Hello to all members of this RadioForum. I am using a China made Weierwei talkie.
It is standard issue by the association that I joined which is PKSKB in Ipoh, Perak Malaysia. We are facing the problem of one obnoxious member using the talkie to disturb the normal communications of other members. Usually, our talkie shows the member’s talkie number but this rogue member is able to disable the function of showing his number. Is there any device or way to find out the number of this rogue member. I get to understand from a friend that, for some repeaters, there is a log in log out file to check on the handshake of talkies but when I ask the committee members, they don’t seem to know if there’s any such function. Trying to get the brand and model of the repeater also draws a blank. Is there such a device in the market. Thanks
p/s Association members total over 1500. It’s a privately organised area security association.
Sadly, there is very little you can do technically. Depending on how you have your repeater access set, it will either let everyone go through, or you will have a tone code set up that requires the transmitter to have a preset access system. CTCSS being the most common. Everyone with radio that has the correct tone can use the repeater, anyone with no tone, or the wrong one, cannot get into the system. However, it is not a fingerprint - just something you enter via a keyboard. Many repeaters re-transmit this tone, which can then be used to open the squelch on the receivers. All a user has to do is listen, and change their tone settings until they hit the right one - then they are in! So if you have an annoying ‘pirate’. You cannot identify him.
However, with so many users, there are things you can do to locate him. First is to set a spare channel on your radio to listen on the repeater input frequency. You will only hear people local to you. If you are all spread out around the repeater, after a short while you can build up a rough location - by those who can hear him vs those that cannot. You then all move to that area and repeat the process, eventually you will all be within a short distance from him. You then try listening with the aerial removed, which means only the very closest will hear him and you move in again. Eventually, you will have a good idea where he is. You can coordinate this by text messages, or a Facebook group set up for the purpose. Once you have the rough location you could call the authorities, if they are interested in your country, or you simply use the repeater and one by one get your friends to reveal their current location. He realises he is surrounded, and stops. Or, you work out your own next step. If you are really keen to stop it, you could get directional aerials, and draw lines on a map - X marks the spot. To do this with beam type aerials you also need a variable attenuator as the signal strength needs to be adjusted to allow you to find their bearing. It could be quite a good fun thing to do. Many radio hams do this kind of thing for an evenings entertainment, with somebody hiding somewhere as the ‘fox’. It needs cooperation from the members and communication OFF your repeater, but can be quite effective. If you only have a few people, then beams are critical, and send people with them to high places with clear views of the area, three bearings will get you going, then move in. If your interfering signal is on a lot, you could do it with one person and a beam, perhaps driving to different locations and repeating the bearing. Perfectly possible, but lots of effort required!
Thanks a lot Paulears. The repeater that our association is using is the type where every communication must start after beeps from the last conversation. But this rogue member would press his set so that conversation would be blocked out. Even putting X rated sounds broadcasting from his talkie set. Even the local police warn this member on his talkie set, ( the local police station was given 2 sets of the talkies) but the warning was of no use. Maybe this rogue member knows that it is quite difficult to apprehend or identify him. If you check facebook, you can see the activities that our association performs for the benefits of the local populace. And yet this rogue member continues his activities, sometimes even during times when there are ongoing cases of accidents. Because we are all free lancing on this, the cost of getting a better repeater, those that the local tontos are using, where if there’s an ongoing communication, the set would register busy. Nobody can disturb the ongoing conversation but of course, there are ways to disturb also. I would print out your very detailed suggestions for the committee members and hope they can formulate a way to narrow down the location of this rogue. Thanks a lot…
I wish you luck. Do you have any radio hams local to you? They are usually quite skilled in locating intruders in their bands, and may be able to help you?
Thanks for the great advice again. I will sound out some friends to see if there’s any radio hams operator somewhere near. I think I saw a few with long antennas sticking up from their house compounds but not polite to approach direct. Like you suggested, will approach these hams players once I get to know one of them and let them have fun playing cat and mouse, this time with our intended victim being the rogue member who, without regards for the community and the work that we are doing to make the place a safer environment for all. Will post any good news here. Thanks…