Posting your ham call on a forum where aliases are used?

Harold2689

Harold2689

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Most of us use aliases on firearms forums, because it's nobody's business who we are, or where we live.

As ham radio operators, we're all proud of our accomplishments and our call signs. But when you put your ham call out, anywhere, a simple search of callsigns on the FCC website or the ARRL website pulls up every detail of who you are, where you live, etc. etc.

Doesn't this defeat the whole point of using aliases?
 
On the forum where many of us came from we made that section of the forum "request only, and you must be a ham" for that very reason.
 
fieldgrade;n91610 said:
On the forum where many of us came from we made that section of the forum "request only, and you must be a ham" for that very reason.
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Yeah, the last forum I came from, anyone could view the ham radio section, so I made sure I never included my ham call. I was surprised at how many did put their call out there. I once sent a PM to a guy there pointing out how he was making a lot of his personal information available by using his ham call on the forums. Since it was a PM, I included all the details I learned about him from the on-line databases. Never got a reply back from him, and never saw him again on the forum. I didn't meant to run him off, just wanted to alert him to what anyone could learn with a simple search...
 
Harold2689;n91607 said:
Most of us use aliases on firearms forums, because it's nobody's business who we are, or where we live.

As ham radio operators, we're all proud of our accomplishments and our call signs. But when you put your ham call out, anywhere, a simple search of callsigns on the FCC website or the ARRL website pulls up every detail of who you are, where you live, etc. etc.

Doesn't this defeat the whole point of using aliases?
Click to expand...

Umm... YES!

I believe the FCC will now accept PO boxes for addresses. That can help. But, when we advertise our maidenhead locators and other details of ourselves...

I've often wondered about the "What did you buy today?..." or "Show up pics of your stuff..." threads. If I were nefarious, I would be building a database/inventory of users and every pic and comment.

It's good to have a band of brothers, but not everyone here is our friend. That's why personal contact between members is a good thing.
 
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I have thought about this, and come to the conclusion that if "lists" exist, then I am on them whether I use an alias or not. The fact that I am a Ham probably automatically puts me on a couple of lists. Posting my call here won't make much difference. I also choose to not waste time worrying about it. YRMV,
 
Just google yourself and you'll be surprised at what is already available. Voter registration, amongst other things is a big one, Quit frankly, I'm beyond caring if someone has a name and address. Hell, every junk mailer has that.
 
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