Ham Radio vs. Shielded Signals

Amateur radio (“ham radio”) is the oldest system available for citizens to use, having been around since the early 1900’s. And, the wide range of different modes of communications, coupled with the multitude of different operating frequencies, makes ham radio one of the most reliable means of communications when nothing else works. Ham radio even offers data transmission types, something not found in CB or FRS/GMRS radios.

The problem with ham radio is two-fold.

You must have a license issued by the FCC to legally operate on any frequency reserved for ham radio use. Obtaining a license requires passing an exam.

There is also no privacy in ham radio. Encryption is not permitted on ham bands, whether voice or data.

Feature	Ham Radio (Amateur Radio)	Shielded Signals (PRaaS™)
Frequency Band	Multiple Amateur bands (HF/VHF/UHF); community repeaters and many modes	Licensed VHF spectrum under FCC authorization
License Required	✔ Individual FCC amateur license; call sign identification required	✔ Covered under Shielded Signals’ FCC license; no individual licensing required
Encryption / Privacy	✘ Message encryption is prohibited; communications must be intelligible and non-obscured	✔ True AES-256 encryption; unique keys per customer or family
Range	VHF/UHF handhelds: a few miles; farther via community repeaters. HF can reach regional to worldwide, but skip-dependent and unpredictable	VHF handhelds typically a couple of miles depending on terrain; engineered, predictable coverage extendable via Shielded Signals repeaters
Infrastructure Dependence	Simplex is independent but shared; repeaters are community-owned/volunteer systems you don’t control	Independent, interference-controlled licensed spectrum managed by Shielded Signals
Typical Use	Hobby, experimentation, training, public-service events, volunteer EMCOMM	Private, secure coordination for families, teams, and organizations
Reliability	Open shared channels; best-effort repeaters subject to congestion and power issues; no service guarantees	Controlled network with managed channels and defined support
Professional Legitimacy	Non-commercial by rule; business communications and encryption not allowed on Amateur Radio	Business-appropriate, contract-based service operated under Shielded Signals oversight