Jammers

[N9NRA]

jammers, anothe option to think on to get away from `em.

Just reading this, and here`s something else to think on, how about converting the repeaters to a digital mode (DMR & DSTAR come to mind streight away), that way if they should happen to get on THOSE modes ya can just lock `em out, problem solved. I know DSTAR can do that, as can DMR and (i believe, correct me if i`m wrong) P25 & Fusion, takes a bit of work streight away, but once the work is done the jammer thingy pretty much goes away, just make sure ya don`t let on over the air that you`re doing it, just send an email or make a few calls to let folks know & make sure they keep it quiet, watch the offending party react when all their fun stops `cause there`s no one to mess with on Analog anymore. Like i said, go digital, no jamming, no jamming worries, and if they do, just lock `em out, problem solved . N9NRA

 

[Rred]

And foolishly, they often say "$10,000 fine...reduced to $500." when you read the notifications and follow-ups online.

 

[AC9KH]

And foolishly, they often say "$10,000 fine...reduced to $500." when you read the notifications and follow-ups online.

Actually, quite rarely. Especially for unlicensed operation. In situations were FM transmitters have been noted to cause interference due to spur emissions, no fine was levied as long as the transmitter was immediately shut down and repaired. But I have never seen one involving operation without a license in a band that requires a license where the fine was reduced or waived, even if the infraction was (claimed) inadvertent or unintentional. I'm sure there may be such instances, just that I have not seen one.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Yes, the budget issues are real, but part of that is political pressure that has the FCC focusing on billion-dollar airwave sales when they could easily hire a couple of interns for peanuts, to look online for all the sales of uncertified "ham" "frs" "gmrs" radios. See an ad, see a web page, it offers uncertified (no type acceptance) radios for a purpose, and all they have to do is send out a notice of violation and shut 'em down. The fine should well exceed the costs of collection.

Jammers, more of a problem since Uncle Charlie hasn't bothered with rdf vans in decades, but there's no reason they can't contract out to put some Doppler gear and a pelican box in a local rental car and again, have someone do the legwork on the cheap.

But management doesn't have the simple time to do what they are actually mandated and obligated to do. Congress and the White House are more interested in selling billion dollar airwaves.

Well with the government close to $20 Trillion dollars in the red, they have to cut somewhere. Unfortunately, it seems that Ham radio is not much of a priority to them.

 

[SCPD]

ARRL board meeting

I just seen a blog last night saying the ARRL is discussing having an active organized role in chasing down jammers.

 

[AC9KH]

Maybe they will get those Russian over-the-horizon radar operators that come in on 80 and 40 meters with 50+ KW transmitters, with splatter and harmonics on 160 and 20 meters. Trying to run a digital traffic net on 80 is impossible when they come in, may as well shut down your station and go drink beer because they wipe out the entire digital portion of the band.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Maybe they will get those Russian over-the-horizon radar operators that come in on 80 and 40 meters with 50+ KW transmitters, with splatter and harmonics on 160 and 20 meters. Trying to run a digital traffic net on 80 is impossible when they come in, may as well shut down your station and go drink beer because they wipe out the entire digital portion of the band.

You mean the ARRL?? Our government couldn't even get the Russians out of the Ukraine or Syria!!!

 

[KE0GXN]

I just seen a blog last night saying the ARRL is discussing having an active organized role in chasing down jammers.

Link?

P.S. If you are April fooling.....you got me.

 

[cmdrwill]

I just seen a blog last night saying the ARRL is discussing having an active organized role in chasing down jammers.

ARRL Official Observer program.

 

[AK9R]

Link?

ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO Program

 

[Rred]

"But with the closure of some FCC field offices and the retirement of several experienced engineers who have been helpful with enforcement matters in the past, the EC discussed how the OO program might be better positioned to help the FCC."
Seems like the ARRL is looking at ways to compensate for the FCC's closures. But there's not a word mentioned about "jammers" in any way. ARRL has, for many years, simply told hams to "ignore them and they will go away" and ignored requests for the league to pitch in by making RDF kits available for loan, or doing anything else that might be more aggressive than "ignore them".

