Extraneous El Toro Poopoo on Mutual Aid

[LEH]

Has anyone down in the Peninsula area heard a lot of very informal idle chit chat (more closely resembling the thread title) on the Peninsula Fire Mutual aid channel (154.265) recently?

I know today there is one guy been running his mouth for the past hour and a half on politics.

 

[LEH]

Well I finally figured out what all the 'extraneous El Toro Poopoo' I am hearing on the Peninsula fire mutual aid.

I have a neighbor who is a ham (literally and figuratively). He loves to hear himself talk and is a stay at home Mom.

He is close enough that my discone picks him up on the harmonic but to far away for close call to capture him. Guess I'll just lock out the mutual aid VHF channel so I don't have to listen to his 'ratchet jawing'.

 

[kc4jgc]

Well I finally figured out what all the 'extraneous El Toro Poopoo' I am hearing on the Peninsula fire mutual aid.

I have a neighbor who is a ham (literally and figuratively). He loves to hear himself talk and is a stay at home Mom.

He is close enough that my discone picks him up on the harmonic but to far away for close call to capture him. Guess I'll just lock out the mutual aid VHF channel so I don't have to listen to his 'ratchet jawing'.

Were you able to nail down his actual freq?

 

[W4UVV]

How do you know for sure?

How do you know for certain he is an amateur radio operator and not a CBer? If he is an amateur radio operator he will give his callsign at the beginning and end of a contact and usually during the conversation if it exceeds 10 minutes. If he never does odds are the neighbor is a CB operator whose radio harmonic is overloading your scanner on that particular frequency. Since you know where he lives near you, describe his outside antenna.

If you do know for certain and not just guessing he is a amateur radio operator what is his callsign? If you do not know his callsign access the FCC General Menu Reports website and upon selecting "services" select "amateur radio" and selecting "licensee" enter his last name and "VA" and do a search . If he is a licensed amateur radio operator his license will display along with all others licensed in Virginia with that same last name.

You also can do a global search for all licensed amateur radio licensees Va. A quick sight scan check for cities subsequent to selecting a global search for the 18,000+ amateur radio operators show approximately 5 at most in Yorktown. So if he is an amateur radio operator he should be easy to identify. If you cannot identify him using one of the discussed FCC website search options, he probably is a CB operator. From the content of your posts on this subject he sounds like a CBer.

 

[LEH]

How do you know for certain he is an amateur radio operator and not a CBer? If he is an amateur radio operator he will give his callsign at the beginning and end of a contact and usually during the conversation if it exceeds 10 minutes. If he never does odds are the neighbor is a CB operator whose radio harmonic is overloading your scanner on that particular frequency. Since you know where he lives near you, describe his outside antenna.

If you do know for certain and not just guessing he is a amateur radio operator what is his callsign? If you do not know his callsign access the FCC General Menu Reports website and upon selecting "services" select "amateur radio" and selecting "licensee" enter his last name and "VA" and do a search . If he is a licensed amateur radio operator his license will display along with all others licensed in Virginia with that same last name.

You also can do a global search for all licensed amateur radio licensees Va. A quick sight scan check for cities subsequent to selecting a global search for the 18,000+ amateur radio operators show approximately 5 at most in Yorktown. So if he is an amateur radio operator he should be easy to identify. If you cannot identify him using one of the discussed FCC website search options, he probably is a CB operator. From the content of your posts on this subject he sounds like a CBer.

While I have never heard him give his call sign, when I was putting up my discone a while back he came over and asked if I was a ham like him. Also during some recent bad weather, he came around to everyone with his hand held letting us know about the severe weather warnings. Lastly, the frequency I heard him on today that verified the harmonic was in the 2 meter band (144.XXX).

Now there are times I would not put it past him to use an unlicensed radio, but the frequency he is on is definitely a ham frequency. Too many years living in Dayton and monitoring the Hamvention.

 

[MOTORHEAD3902]

I have a neighbor that I need to get in touch with myself. Got his callsign quite a few times, while he bleeds all over the VHF-HI public safety band. While I am sympathetic that he is not responsible for the poor filtering and lack of selectivity of my receivers, I DO have a problem with him playing audio from TV broadcasts over 2m simplex on high power for a few chuckles. He was playing audio from the Republican Convention last night then commenting on it...:roll:

THAT sort of crap makes all licensed radio amateurs (myself included) look bad.

 

[gcgrotz]

Couple thoughts on this...

MH, if that guy is re-broadcasting TV then he is plainly violating FCC regs for the Amateur service and should be advised of such. The ARRL OO group should be notified. Same goes for you, LEH. If he is truly licensed, he should be giving his call sign once in a while. Go to QRZ.com and look him up, or do what John suggested. He's the guru of FCC searches around here.

