When I get to Extra and get my antenna up, I'll ask you to respond to some CQs so I can do some testing
Just be careful, easy way to dox yourself once someone knows your callsign.
This.
OP, just feel out a few users you talk to on the regular here and send a few private messages if you want.
Not me, tho. Also, congrats on your tests!
Not me, tho.
Good call because such an exchange would make your call sign known to the other person. Good OpSec relies on being aware of such traps and not participating in them.
Would love to. Perhaps post a frequency and time and I can be one of the anonymous many that take the CQ. I won't share my call here and suggest you do not either. It's a simple matter to use ULS to dox your address of record. I also hope you used a PO Box for your FRN. If not get one and change your address of record ASAP.
I was on the fence about a PO Box. It would cost me ~$200/year in my area. Not a huge expense, just more of a pain in the ass. But my concern is that I would never check it, and if FCC actually sent me something via snail mail I'd never get it. One of the VEs said just make an account at qrz.com and populate the address fields as you wish. Almost everyone looking up call signs hits qrz.com. Not exactly a foolproof and secure method to be sure, but it's something. I'm still on the fence and may pull the trigger on it anyway. Still not sure.
Anyone wanting to do you harm or put you on an official list knows to look in the one place required by law to have accurate (and supposedly current) data on you -- freely and publicly available.
Google search: "FCC ULS search"
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp
I use mine only for FCC matters and ARRL mailings like QST and only check about once a month. Granted, the rules are archaic and very much not aligned with modern privacy concerns. They date back to an era concerned foremost with keeping amateur radio operators from being spies. So you have to take what little measures you can.
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