Repeater owner / operator liability exposure

Repeater owner / operator liability exposure

With the painful and expensive lessons learned, it seems the litigants in the NCPRN kerfuffle have settled

In the matter of Kenneth Bryant v. NCPRN, Scott Whitaker and Wade Hampton, Jr., this issue has been resolved. We regret this matter occurred and acknowledge that it could have been handled better, and regret some of the unfortunate public comments made pertaining to this litigation and to Mr. Bryant. It is in the best interests of Amateur Radio that this matter be resolved without further litigation.

Network privileges for Kenneth Bryant are restored.

The parties ask the community not to discuss this matter further.

Of course the greater community must talk about this case as it highlights the exposure repeater system operators have concerning liabilities resulting from actions that cause defamation per se, injury, or other harm to a person's reputation, etc. Just because you have the federal legal authority to ban someone on your repeater does NOT immunize you from liability if it was done for illegal or injurious purposes... even if incidental or accidental. To think otherwise is reckless.

To all repeater operators thinking the FCC rules shield them from all things, consider the following scenarios:
Ban repeater user for causing interference? No problem so long as you amass "and archive" sufficient evidence.
Ban repeater user for being black (or female, or Hispanic, etc.)? You will be sued out of existence and rightfully so.
Ban repeater user for "unsubstantiated" poor/illicit conduct causing defamation per se? You might be sued and rightfully so.

Could LED Street Lights Drown Out Ham Radio Signals

Could LED Street Lights Drown Out Ham Radio Signals
When he decided to become a ham radio operator, Charles Dillenbeck, of Bristol Township, went all out for his new hobby.

He purchased the Cadillac of radios - an $8,000 model that allows him to chat for a few hours every night with amateur radio enthusiasts around the world. Five antennae surround his house.

Then one night this spring, the static he normally heard on different frequencies became much louder, so loud he could barely hear the the people with whom he was chatting.

"I can get rid of the noise (by turning down the volume), but then I wouldn't hear anything at all," he explained.

A few days later, as Dillenbeck - a Navy veteran and retired commercial heating and refrigeration engineer - stared out a window in his home trying to figure out the problem, the street light came on. Immediately, the static started again. Was it the light, he wondered.

It turns out Bristol Township installed a new LED fixture in the light in front of his house as part of its plan to replace incandescent street lights with cost-saving LED bulbs.

"The old lights didn't interfere at all," Dillenbeck said. He talked with another ham radio enthusiast who lives in the township who also had the same problem. He used a "noise finder" piece of equipment to test other street lights. The same static occurred, he said.

Florida Ham Issued $25,000 Fine for Operating an Unlicensed Radio Transmitter and Interfering with Licensed Communications

Florida Ham Issued $25,000 Fine for Operating an Unlicensed Radio Transmitter and Interfering with Licensed Communications

On March 1, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) in the amount of $25,000 to Terry L. VanVolkenburg, KC5RF, of Cocoa, Florida. The FCC alleged that VanVolkenburg “apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Sections 301 and 333 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended…, by operating a radio transmitter without a license on…465.300 MHz and for interfering with licensed communications.” VanVolkenburg holds an Advanced class license.

In September 2012, FCC agents in the Tampa Office received a complaint of radio interference from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department -- licensee of call sign WQCW384 -- utilizes a wireless radio communications system in the county jail in Sharpes, Florida. According to the complaint, the Sheriff’s Department experienced intermittent interference to its radio communications in the jail on the frequency 456.300 MHz on at least 14 days during September and October 2012. According to the NAL, audio recordings taken by the Sheriff’s Department suggest “that a male individual interfered with the prison’s communications by transmitting vulgar language, sound effects, previously recorded prison communications and threats to prison officials over the prison’s communications system.”

FCC enforcement actions

We are taking aggressive enforcement actions against violators. And here is a map displaying FCC enforcement actions against pirate radio by location. If you have information about the operation of an unlicensed broadcast station, you can file a complaint.

Recent Actions

11-20-2015: Andrew O. Turner, Miami Gardens, FL; $15,000 Forfeiture Proposed.

10-30-2015: Jose Luis Hernandez, Passaic, New Jersey; $10,000 Forfeiture Proposed.

Pirate Radio operating without an FCC license

A number of pirate stations are operating throughout New York City and Northern New Jersey, according to a recent engineering survey that was recently unveiled by the New York State Broadcasters Association.

According to the survey, 76 stations are currently operating without an FCC license in four primary locations. There are 19 unauthorized stations in the Bronx, N.Y.; 29 in Brooklyn, N.Y.; 13 in Newark, N.J.; and 15 in Paterson, N.J. Brooklyn saw a 58% increase in the number of pirate stations compared to a similar survey conducted in 2015.

