Amateur radio ( aka Ham radio ) is an interesting hobby filled with helpful, enthusiastic  users called “Hams”.  Each Ham must take a test and be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission which strictly regulates a variety of communications operations. There are three levels of Amateur radio licenses, each with exams and guidelines for broadcasting: Technician is the first, General is the second, and Extra is the highest. A specific call sign is awarded individually to everyone who passes the exam and those can be changed depending on the availability and classification of the licensee. There are strict rules for broadcasting and the radio frequencies are monitored regularly. The Ham community has certain websites and organizations they can join and generally there is a strong sense of camaraderie amongst all Hams, no matter the locale.

I mention all this because I am an Extra Class Ham and someone tried to scam a fellow ham in another state by using my call sign and name which is public information if you know where to look. They attempted to sell some non-existent radio equipment to a gentleman by trolling through several ham-related sites and made him an offer to purchase a system he wanted. They deliberately bypassed the website guidelines and contacted him directly rather than through the website email. He became suspicious and contacted me. I assured him I was not selling any equipment and he shared the details with me. Make no mistake, selling and trading equipment is perfectly legal, but when you impersonate  someone using their name and call sign, it becomes a serious matter. I have taken appropriate steps and notified the proper authorities. Because this is incident is currently under investigation I cannot comment further.

My advice to anyone purchasing ham-related (and other ) items is to beware of fraudulent sellers. In this case, the seller had  limited knowledge of ham radio. Do some ham homework and look online for suggestions regarding the sale/swap of electronic items. Its easy to fool people when switching information and pictures to misrepresent items for sale. As with anything, buyer beware and know your rights when dealing with others..

As for the people who tried to scam another Ham using MY name and call sign:

I am “CLEAR” and you are “BUSTED”

To everyone else – 73 (Best Regards) in Ham Lingo!