Mt Mitchell Amateur Repeaters told to vacate

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lugoffman

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Dear Ham Radio Community.

Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society needs your assistance.

The Mt Mitchell Repeaters will be off the air if we do not act. This is a BIG BIG deal.

Below is an email sent out to this evening. We are asking that you forward this email to your members and ask that they respond to help us keep the 53.63, 145.190, 224.54, 442.225, 443.600 repeaters on the air.

You may follow this on QRZ - Repeaters On Mt. Mitchell (NC) To Be Removed. - QRZ Forums

We appreciate your assistance.

Dean Blair ~ k2jb
WCARS President
k2jb@bellsouth.net


Ladies & Gentleman,

There have been a lot of phone calls and emails today regarding the pending demise of the Mt. Mitchell repeaters.
Some of you may be hearing this for the 1st time.
Let me summarize the facts and then suggest some action items for everyone.

1. To recap, regarding the amateur radio repeaters on Clingman's Peak (Mt Mitchell), WMIT General Manager, Alice Knighten has informed Ken Woodard, WA4BVW to..."Please plan to remove all of your equipment from the site and return the access keys to our office by July 31, 2009."

2. Randy Johnston, KE4RQL who maintains the 3 WA4BVW repeaters and Jimmy Johnson, K4YR owner of 2 other repeaters located there have attempted to discuss the matter with Ms. Knighten. Her decision seems irreversible and there is nothing to discuss about the issue except to remove the repeaters.

3. I have spoken with Randy and Jimmy and they are appreciative of any assistance the amateur community can bring to bear to reverse this decision and have requested WCARS take a lead in coordinating assistance. We have the support of NWS, SKYWARN, ARRL and WCARS and I believe EOC managers.

From my conversations today, the consensus seems to be:
1. Find an alternative site with the Forest Service on Clingman's Peak. No guarantees this is possible and would be Plan B.
2. Generate enough attention to this issue with the people who may be able to appreciate the value of amateur radio on Mt. Mitchell and reverse this decision.

We think Franklin Graham is the person who can resolve this issue.
Jennifer Mauney, KC4LWX has obtained the contact information for Franklin Graham's executive secretary who screens his email. She spoke with her today about this issue and believes that he is not aware of this decision, and that we should contact him.

We need County EOC directors, ARRL representatives, SKYWARN representatives, NWS representatives and Amateur Radio Affiliated Club Officers to respond. Anyone with or without adjectives after their name needs to contact Franklin Graham.

I have attached a letter that you might consider using as a template to send. However, nothing will substitute for your own words.
Please keep your communication professional and to the point. There are no personalities in this issue. Simply a great deal of lost value to the amateur community if these repeaters go away. Lets keep that our message.

Time is of the upmost importance.
Franklin is returning today (6.11.09) but will be leaving town over the weekend.
His secretary asked that we email him at this address:
rwinkler@samaritan.org
The phone number is 800-528-1980

Dean Blair ~ k2jb
WCARS
k2jb@bellsouth.net

Contacting Alice Knighten directly may or may not be the most effective thing to do at this point. However, here is her contact info
Alice Knighten aknighten@brb.org
General Manager
Blue Ridge Broadcasting
PO Box 159
Black Mountain, NC 28711
Phone 828-285-8477
Fax 828-298-0117

Hi Dan,

Tonight I spoke with Randy Johnston, KE4RQL, who maintains the 145.190, 224.540 and 443.60 repeaters for Ken Woodard, WA4BVW on Mt Mitchell.
Ken was informed by WMIT Station Manger, Alice Knighten, whose facility houses Ken's repeaters, that ALL AMATEUR EQUIPMENT MUST BE REMOVED FROM THEIR FACILITY BY JULY 31, 2009. The building where these repeaters are housed also houses the 442.225 and 53.63 N4YR repeaters which will also be affected. As Randy understands it, the building where these repeaters are housed belongs to WMIT. The property is Forest Service property.

Randy spoke with Alice Knighten to inquire as to the reasons for their decision. The only explanation given was that Amateur Radio was outdated technology and it no longer fit with the direction the station was going and that the only equipment that will be permitted would be FBI, CIA or Homeland Security UNLESS, they wanted to pay $1,000 per month per antenna at the site. Their position was non-negotiable. Amateur Radio equipment has always been permitted there per gratis and always under the direction and supervision of WMIT Station Engineers with regard to physical location, feedline and antenna placement.