The survey does observe that it has likely underestimated the number of pirate stations in the area, and that the total number could be more than 100.

MY BEEF WITH HAM RADIO by: Dan Maloney

My amateur radio journey began back in the mid-1970s. I was about 12 at the time, with an interest in electronics that baffled my parents. With little to guide me and fear for my life as I routinely explored the innards of the TVs and radios in the house, they turned to the kindly older gentleman across the street from us, Mr. Brown. He had the traditional calling card of the suburban ham — a gigantic beam antenna on a 60′ mast in the backyard – so they figured he could act as a mentor to me.

Mr. Brown taught me a lot about electronics, and very nearly got me far enough along to take the test for my Novice class license. But I lost interest, probably because I was an adolescent male and didn’t figure a ham ticket would improve my chances with the young ladies. My ham ambitions remained well below the surface as life happened over the next 40 or so years. But as my circumstances changed, the idea of working the airwaves resurfaced, and in 2015 I finally took the plunge and earned my General class license.

The next part of my ham story is all-too-familiar these days: I haven’t done a damn thing with my license. Oh, sure, I bought a couple of Baofeng and Wouxun handy-talkies and lurked on the local repeaters. I even bought a good, solid HF rig and built some antennas, but I’ve made a grand total of one QSO — a brief chat with a ham in Texas from my old home in Connecticut on the 10-meter band. That’s it.

An Emergency Kit Checklist #DisasterKit

Having copies of important documents is an integral part of personal preparedness. Having copies means you are not starting from the beginning if the original documents are lost or damaged. Review your documents at least once a year to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information. Make copies of your important documents part of your 72-hour kit.

•   passports
  
•   birth certificates
  
•   marriage certificate
  
•   insurance policies
  
•   educational records
  
•   bank account numbers
  
•   household inventory records
  
•   safety deposit box key
  
•   wills, powers of attorney
  
•   credit card numbers and contacts
  
•   doctor contact information
  
•   veterinarian contact information
  
•   pet registration and photo
  

 emergency contact information 
 warranties
 social insurance numbers
 driver’s licence numbers
 immunization and medical records
 income tax returns
 recent photos of family members 
 health care numbers
 USB backup of electronic files and photos 

Why are Radio Amateurs called HAM

Have you ever wondered why radio amateurs are called "HAM"?

Well, it goes like this: The word "HAM" as applied to 1908 was the station CALL of the first amateur wireless stations operated by some amateurs of the Harvard Radio Club. They were ALBERT S. HYMAN, BOB ALMY and POOGIE MURRAY.

At first they called their station "HYMAN-ALMY-MURRAY". Tapping out such a long name in code soon became tiresome and called for a revision. They changed it to "HY-AL-MU", using the first two letters of each of their names. Early in 1901 some confusion resulted between signals from amateur wireless station "HYALMU" and a Mexican ship named "HYALMO". They then decided to use only the first letter of each name, and the station CALL became "HAM".

In the early pioneer days of unregulated radio amateur operators picked their own frequency and call-letters. Then, as now, some amateurs had better signals than commercial stations. The resulting interference came to the attention of congressional committees in Washington and Congress gave much time to proposed legislation designed to critically limit amateur radio activity. In 1911, ALBERT HYMAN chose the controversial WIRELESS REGULATION BILL as the topic for his Thesis at Harvard. His instructor insisted that a copy be sent to Senator DAVID I. WALSH, a member of one of the committees hearing the Bill. The Senator was so impressed with the thesis is that he asked HYMAN to appear before the committee. ALBERT HYMAN took the stand and described how the little station was built and almost cried when he told the crowded committee room that if the BILL went through that they would have to close down the station because they could not afford the license fees and all the other requirements which the BILL imposed on amateur stations.

Congressional debate began on the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL and  little station "HAM" became the symbol for all the little amateur stations in the country crying to be saved from the menace and greed of the big commercial stations that didn't want them around. The BILL finally got to the floor of Congress and every speaker talked about the "...poor little station HAM". That's how it all started. You will find the whole story in the Congressional Record.

Nation-wide publicity associated station "HAM" with amateur radio operators. From that day to this, and probably until the end of time in radio an amateur is a "HAM"

Why are Radio Amateurs called "HAMS"?
From Florida Skip Magazine - 1959 - Issued - January 2001

Repeater Council Repeater - Coordination - Committees and Contact Persons

Repeater Committees and Contact Persons

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W.N.Y.S.O.R.C.
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Providing frequency coordination of analog and digital Amateur Radio Services in all, or portions of, 10 western counties in the State of New York (USA) and in all, or portions of, 31 counties/regions in the Province of Ontario (Canada).