BearOfaTime

Not much of a shower thought.

Your complaint is that the world isn't perfect.

For 50 miles you're going to either need HAM or a repeater on anything else.

Even then, geography will be a huge determinant. Radio is generally line-of-sight, which is why things like GMRS/FRS and CB are limited to 5 miles - the general distance to the horizon.

I don't remember the math for antenna elevation and line-of-sight, but for some reason I have 30ft in my head for 10 miles, given flat country (no hills in the way). Don't quote me on that, but it's an example of how elevation affects range.

Fifty miles is a challenge, unless you can get an antenna really high, or are able to setup a chain of repeaters (I'm not sure how legal this is, GMRS regs are pretty open).

HAM isn't limited by line-of-sight because it can reflect off the atmosphere, but it takes skill at both ends to know how to manage this. Think of HAM as using the atmosphere as a repeater, but one that's constantly changing frequencies, and you have to figure that out at any given time based on conditions (and it's not always available between 2 locations because of those same varying conditions).

I think your best approach for now is to start with GMRS - it's an inexpensive start, and you'll learn this stuff with hands-on. Setting up your own GMRS repeater is pretty easy (once you have a little knowledge), has minimal regulation, and you can get several miles pretty quickly. There's a repeater about 4 or 5 miles from me (on a tower) that provides a connection to vehicles on the interstate more than 10 miles away. Being elevated means the repeater can "see" a lot farther.

Here's a good place to start.

Even better, just give up on the shitty protocol that's 20 years behind existing protocols

Boy, I'm real hesitant to go to HR. May as well ask to be fired.

It really depends on the business, culture, climate. The better places I've worked, this kind of interest is genuine, an attempt to foster better relationships at work. Of course, some people are just nosey Nellies...

Without knowing the environment and culture (and the questions), it's hard to say what to do.

Best I can say is to make it clear you like to keep your work and private life well separated.

Also OP, if someone else feels insulted, that's on them. They've chosen to feel insulted. Besides, how do you know she feels insulted? If she's communicating that, then she's being manipulative, using "emotional blackmail". Look, I'm not responsible for how you choose to feel, that's on you.

One trick I've used with people who continue with questions is to respond with a non-sequiter, something jarring, and use it all the time, repeatedly. Something like "how about the weather", or "how about those ". Make it your catch phrase for when people continue to pry, and don't be afraid to repeat it. Keep in mind tone matters, so say it like you mean it, like you walked in on Monday after a team did well, or got their asses beat. You don't even have to like the sport or the team, in fact it's kind of funny if you don't like them.

It's a bit of re-framing the conversation, while also communicating you aren't interested in the subject, without being an ass. And if anyone complains, well, you were just talking about a sports team.

Circling back around, I do feel like not all hope is currently lost.

My own contradiction: I feel pretty cynical about it, and yet I'm working on my own solutions for my family and friends. Part of me thinks it's pointless, but I refuse to give in completely.

I already try to use better comms, minimize the data my phone shares (setting up a de-googled pixel now), and have always avoided most social media (never been on FB/Twitter, etc, as in never even gone to the websites).

I dunno, all my younger family and their friends are neck deep in the shit, and aren't interested in hearing my "conspiracy theories"...despite them being front page news every day (all the ransomware, hacks, etc).

Be the change you want to see.

Since people won't (for example) switch to privacy-respecting comm apps just because I ask them too, I'm building my own self-hosted box that I can duplicate for my family and friends.

My goal is to provide them with a single box solution for DNS filtering (PiHole), media server (including auto disc conversion and sharing between boxes), local backup (which will replicate encrypted backups to the other boxes similar to what Crashplan Personal did), phone backup and management (MDM and file management from PC), image and file sharing (something like Facebook for family only), instant messaging (most likely XMPP), etc, etc.

Yes, it's a pretty bold plan, but my family and friends are tech illiterate, so if I want to see an improvement in privacy for myself and them, it's on me to do it, and make it attractive for them.

Because what you wrote is unnecessarily convoluted, circular and overly complex.

Going right along with that is your sophist projection of someone "complaining". Nowhere was there a complaint. That was nothing more than an argumentation tactic by you: sophistry.

I don't.

They said that they try to reserve their spots for people who specifically fall short of other places.

Sounds like bias.

They are crazy fast on their element.