"Police continue hunt for ham-radio pest"

[VK3RX]

Today's (10th September 2017) Sunday Herald Sun has an article with this title in large print.

As yet I haven't been able to find a link to the article online. I have scanned it, but I don't know the legality of posting it here.

The article relates to an earlier report (link below) re a recent incident in Gippsland Victoria where one or more persons transmitted on a police frequency, calling off a pursuit that was underway. 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victori...3ad238234c

I noticed on a scanning forum that a further problem occurred there last Friday, when music was played on a police frequency for an extended period.

Hopefully the WIA will consider a press release or similar re the slur to amateur radio ...

[VK3RX]

https://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/ma...nsmissions

[VK4ADC]

Good spotting Damien.

Unfortunately the "ham-radio pest" tag wasn't either confirmed or denied in the article, and, without a name being given, we can't even look up the ACMA database to see if someone holding an amateur licence was involved.

It might eventually be made clearer i.e. after 22nd November.

73 Doug

[VK2CSW]

A quick search of the ACMA database did not return any AR results in the town, a single AR entry is in the same post code area but is 20 or 30 km's away.

For mine, the safe money is on "ebay" or "Aliexpress" as the supplier and the number of licences held equals zero...

[VK3RX]

There was quite a good letter to the editor from someone locally here published in the following week's edition refuting the "ham-radio" tag.

I'm aware that the WIA President Justin Giles-Clark also later sent a letter, but I don't know if it was published or not.

[VK3ALB]

Someone has been apprehended

https://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/ma...nsmissions

[VK3TU]

...and subsequently dealt with!

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-20/radio-pirate-who-hacked-police-communications-jailed/9567604?pfmredir=sm

There's a long story behind this and it involved plenty of cooperation with ACMA, lots of sitting on hill-tops listening, some lateral thinking and the application of Heywhatsthat (https://www.heywhatsthat.com/ ) to work out where he was. With a very satisfying result at the end.

Bert
VK3TU

[VK3RX]

The story is probably best left untold, lest in future those involved in this sort of activity - or worse - come across it, and become aware of how they may be caught.