this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2026
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[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (4 children)

...broadcast it upwards with a reasonably directional antenna, reflecting off the ionosphere.

...broadcast it from a solar powered relay station which you access via optical link from distance.

(Not a ham radio operator, but an anarchist, but I can draw a Doppler radar in GnuRadio and have implemented a monopulse tracker... with lots of help from other people who know better. My assessement: it's easy to track powerful signals on an expected frequency, but very hard to track weak signals which do agile frequency hopping with a random key, or hide among other traffic.)

I feel sad for the Belarusian ham radio operators, however. In case of crisis, they would be the people who could help develop something interesting to help others. They were practising their hobby openly and became targets because of that. People who do clandestine business don't exchange contact information openly.

I guess KGB (they still have it) decided that nothing interesting is ever needed in their land. :(

[–] non_burglar@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago

Not a ham radio operator

agile frequency hopping with a random key

No kidding.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

You don't seen to understand what the word "broadcast" means and you should probably stop pretending to understand how radio transmission works.

Your recommendation is essentially to not transmit in a way that anyone can receive and therefore you can't be caught. I can give you a simpler plan to achieve that: turn off your radio.

[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net -1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Yes, let's nitpick words. Broadcast implies that something is available to others. An ionosphere reflection definitely is. An unmanned pirate station also is. An agile frequency hopping signal conditionally is - if others know a key. Which would arguably make it unicast, a term I should have used in that part of my sentence.

and you should probably stop pretending to understand how radio transmission works

Oh highness, thou areth much holier than me indeed, I am humbled by this mere sentence.

Your recommendation is essentially to not transmit in a way that anyone can receive

I made several recommendations.

[–] Mowcherie@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

New ideas and methods are going to be what people need to combat these crackdowns. Posing new thoughts is what people have to start attempting, even at the risk of ridicule. Not every innovative idea is a winner, but eventually a new method will solve the problem. Everyone should keep thinking about how to acheive untracible HAM radio.

Imaginary bullshit isn't actually useful to anyone.

[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

you super stealthy nvis signal might not be noticed by anyone, including intended recipient, but your antenna farm made form 40m long wires certainly will

[–] btsax@reddthat.com 1 points 3 days ago

I operated on 40m with a dipole I strung up in my attic, so this isn't really true. In WW2 radio operators would build their antennas into plaster walls and other parts of buildings. Very easy to hide even long, large antennas

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Dude you can just encrypt a radio broadcast if you want to do private comms over radio

[–] northface@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago

Yes, and immediately become subject for closer surveillance by doing so.

My take, as mentioned in another reply: Retain plausible deniability by communicating in plain sight and use good old codebooks or similar techniques for the secret parts of your messages.