[Milsurplus] GRC connectors are a threat to national security

[Alan Barrow]

Mike Murphy wrote:

>  like some germans have us on their " hate list" too.


I see this is venting at the wrong person. You did not make that law, so 
your guy was clearly out of line. And got a bit personal and harsh. His 
ignorance about the US is showing, based on perceptions from TV and 
news. Probably about the same as some of the previous posts about the 
French have been. Ignorance.

That said, it's a bit silly to have restrictions on GRC stuff which is 
widely available in Europe without restriction.

I see how the demil process works, and it tells me that we are not smart 
enough to separate the live missiles and modern radar from the WW-II 
timeframe technology which is useless to a terrorist. So we smash 
PRC-77's driving the price up. Meanwhile, a SEM-35 sells in Germany for 
$25, in many aspects, a better radio! And neither threaten national 
security! I could buy 100 SEM-35's at $25 each with accessories. No one 
wants them, or has a use for them!

Hint: Terrorists don't use GRC-106's and PRC-25's. They use  satellite 
and GSM phones. And Vertex manpacks. And GMRS handhelds. All available 
worldwide.

Somewhere I stashed away the post from the guy who was visited and 
threatened by Homeland security for selling a 1950's HP audio 
oscillator. Yep, the ones that sell for $10 at hamfests, and have been 
thrown away in dumpsters everywhere. He was expected to maintain End 
User documentation for those. Two feds spent weeks on him! Meanwhile, 
leads on real terrorists are not followed due to interagency rivalries!

This is as stupid as the M-37 owner who recently was stopped and 
searched while dropping his brother off at an airport/ Solely for 
driving a military looking vehicle. No guns, no camo, no banners. Just 
an OD truck. Hint: Terrorists don't dress in camo, drive green trucks, 
and use obsolete PRC-25's. They go the other way, in non-descript cars, 
and try to blend in. And they rent vans at Ryder!

Yet we cannot separate the two. So Mike, you can't sell cables. which 
are not a threat to anyone.. I had a German surplus dealer comment that 
he can't understand how a country which got so many things right (the 
US) can do silly things like the mis-guided export/trade restrictions on 
Korean war timeframe technology!

So the German was out of line. So have several of the recent comments. 
And I cannot justify why you can't sell GRC connectors. It makes no sense!

Have fun,

Alan