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HamRadioNow: Riley Returns, plus more Digital from the DCC

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by K4AAQ, Nov 21, 2014.

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  1. K4AAQ

    K4AAQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    [TABLE="width: 700, align: center"]
    <tbody>[TR]
    [TD]Episode 174:[/TD]
    [TD]Riley Hollinsworth K4ZDH[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Episode 175:[/TD]
    [TD]Bruce Perens (again!) plans DV on VHF[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD]Episode 176:[/TD]
    [TD]David Bern thinks big on UHF/Microwave Networks[/TD]
    [/TR]
    </tbody>[/TABLE]


    In Episode 174 (watch it below), Riley Hollingsworth K4ZDH, retired FCC Counsel for Amateur Radio, gives a "pep talk" to the Forsyth Amateur Radio Club in Winston-Salem, NC. Riley joined this club back when he was a law student at Wake Forest University. At the end of the show, we'll get a tour of the club's station in the basement of the Red Cross building.

    and from the 2014 ARRL/TAPR DCC:

    Episode 175: Bruce Perens K6BP returns to talk about the challenges he's run into incorporating FreeDV/CODEC2 into VHF/UHF systems, including HT of the Future (put some echo on that as you read it).

    Episode 176: David Bern W2LNX envisions a nationwide high-speed network using Amateur Radio UHF and microwave bands. David realizes it's not going to be all one thing. He looks at some of the existing systems covering a few regions of the country, and shows some simple hardware that can be used to build more networks.


    [video=youtube;12cnK_8i0IY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cnK_8i0IY&list=UUxqXFK9ETC5CWEdDD-_HpqA[/video]​


    Watch all our programs on our web page:
    HAMRADIONOW
    .tv

    HamRadioNow is supported by viewer contributions
    If you enjoy the programs, visit www.HamRadioNow.tv and "click the pig"


    [​IMG]


    THANK YOU to all our contributors!
     
  2. KQ6XA

    KQ6XA Ham Member QRZ Page

    Riley Hollingsworth: Amateur Radio Threats [transcribed excerpts]

    [Loosely transcribed from the http://hamradionow.tv video http://arvideonews.com/hrn/HRN_Episode_0174.html , sorry for any errors --Bonnie KQ6XA]

    Excerpt from informal comments by Riley Hollingsworth, Retired Special Counsel, FCC Enforcement, speaking at the Forsyth Amateur Radio Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in early November 2014:

    "I'm often asked what you can do to help Amateur Radio and help enforcement. There's several things you can do. One is, don't engage people and don't humor the idiots. We have a certain number of idiots, just like the legal profession does, the plumbers profession, medical, whatever. It's just our society. But, stupidity can't be regulated, no matter how good the rules are. The thing you do to help the most, is to just turn the big knob. Every rig has one. Whether the transceiver has 20 buttons or 77, it has one big knob."

    "You'll hear somebody tuning up and it's automatically assumed it is a deliberate tune-up. At the FCC, we knew from monitoring that 90% of what was being argued about on the bands was accidental interference. With the rigs you have today, it's very easy to get them screwed up. So, most of the interference is not intentional."

    "But, our society assumes offense. It wasn't like this 20 years ago. We are insistent on rights over responsibilities, and it's just the nature of our times. People are thin skinned. A lot of these people, on 75 meters mainly, are the same way. They're narrow-minded, they're grouchy, they don't like new ideas, they're ungrateful for what they have. And you can hear this on 14313 as well. If they won the state lottery, they would probably bitch about how it was paid out! So, the main thing you can do to help: don't add to the problem. Be part of the solution, even if it means not engaging. If it is a continuing violation, report it to the Commission or to the League. But mainly, don't add to the problem. And, you've got to know what the issues are. Whether its interference from grow lights, or BPL (which has fortunately gone by the wayside we think and we hope.)"

    "You've got to keep up with the issues. Early on [in enforcement], I would try personal contact with some of the people we were really having trouble with on the bands, who were causing problems but weren't directly in violation of the rules. One group, I was saying "Look, if a recording of your conversation on 75 meters ever went before a Senate subcommittee that was considering BPL, we're going to lose that hands-down.", because they're going to say "Why protect this type of service?". And, they didn't know what BPL was! During the height of the BPL, that worried me more than anything else, I thought that was very much of a danger to us, I think that was the biggest danger to us since World War II, to our bands. But, a lot of people didn't keep up with the issues, they didn't know what it was, they had no idea how dangerous that was. This group on 75 meters and 14313, they're being thinned out."

    "A lot of these conduct problems, are from the guys who are getting up in age. They are getting old and grouchy, and the Grim Reaper is going to take care of some of them. Every year we get some big enforcement action from the Grim Reaper. And I notice nobody at the FCC wears black armbands over it. So, in a sense, that's going to take care of itself, I think."

