[K3CAL] Found this on Facebook

[Matt Orr]

Jimmy,
I was a tech for MD First.
I maintained the MD First tower sites in Calvert, Charles, St Mary's, PG and part of Montgomery Co.
I personally installed the dispatch consoles at MSP Prince Frederick, Leonardtown, La Plata. Forestville and College Park Barracks.

DO NOT even attempt NAS.
Do not even consider buying a used commercial radio with your level of experience.

MD First, Calvert County and Charlles County radio systems use a specialized software package to identify, log (for legal evidence), locate and stun radios. When a commercial radio is stunned or killed, you now own a brick.

It just takes one "oops" when trying to setup or use NAS and your radio will try and register on the system.
When you register with a cloned radio ID, you WILL put a real system user's life at risk.

In order to setup NAS, you need a system key.  You will never ger a legal system key.  If you go through illegal means to obtain one, you were warned.

This email may sound harsh, but there is no way to sugar coat the seriousness of how illegal what you wanted to do is.

When you use an illegal radio on a trunking system with a cloned ID, you could bump a Sheriff's Deputy's radio offline without him even knowing it.  If that officer needed to call for help and couldn't because of your cloned radio, you're done. Prison time. I am really serious here.

Again, I am just being blunt and honest with you here.  I have been a 2 way tech working on public safety systems for 20+ years. I have seen the damage and have been asked to assist locating illegal radio user several times.

Take my word, don't do it.

I hope other CARA members will join me in steering you in the right direction here.
You do NOT want to get on the bad side of your local Emergency Management by doing something like this because it could give CARA and other ham clubs a bad reputation.

CARA has worked hard at building up trust and a good working relationship with Calvert Emerg Management. Activites like this by one of their members risks having Calvert EM kick us out to the street.

As Kim said, buy a scanner, G5 pager, SDR...etc.

I am painfully aware of the "experts" on Radio Reference and other radio based forums, social media and You Tube that tell you NAS is perfectlly fine. It isn't.

I haven't commented much since I moved away, but felt this was a topic I was probably the best to reply.

I am not meaning to come off as rude, or talk down to you, I am just being direct and honest because it is so important.

Please just get a scanner.

Matt
N3IVK

Sent from a mobile device



-------- Original message --------
From: jimmy mumper via K3CAL <k3cal at mailman.qth.net>
Date: 4/8/26 3:51 PM (GMT-06:00)
To: Calvert Amateur Radio Association - K3CAL <k3cal at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [K3CAL] Found this on Facebook

They would be good for NAS for state and county systems and local conv 7/800 stuff

On Wed, Apr 8, 2026 at 4:06 PM jimmy mumper <jimmymumper562 at gmail.com<mailto:jimmymumper562 at gmail.com>> wrote:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14abzUR9Qth/?mibextid=xfxF2i
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