
plain idiots who belch, throw carriers, jam and cause minor mischief,
the ones who terrorized me and my friends were much more sophisticated.
For example, the three CB'ers in the Las Vegas area who T-hunted signals
knew from within the police and other law enforcement agencies some
people who were able to run makes on vehicle license plate numbers.
From there they were able to retrieve Social Security numbers, dates of
birth, unlisted telephone numbers, etc. All three of these individuals
had loved ones who also worked in banks. My friends and I personally
heard bank account numbers, credit card information, PIN numbers and
other information being given out on the CB channels. An informant who
worked undercover for the FCC, as well as a state law enforcement agency
that was constantly jammed and its officials harassed and threatened,
felt the brunt edge of the attacks back around 1993 or so, when one of
the three troublemakers blew his cover. The informant, who held an N7
ham radio callsign, not only received death threats over the phone, but
threats of his wife and daughter being gang-raped and sodomized.
Eventually, his entire bank account was liquidated a few days after some
ham radio operators conducting surveillance upon two of the three
suspects in question overheard a plot to liquidate his bank account.
The informant's residence was later ransacked and his truck was damaged
beyond repair. When the informant went to the police, FBI and other
officials, he received nothing but the runaround. To make a long story
short, he and his family were forced to relocate a couple states
eastward, where they currently reside. Law enforcement reports at least
five other CB-ham radio operators who had their bank accounts liquidated
by this one particular troublemaker who not only had ties to law
enforcement officials, but was almost always released from custody after
being arrested. Hundreds of ham/CB radio operators in the Western part
of the U.S. know who this troublemaker is.

This had transpired in the Las Vegas area from 1982 until about 1998 or
so, until hundreds of frustrated and irate CB'ers and ham radio
operators threatened class action lawsuits against the Federal
Communications Commission and law enforcement for not intervening and
prosecuting these individuals. To make a long story short, all three of
these troublemakers were eventually run out of Dodge, as the tables were
eventually turned on them.



The best bet is to use the CB radio for occasional or emergency use.
The CB is convenient when contacting two or more people at once --
especially when you or they are out on the roads. But if you're going
to organize 24/7 clubs like we tried to do years ago, or just like what
a well-known Long Island CB/sideband club did on 27.005 MHz LSB back in
the 1980s, then you're a walking bull's-eye, because you'll become a
target for stalkers, psychos, crack addicts, jammers and other misfits
who have nothing better to do than cause trouble. I know that
firsthand, and so do my friends. Since I went 10-7 back in 1995 and
have talked on the CB occasionally since then, I have not received the
problems I did when I was a frequent user.

I've never run into the level of "radio terrorism" that you've
described. I guess this is a region dependant thing. Most of our
bozo's had way more bark than bite, and most of them vanished like a
puff of smoke, when their identities were exposed.


If you live in a rural area, you may not have too many problems. But if
you live in a densely populated suburban area, such as I do, then you do
have the potential to experience problems. The CB/sideband club that
operated on Long Island back in the 1980s and early 1990s had rogue
members who made telephone death threats, T-hunted, stalked others and
were able to find personal information. This is one reason why my
family and I had to leave New York. Instead of going 10-7 and using the
CB radio occasionally, I found the same problems here when I faced
similar problems. It took me a while to realize that it is not worth
being the subject of radio terrorism. I eventually hung up the mic and
chatted with my former CB friends online, where I feel much safer and
more secure.




I certainly wouldn't let paranoia ruin an interest in radio. I agree
with you about not going through the effort of forming a formal club,
but for different reasons. My reasons have more to do with the fact
that most people want to "do their own thing", and don't want to be
part of a group, unless it's very loose and informal. Also 85% of the
work, get's done by 15% of the members, and this invariably leads to
internal strife.


There always has to be a balance. You have to keep your guard up when
you're on the CB radio. Common-sense practices must kick in when you're
on the CB. Don't give out your last name, street address, phone number
or other information that troublemakers can use against you. Don't
badger, intimidate or threaten the troublemakers. Just go to another
frequency or turn off the radio. I strongly advise against 24/7 clubs.
If you talk for an hour or two at night to just shoot the breeze on a
certain frequency, that's OK. But being on the CB for hours and hours
each day, or trying to build a dynasty on a certain frequency, is a bit
excessive.



It's ok to have weekly "coffee breaks" or maybe a group party or trip,
which doesn't require much more planning than to just show up and pay
your own way. But I wouldn't go much farther than that.

Same here. Although I have had some good friends on the CB, I have also
had those who I found out were nothing but trouble. It took me a while
to find out that a few were drug addicts, child molesters, right-wing
militia-type wackos, etc. They initially appeared as mild-mannered, Dr.
Jekyll people who try to be your friends, but then the Mr. Hyde, or
their true colors, were revealed. I don't have time to explain all of
the bizarre details that affected my group back then. Overall, if and
when I have children, I would discourage them from using the CB radio,
except under strict adult supervision.


The good thing about online chat rooms (voice and mIRC) is that those
who cause trouble with the group are kicked out and removed from the
rest of the group. That you can't do on the open airwaves. If you want
to find friends in your area, go searching around in PalTalk or mIRC for
people in your area. If they seem decent, then you can chat with them
publicly or privately; if they are troublemakers, then stay away from
them and not invite them into your group.

These "poser" internet pseudo CB chat rooms just don't hold the same
appeal as actual over the air conversations. There's something to be
said for a little background static, and the desire to customize your
radio station, and the fact that you don't need some company's common
carrier to create your medium.


True. There is no "DX" to worry of, anyway. That can be a drawback to
an avid CB enthusiast. I remember the thrill and excitement I felt when
I was shooting skip from Long Island back in the early 1980s. Having a
firsthand taste of exotic cultures -- complete with hundreds of
different languages and dialects worlwide -- as well as hearing fellow
CB'ers from all seven continents and establishing contact with those
from six of seven continents was phenomenal. And that was back in the
days before we had voice chat rooms and Internet as we know it today.
Since the advent of the Internet, CB'ing and DX'ing hasn't been the same
for me.



Occasional CB Listener