And what both of you are experiencing is most likely I.F. overload, not a "harmonic", which would be a multiple of the fundamental freq like x2, x3, x4 etc. Not sure about the CBer theory as he would be using AM and that would not demodulate well on a scanner. I can't, however, think how much power he is running, anything much more than 100w at VHF gets expensive. Of course, there are many who have more money than brains...

 

[W4UVV]

CB harmonics

Couple thoughts on this...

MH, if that guy is re-broadcasting TV then he is plainly violating FCC regs for the Amateur service and should be advised of such. The ARRL OO group should be notified. Same goes for you, LEH. If he is truly licensed, he should be giving his call sign once in a while. Go to QRZ.com and look him up, or do what John suggested. He's the guru of FCC searches around here.

And what both of you are experiencing is most likely I.F. overload, not a "harmonic", which would be a multiple of the fundamental freq like x2, x3, x4 etc. Not sure about the CBer theory as he would be using AM and that would not demodulate well on a scanner. I can't, however, think how much power he is running, anything much more than 100w at VHF gets expensive. Of course, there are many who have more money than brains...

Two weeks ago after checking into the Central Va. 6 mtr. SSB net and manually retuning to the national call frequency an over modulated obnoxious AM signal was understandable on 50.1350 mhz. when the "FM" mode was selected. It took only a few seconds to suspect a CBer. Sure enough in tuning 27 mhz. AM on a R7000 at S40+ there he was yapping away. He obviously was somewhere in my area at a fixed location and most likely using a linear amplifier. So harmonic RFI does occur on occasion but I agree most of the time it is IF overload.

As you referenced hams are self policing with the idea being either police yourself and punish offenders or some govt. entity will impose possible subsequent adverse actions penalizing all radio amateurs. LEH should go to the ARRL website and obtain the contact information for the Official Observer for his part of the state. Contact the OO and inform him of this guy's illegal practices and the OO will take it from there. If confirmed it could result in a monetary fine (i.e., $10,000) from the FCC and a "show cause" notification to this individual as to why his amateur radio license should not be revoked. LEH now knows what action to initiate to begin the process to end this guy's illegal practices and remove his amateur radio license privileges. As I previously stated, LEH should do a FCC website search on this guy's last name for amateur radio licensees in Va. and if he is licensed LEH can id his callsign. It's up to LEH to initiate corrective actions or live with whatever. Of course, all these discussions assume the accusations made are valid. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty unless they were married to my ex-wife.

 

[LEH]

Couple thoughts on this...

MH, if that guy is re-broadcasting TV then he is plainly violating FCC regs for the Amateur service and should be advised of such. The ARRL OO group should be notified. Same goes for you, LEH. If he is truly licensed, he should be giving his call sign once in a while. Go to QRZ.com and look him up, or do what John suggested. He's the guru of FCC searches around here.

And what both of you are experiencing is most likely I.F. overload, not a "harmonic", which would be a multiple of the fundamental freq like x2, x3, x4 etc. Not sure about the CBer theory as he would be using AM and that would not demodulate well on a scanner. I can't, however, think how much power he is running, anything much more than 100w at VHF gets expensive. Of course, there are many who have more money than brains...

I'll agree on the overload versus harmonic. He is fairly close by and is only coming across my my 796 running through the 30 foot high discone.

Just based on other things, most of which I've already mentioned, I am saying ham. I did copy him on a scanner searching the ham channels (echo) and once I did hear him say that whoever had just key up had missed the repeater (definitely NOT CB with a repeater).

I am have no idea as to what he may have in his house, but the conversations have all been pretty much one sided (no one talking back to him), so sounds like repeater input. I've also never captured him with my close call, so again power is probably pretty low.

As York County has pretty much done away with using the VHF mutual aid channel, I just locked it out. Now if he starts bleeding over on other channels, I'll listen for his call sign and get more involved. At least checking to make sure my antenna wiring isn't messed up to allow the bleed.

Thanks to you guys for the responses. At first I thought I was starting to lose it (no wait, that implies I had it to lose).

Guess I'll do the FCC search,

 

[LEH]

Two weeks ago after checking into the Central Va. 6 mtr. SSB net and manually retuning to the national call frequency an over modulated obnoxious AM signal was understandable on 50.1350 mhz. when the "FM" mode was selected. It took only a few seconds to suspect a CBer. Sure enough in tuning 27 mhz. AM on a R7000 at S40+ there he was yapping away. He obviously was somewhere in my area at a fixed location and most likely using a linear amplifier. So harmonic RFI does occur on occasion but I agree most of the time it is IF overload.