    "But, it's not the no code people. I could not see any decline in compliance with the rules after they eliminated the CW requirement. It's never the new people. It's the older people that have Extra Class licenses, and they think they know everything. They've been on the same frequency for ten years, using 1200 Watts to talk across the state, and they don't like new ideas, they don't like new people. They haven't done anything new in Amateur Radio in a decade. That's the ones that don't know what they don't know. They are thinning out a good bit, but that still worries me. I saw no decline after the elimination of CW. In fact, as far as CW goes, there seems to be more interest in CW than ever. The best way to ruin a good book in high school was to put it on the required reading list. It could be that requiring the code turned some people away from it. It seems to be more active than ever."

    "One thing that's causing a huge problem, and this is also a sign of our times: I understand some of the state and federal agencies have this problem, but it's the problem of people firing off nasty emails, not only to Laura, but to the enforcement bureau chief, and to the chairman, about amateur radio situations that they think the FCC should attack. I'm talking about horrible emails, threatening emails, threatening to the degree that quite often the security office gets involved. We've got to stop this, it's giving Amateur Radio a black eye. Some are so threatening that the security staff might not let Laura travel, and you notice that she doesn't travel much, partly because of the budget, but partly because of this problem. There are obscene, threatening and stupid emails by people who are hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. I'm sure state senators get them, US senators get them. But when it comes in specifically to the Enforcement Bureau about an Amateur complaint, it's bad for all of us. It's giving some people in the Commission a bad taste in their mouth about Amateur Radio. They sort of understand that they are sent by fruitcakes, but amateurs are very quick to fire off an email about a complaint or about a situation they hear on the bands, and they don't know the full background of it. This is a time when we are hyper-sensitive about security issues. It's just a big problem, I don't know the solution."

    "I think as far as the biggest threats we should be more worried about is the RF junk that is out there. One of the big problems of interference to Amateur Radio right now is from grow lights. People are growing marijuana and that's becoming a little more legal every day, it seems like. Some of these grow lights are really junk. The League has worked countless hours on that, and talked to the manufacturers, and gotten a lot of cooperation with some of them and not so much with the others. It is the RF devices. I think that is more of a threat than conduct on the bands right now."

    "A lot of the local jurisdictions changed the code about which breaker switches you can use in a house. You have to have what they call arc-faults. When those first hit, just normal amateur radio RF would trip the breaker. Within 300 feet. It caused a lot of problems in new housing. A lot of people were really mad at amateur radio operators in some areas because every time they got on the breaker went off. The League worked with Eaton company, and they recalled a lot of those."

    "That's the kind of stuff that worries me more about amateur radio, assuming we keep our numbers up and we stay relevant, and maintain our proper role in public service communications, and keep the public aware of what Amateur Radio is, I don't see a threat to our HF frequencies. At the upper edges, of course, we will have some chipping away with science and medical equipment and stuff."

    "But, mainly it's the junk that's coming out there. It's simple to fix these. It costs five or ten cents more to make a grow light so it doesn't cause interference on our frequencies. It's not always amateur frequencies, it's just that we hear it first, we know more about how to find it. A lot of people can't listen to AM radio because of some interference, but they don't have any idea what is causing the signal or where it is coming from, but we tend to find out, and so we squawk more. Really, I think we are the canary in the coal mine. But, you have bureaucrats that don't want to do anything they don't have to do, and they say "Why worry about amateur interference? We don't guarantee them a pure spectrum anyway, so let's go on to something else." But, if it interferes with us, it can interfere with aviation communications, public safety communications, or whatever. So, they've got to listen to you people because you are the canary in the coal mine."

    "I used to be asked if Amateur Radio could survive the internet. I got that question many times in the early days. I think we've beautifully survived and blended and enhanced the internet. So, I think we've answered that question very well. Computers have become a great asset to Amateur Radio. We've integrated them into everything from logging to emergency communications."

    "We live in an age where there is a technological breakthrough every month. Not only that, but we've come to expect it. We live in a herd mentality. We rush out and buy the latest and greatest thing; and on the way home, is when its obsolescence starts. You can see that with the cellphones and iphones, we run for the latest thing and as soon as we get it, it starts being obsolete. Our responsibility is awesome, because we've got to keep Amateur Radio from becoming obsolete. I hope we're up to it. It's time for us to leave a legacy to this avocation. It's hard but you can do it. This whole radio thing is our passion and our gift."


    [Loosely transcribed from the hamradionow.tv video, sorry for any errors --Bonnie KQ6XA]
     
  3. N2ADV

    N2ADV XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    This should be required reading for anyone who posts here.
     
  4. KW4EK

    KW4EK Ham Member QRZ Page

    I could not agree more, there are some important insights offered that I hope it is *more* widely seen or read than just QRZ, but QRZ is a good start. The troublemakers will never see themselves as part of the problem, but if it saves us even a few new troublemakers then it is well worth the time and minimal effort. And perhaps it will help us to improve advocacy as well, which is where it could pay great dividends.
     
  5. W9JEF

    W9JEF QRZ Lifetime Member #571 Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

    Last edited: Nov 22, 2014
  6. AA9G

    AA9G Ham Member QRZ Page

    Outstanding speech. This part makes me a sad ham however. I don't understand. Furthermore if you think you can do this and NOT GET FOUND if they decide to, well you are dead wrong.