As you personally know, Amateur Radio has been active on Mt. Mitchell since 1982 and no doubt you checked into the first net Phil Haga, KA4CAC called just as I did. It is all about to end unless we can educate the current management of WMIT. For 27 years the public has benefited and been served in untold ways. For Amateur Radio to be summarily discharged from that critical site without explanation or consideration of its public service value seems to be an uninformed decision at best and myopic to say the least.

Therefore, on Randy's behalf and with his permission, I am officially requesting any suggestions, assistance or influence the ARRL might be able to provide to influence an amicably resolution to this dilemma for Amateur Radio on Mt Mitchell.


Best Regards,
Dean Blair, K2JB
President, Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society
k2jb@bellsouth.net
828-423-3082


Well there it is !!!! Is it for the money? or are they that lost about amateur radio !!!
This will be posted as alway's on the 470ARG website so all can see.. I feel WIMT maybe having some finacial issues, as they should relize the possible danger of communications they are removing may hurt the coverage area of the repeaters,in case of a disaster or a emergency, the fact that $1000.00 per month I feel show's it's about money... I maybe wrong but that's how I see it, we are very lucky to have the 145.470 that cover's our area with the great foot print it has, and all the work that Tim Berry does for the area with all his repeaters...Dean I hope that there will be a way to resolve the issues and I will be sending letters out also as a ham operater, and EC for Sevier County Tennessee...
Rick Sawaya Sr


--
Rick Sawaya Sr N4JTQ
NCS For The 470ARG Net
President of Sevier County Emergency Radio Service,EC For Sevier County, ARES & Skywarn Member
ARRL VE & CE, SCERS Club Call Trustee KJ4HPM, Member OMISS
Cathy Sawaya KI4YPO
Amateur Extra Class
NCS for The Ladies Round Table Net
2005 Spence Mountain Loop
Sevierville,TN 37876
865.429.2422
Monitor 145.470 , 444.300, 146.730, 146.940
HF -3.980, 3.975, 3.983,3.940.5

Want To Help Support The 470 Send All
Donations to the 145.470 send to: Mr.Tim Berry
214 Echodale Rd
Knoxville TN 37920




--
DE K B 4 I T S / LARRY
 

rocknrun

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This is really going to be a loss if the Mt.Mitchell repeater goes dark. There's a lot of places in the mountains, particularly along the Blue Ridge Parkway, that 145.19 is the only comms you will have. It's a long, long, walk for help if you can't communicate with anyone. I've sent an email to Franklin Graham, hope others will too.
 

lugoffman

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Spring Hill, Florida
Well I have contacted a couple of friends of mine who are news reporters and explained to them what this will have a effect on and they want to do a story on this.
So if anyone who wants to help us Educate the person and lady who said we was out dated and hope they change their minds please email me at KJ4JBC@yahoo.com and I will set you up with the proper reporter that is working the story for us.
This is a sad shame to see that there is people out there that do not know the full details of what it is as Amateur's we really do for the states and county's across the south east and the entire states.
So Please everyone lets buckle down and try to Educate people about Ham Radio so they will know what it is we do so this may not ever happen again Plus it may help us recruit New Hams hope this works 73 everyone KJ4JBC Jason.
 

yardbird

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Concord, NC
After reading this. It is very disturbing.

This is my opinion and it is just like a b-hole everybody has one.

This woman must be out to show some authority, she needs to be educated that Amateur radio is part of the american heritage of communications.

And to quote what she said about only Homeland Security, FBI, and CIA equipment would be allowed to use the space is wrong.

This woman needs to be sat down and educated on the facts about Amateur Radio in America. When there is a disaster who do must Emergency Management Coordinators look to for the most form of reliable communications? THE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS are in fact in my book as much a part of Homeland Security, just like Apple Pie is to America's heritage.

I totally agree it is time to take a stand and fight for the rights to keep the Mt. Mitchell repeaters in operation.

I too am a AMATEUR Radio Operator, and we need to stick together and fight this type of discrimination.

David
 
N

N_Jay

Guest
. . . fight this type of discrimination.