As you referenced hams are self policing with the idea being either police yourself and punish offenders or some govt. entity will impose possible subsequent adverse actions penalizing all radio amateurs. LEH should go to the ARRL website and obtain the contact information for the Official Observer for his part of the state. Contact the OO and inform him of this guy's illegal practices and the OO will take it from there. If confirmed it could result in a monetary fine (i.e., $10,000) from the FCC and a "show cause" notification to this individual as to why his amateur radio license should not be revoked. LEH now knows what action to initiate to begin the process to end this guy's illegal practices and remove his amateur radio license privileges. As I previously stated, LEH should do a FCC website search on this guy's last name for amateur radio licensees in Va. and if he is licensed LEH can id his callsign. It's up to LEH to initiate corrective actions or live with whatever. Of course, all these discussions assume the accusations made are valid. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty unless they were married to my ex-wife.

I do hope that I didn't come across that strongly. The guy lives within a couple of hundred yards of the house. He is (at least to me) a bit eccentric, but I don't believe he'd do something too illegal. Now he may or may not (I have never listened to find out) broadcast his call sign. Had he done so that would have been a clue a lot earlier than it was.

See my previous post as to what I am going to do right now.

Again, thanks for the input and advice. It is appreciated and I have learned from it.

 

[W4UVV]

Then follow up

I and all other amateur radio operators I know take accusations of illegal operation on the amateur bands very seriously. The licensed individuals I know took the time and made the effort to obtain his/her license and operate responsibly. Several failed the exam on their first try but perserved and eventually were successful in meeting the licensing requirements. Among other reasons for our concern is an amateur radio license is a privilege and not a right. We do not want any illegal operation on the amateur radio frequencies. Too often in the past amateur radio operators have been capriously and falsely accused of RFI and TVI and tarnished with broad brush accusations. If he is doing what you allege and you know he is an amateur radio operator as apparantly he is per your previous posted comments, then follow up per the process previously provided, identify him and contact the ARRL OO for your area and put a stop to his alleged illegal activity.

Since apparantly he is famiiar with 2 meter repeater operation he probably is accessing one or more of the Tidewater area repeaters. Yorktown is licensed for one on 147.3450 mhz. output but I cannot tell whether or not that repeater is operational. If operational the input frequency is 600 khz. higher on 147.9450 mhz. Program your 796D to scan 147.6000-147.9900 mhz. to scan inputs for 147 mhz. repeaters. 145 and 146 mhz. repeaters will have input frequencies 600 khz. lower than the repeater output frequency. Most two meter repeaters operate on 146 and 147 mhz. with a few on 145 mhz. For 146 mhz. repeater inputs search 146.0100-146.3850 mhz. If he is active on 2 meter repeaters he should be on either the 146 or 147 mhz. input ranges and you should easily hear him on the 796D in a frequency range search without an antenna. Most two meter transceivers typically are approximately 50 watts input. I can assure you if he is operating on any two meter repeater legally he will at some time give his callsign. If not he soon will be targeted by other repeater users as a bootlegger and local amateurs will begin a RDF effort. He also should have a noticeable outside antenna. So follow up and take the remedial course of action provided for his alleged illegal operation.

 

[gcgrotz]

It has occurred to me that there is the possibility that his xmtr is producing spurs and he may not even know it. If he is a "good" ham, he would appreciate knowing of a problem like that. Make an effort to see if he is operating on a repeater as John suggests, then try walking to his house with the handheld on the mutual aid freq and see if it is a spur. A note from an OO may be all that is necessary to get it corrected.

You know of course, you can't do anything about his political leanings....

 

[LEH]

Well, I did go to the FCC site and verify that the neighbor is licensed (in all honesty I did not doubt that he was).

I do apologize for saying that he could be operating illegally (other than maybe not hearing his call sign which as I have said I was not listening for). That was an uncalled for statement on my part.

Given the distance from my outside antenna and the fact that I have only heard the bleed over on the one scanner I have on that antenna and none of my others and no one else has heard this, I am not going to pursue it any further.

I really do not believe it is his radio, but my system in close proximity.

 

[gcgrotz]

Well Lynn, I can sympathize a little. There's a paging transmitter on a hospital less than 1/2 mile from me blasting 250-300 watts into a 6db gain antenna. I have a PAR notch filter on my scanner antenna and it still tears up the RR freqs, especially the closer I get to 160. And forget trying to DX the state police!

Anyway, we learn to live with it I guess. Now on to the next urgent topic!