    "it's the problem of people firing off nasty emails, not only to Laura, but to the enforcement bureau chief, and to the chairman, about amateur radio situations that they think the FCC should attack. I'm talking about horrible emails, threatening emails, threatening to the degree that quite often the security office gets involved. We've got to stop this, it's giving Amateur Radio a black eye. Some are so threatening that the security staff might not let Laura travel, and you notice that she doesn't travel much, partly because of the budget, but partly because of this problem. There are obscene, threatening and stupid emails by people who are hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. I'm sure state senators get them, US senators get them. But when it comes in specifically to the Enforcement Bureau about an Amateur complaint, it's bad for all of us. It's giving some people in the Commission a bad taste in their mouth about Amateur Radio. They sort of understand that they are sent by fruitcakes, but amateurs are very quick to fire off an email about a complaint or about a situation they hear on the bands, and they don't know the full background of it. This is a time when we are hyper-sensitive about security issues."
     
  7. W4UDX

    W4UDX Ham Member QRZ Page

    Wow! Great stuff! Riley the Amateur Radio Peacemaker.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
  8. W4KJG

    W4KJG Subscriber QRZ Page

    I agree!

    That is probably the finest piece I've ever read or heard regarding the issues we've faced for quite some time.

    Having been licensed for almost 53 years, I'm hoping I don't get like those described as "They're narrow-minded, they're grouchy, they don't like new ideas, they're ungrateful for what they have."

    In all my years of amateur radio, I've known a few who have fit that category from their much younger days to the day the Grim Reaper took them. However, the vast majority of the hams I've known since I was probably 6 or 7 years old, have all been wonderful big-hearted people.

    It really hit me when he talked about the effects of email threats and the possibility of the fools being recorded and played back for the world to hear at a congressional hearing, etc. That is one aspect I'd never thought about before.

    As I wrote in a recent post, I would like to know more about what the FCC can use from us everyday happy hams to help with these problems.

    What is the best thing we can do to assist the FCC without burdening them with things that are not usable? Same with the ARRL. How can we better participate in these types of issues? If we look at the broad spectrum of radio amateurs, even us old codgers, we represent a tremendous number educatational and life-learned talents regarding technical, legal, psychological, enforcement, etc.

    Could there maybe be some funnels through QRZ, the ARRL, and maybe a few other places that could evaluate potentially useful information before it is passed on to the FCC? Could we send such evidence back to the originating individuals to make it even more effective?

    Regards,
    Ken
    K8KJG
     
  9. N6HGG

    N6HGG Ham Member QRZ Page

    I wouldn't be a sad ham about it. Riley heard the worst cases, 5 or 6 days a week. So his outlook and presentation comes from the problem and negative issue side of the equation. The entire rest of the ham hobby and ham population, probably 98 percent of it, are enjoying a fantastic thing.
     
  10. K5GHS

    K5GHS Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think that part right there explains why, besides the fact he was probably due, that he retired. You reach a point with that stuff that you just want to call it a day. You can have a thick skin, but it wears on you.
     
  11. ND6M

    ND6M Ham Member QRZ Page

    and my take on that is,..... just what is the difference between that, and recordings of HIM talking "for all the world to hear" about the same issues, being played before the same congressional hearing?

    the only conclusion to be drawn would be that he couldn't/wouldn't stop the problems.
     
  12. KW6T

    KW6T Guest

    Thank you Bonnie for taking the time and effort to transcribe Riley's words. In spite of any errors in the text, it's conveying the intent of his message that's important. I think we as hams often neglect to consider the political realities of our hobby, and RH's point in this regard is right on the mark.

    The bands are only ours as long as we are given the *privilege* to use them.

    Russ KW6T
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 24, 2014
  13. W4KJG

    W4KJG Subscriber QRZ Page

    And your better suggestion might be ... ???

    I would like to see some things we can do, rather than just dismiss any suggestions put forth by experienced and knowledgeable individuals. I would like to see some positive and legal actions we can take to help reduce these problems.

    With all due respect,
    Ken
    K8KJG
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2014
  14. N2OBS

    N2OBS Ham Member QRZ Page

    Riley,

    I guess not all felon criminal charges prevent a person from obtaining an amateur radio license?

    Tim Allen aka Tim Dick, KK6OTD.

    He was arrested at the Kalamazoo, Mich., airport with 1.4 pounds of cocaine in 78, was convicted of felony drug possession and served 2 1/2 years in prison after turning state's evidence to avoid a life sentence.
     
  15. VP9KS

    VP9KS Ham Member QRZ Page


    I also agree. I have had my stateside call (WA1WJB) for about 40 years, and still enjoy new challenges and modes. I hope that I never get to the state of the above mentioned individuals. Riley made the point that the reaper has thinned the herd a bit. That may be true of the worst, but I am afraid that there may be a fresh can of nuts just waiting to be opened. I hope that I am wrong!!
     
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