With some frequency, someone will ask a question about doing something illegal. Often, using a Baofeng radio without a licence, on frequencies for which the radio is not certified.
- Amateur radio exists to give individuals who have demonstrated basic competency free access to the RF spectrum with very few restrictions. This test for competency is necessary to prevent innocent but harmful mistakes that interfere with others. Like a driver's license.
- These innocent but harmful mistakes increase the risk that access to radios will be restricted. Perhaps Baofeng radios should not be legal to purchase. Perhaps purchasing them should require a license check, a program which costs money to administer and will raise prices.
- More licensed amateurs protects our VHF and UHF allocations which are worth a lot of money to private interests.
I'm proposing we explicitly add illegal activities as off topic in the help center, and add it as a close reason.