While I believe that Amateur radio provides a service, I don't think their actions fall into the category of "discrimination".

Sounds like they are just getting out of the "free site rental" business.

In my opinion, they should be charging everyone the same.
Or have a "business" rate, and a "Government" rate, then extend the government rate to some ham uses, such as RACES/ARES/MARS and Sky-warn.
 

lugoffman

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After reading this. It is very disturbing.

This is my opinion and it is just like a b-hole everybody has one.

This woman must be out to show some authority, she needs to be educated that Amateur radio is part of the american heritage of communications.

And to quote what she said about only Homeland Security, FBI, and CIA equipment would be allowed to use the space is wrong.

This woman needs to be sat down and educated on the facts about Amateur Radio in America. When there is a disaster who do must Emergency Management Coordinators look to for the most form of reliable communications? THE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS are in fact in my book as much a part of Homeland Security, just like Apple Pie is to America's heritage.

I totally agree it is time to take a stand and fight for the rights to keep the Mt. Mitchell repeaters in operation.

I too am a AMATEUR Radio Operator, and we need to stick together and fight this type of discrimination.

David

I agree we are just as much as Homeland Security.
And in fact here is a good example.
I live in Cassatt South Carolina which is right down the road from Camden and not to far from Columbia.
2 weeks ago I spotted a Tornado right behind my house going away from my house Thank goodness, but by the time I got in touch with NOAA Weather in Columbia and they seen the Tornado on there Doppler Radar it took 8 Min. for the Warning to appear on WIS TV News..
Now that was fast I was tickled to death Proud of the Weather service on how long it took them.
Now here this.
It took 8 min to put it on the TV ,Now how long will it take if they took Mt. Mitchell Repeater off the air ???
Put it this way by the time they get the Warning out it may be to late for the people in the areas that are effected.
And this lady who made them take it off the air should be held responsible for it all I think but thats my thought in it all.
But I do think we all need to Educate this woman and get her up to date with it ALL.
 
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MOTORHEAD3902

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outskirts of tar bay
Per the article on QRZ.com, the repeaters on Mt Mitchell were to be removed due to, at the risk of serious oversimplification, altering the amateur equipment in such a way as to cause interference to the broadcast equipment there. The alterations included changing an antenna and altering its' radiation pattern without consulting the property-owners or site engineers. This was further aggravated, per the article, by the amateurs' indifference to the broadcast station engineers/representatives' requests to correct the RFI problem.
I don' have a dog in this fight, but in the end, the tower site is private property. It remains the prerogative of the tower owner (property holder) to decide who/what he wants on his property, doesn't it?
Understand, please, that I too carry an amateur ticket, and I hate to see good repeaters go dark. That being said, if i am a guest on somebody's property, I dont go monkeying around in such a way as to cause trouble.
 
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Don_Burke

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I if someone had done that to me at my commercial site, the amateur radio gear would be immediately powered down and the repeater group would have a month to get their gear out or I would have it packed up and shipped to a storage unit.

I also carry a ham ticket and I am well aware of how important some amateur radio repeaters can be.
 

lugoffman

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The problem is in the process of being resolved by both parties involved.

DON'T PANIC!

Well I got some good news here is what was sent to me.
Regarding the Mount Mitchell repeaters in
North Carolina potentially losing their tower site. Alice Knighten,
General Manager of WMIT informed Ken Woodard WA4BVW to ..."Please plan
to remove all of your equipment from the site and return the access
keys to our office by July 31, 2009." A call went out to all amateur
radio operators to send letters to the station and parent company
indicating how important that repeater site was to amateur radio
communications and emergency operations, including SKYWARN.
Fortunately, discussions ensued, and word from Dean Blair K2JB, WCARS
president, is to "stand down", and not send any further communications
to the station. My latest information (received from K4AVR) was that
WA4BVW had received a letter from the Blue Ridge Broadcasting Company
extending the date of removal for one year. Hopefully this should
allow time to address whatever issues that caused the removal notice in
the first place.
 

sbarnhardt

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North Carolina
And in the intervening 3 years comes along an inactive ham, ME, that is trying to find out the outcome of all this. I just put my old mobile, been in the box for a few years in storage, in the house with a power supply and tried to hit this repeater. No results!! Did it finally get taken down??
 
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