 

[TheSpaceMann]

"But with the closure of some FCC field offices and the retirement of several experienced engineers who have been helpful with enforcement matters in the past, the EC discussed how the OO program might be better positioned to help the FCC."
Seems like the ARRL is looking at ways to compensate for the FCC's closures. But there's not a word mentioned about "jammers" in any way. ARRL has, for many years, simply told hams to "ignore them and they will go away" and ignored requests for the league to pitch in by making RDF kits available for loan, or doing anything else that might be more aggressive than "ignore them".

I think the only way we will be able to realistically deal with jammers, is if hams go out and find those culprits ourselves.

 

[NDRADIONUT]

And then do what ??

 

[Token]

And then do what ??

Record and document to the level that the FCC requires for action.

Simply telling the FCC that "Joe Blow, N9DAMN, is jamming, and I know it is him because he said it was him and I recognized his voice" is not the same as meeting their (the FCC's) documentation requirements.

If the FCC, at ARRL or anyone else urging, publishes guidelines on what kinds of activities they will pursue, and what kind of "proof" is required to get them moving, that would go a long way towards hams being able to do a lot of the leg work.

Presenting the FCC with a package that documents activity, one meeting whatever requirements they themselves (the FCC) define, could greatly increase the probability they will take action. If hams can do 90% of the required investigative work, with a documented procedure that meets FCC defined requirements, that means the FCC could then quickly and efficiently do the remaining 10%.

For every event the FCC pursues now there are many hours of effort that go into setting the groundwork before the FCC even considers a citation. Let hams do as much of that front end work as possible.

It is not a perfect solution, but in todays shrinking FCC manpower environment it is an option that might be made to work.

T!

 

[NDRADIONUT]

Hams have been doing exactly that same song and dance for years to no avail....

 

[Rred]

Sadly, the FCC thinks that even if you give them a videotape of the offender in action, and have two cardinals, to Senators, and a Mother Superior all sign off as witnesses and complainants, they still have no obligation to do anything. They're too busy selling billion dollar airwave auctions.

There is of course an obscure but well-established legal way to compel action, by having a federal judge issue a "writ of mandamus" that basically says "Hey, this is your legal duty, and if you don't perform it, I'm gonna issue arrest warrants and put you in jail to think it over." And the ARRL has actually considered that route but declined to pursue it for a number of reasons. (Including the fact that it tends to be hard to find a cantankerous federal judge, and it tends to really piss off politicians.)

Bottom line, if you have a jammer problem? You have a jammer problem.

 

[N4GIX]

Bottom line, if you have a jammer problem? You have a jammer problem.

Time to call Ghost Busters, with their ten element yagi and a ten kilowatt linear in the van. Guaranteed to fry the front ends of any unlucky receivers in the way...

<this is a joke, btw. I would never do anything like that, really!>

 

[KE0GXN]

ARRL to Review, Evaluate, and Explore Possible Improvements for OO Program

Thank you sir!

 

[KE0GXN]

I got to experience the jammer idiocy this weekend on HF.....everything from f-bombing me, playing stupid chimes, even had one club operator get music played in on his transmissions.

Had one guy refuse to identify and argue with me that the frequency was in use after me being on it and logging several QSOs for well over an hour.....easier to QSY then argue with some of these idiots.

The constant tuning up was annoying too.....but those may well have been unintentional...I hope.

All and all for me, they were few and far between and I was still was able to enjoy operating.

 

[ridgescan]

I am not a HAM but I listen to them pretty much daily in my HF travels. You learn a lot when spying technical QSOs. Here in Norcal, I get 3840, 3843, jammers wrecking some net on 3809, 7255 and 7258.
What I cannot figure out is-these guys possess enough intelligence to have gotten a decent piece of property big enough to deploy some pretty huge antenna systems. They possess enough brainpower to have been able to afford some very expensive radios and all the peripherals too, which is probably 10s of thousands of dollars. Quite a few have accidentally divulged their engineering prowess when they got serious enough to discuss radio stuff in between tearing up the frequency.
Then, with all that, they get on the air and act like complete trash and no different than the 11-meter zombies. I even switched between 11 and 40 meters one day for kicks and there was no difference.
It's pretty sad.