I have pressed this many times that our own Security agencies, customs and the Press are telling lies, taking things out of proportions and are either too ignorant or outwardly foolish.

We all know that few unsuspecting foreign NGO have recently been caught with Satellite phones. The incident in picture is a recent seizure of arms, ammunition and communication equipment in J&K. What the Army claims, according to the press as a 'Satellite Phone', is a 7Watt HAM Radio Band (144Mhz , 2M) VHF Walkie Talkie from ICOM, a company which DOES NOT manufacture Satellite Phones at all!!

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=9&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOIBG&mydateHid=30-03-2010&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI

In the picture, the Set is a Icom IC-V82 Amateur Handheld Transceiver, noting close to a Hi-Fi communication device which at least have some encryption device.

http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/ht/0882.html

 

they may eaven call a RC Truck as a TANKER   

 
 
 
 

Hmm... are we not being too simplistic? How do we know that these devices are not satellite phones disguised as HAM radios? Well we have all seen iPhone clones from China, so maybe this can be too

Even if ICOM makes walkie talkies each of these are in the range of 4-7W Tx power which makes it easy to transmit over a distance of over 10-12 KM if the Rx is sufficiently strong. The Rx could be coupled with a VOIP bridge for further communication.....

So, my take on this is that while it may or may not be a satellite phone, it does highlight the fact that the terrorist is far more equipped than the 'common' law enforcer. To give the security agencies their dues, these guys are over worked and totally stressed out. So lets not go bashing them further.

regards
Pankaj

I have no doubts who are the good guys. This is not at all a discussion on that.

Even flashing a normal walkie-talkie is a definite invitation for trouble in the valley and elsewhere in the country. So I don't have any doubts that the terrorist have any reason to hide Panther in a Wolf's cloak instead of Goat's. If hiding the Sat phone was needed, why not to use better camouflage like a Cordless phone or circa' 1995 Mobile phones to house Sat Phone? I can more say this as I had seen Iridium Sat phones in CA myself and they have this distinguishing broad /fat antenna unlike the stock antenna clearly seen in the pic. Its hard to eliminate/modify/conceal Sat phone antenna.

I have no intention to hurt sentiments of the forces or lower their moral. My only intention was to highlight the common Psyche of exaggerating thing by the authorities and even we general people. This has hurt the hobby when those Rs 2000 worth Chinese plane caught in Mumbai lead to ban on R/C imports due to the exaggeration on their capability to carry 12KG!!

You see a fox, tell make stories of encountering  a tiger.
Find a Rat snake.. OOO I fought a Cobra man!!

Same embedded mentality might have caused  a (easily traceable) Ham Radio Band TxRx to be over showed as dreaded 'SAT Phone' - I don't know who/what might have benefited from this lie, if it is not ignorance. Yes, they were bad guys, having communication equipment which would have 'just' did the job. But why this exaggeration. A simple truth that they were carrying VHF communication rigs might not weakened army's stand.

If the press is responsible to put the wrong caption - its still bad.
I would re-think taking my 1W GMRS radio to Himachal trek this time. Though these radios have similar spate of our RC Tx (approval etc), there has been understanding among the authorities (Forest guards/BSF)  that the trekker need these low power devices to communicate among them self. I fear things might have changed and people might take them for Sat Phone now! (Walkie talkies are passe', Sat phones are the real demons now!)

Then again how many Indian (even the English news paper reading urban class) would know what a HAM set is? The term "Satellite" is familiar and so is "phone" and hence collectively the term satellite phone could be used to convey an advanced communication device

BTW, don't worry about taking radio to Himachal. Recently, I was in Jammu for a business meet, later we went up to Vaishno Devi. When we were returning from Katra at 2:30 am - in a group and in a private car, we were stopped a couple of times by the heavily armed forces who just inquired about our whereabouts and let us be. So in general, I think you would be safe too. But yes, for a fleeting moment it was scary - facing the AK-xx laden group.

regards
Pankaj