Question about submitting an Amateur Radio Complaint with F.C.C.

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k6cpo

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The FCC lost a case that set precedence back in 1981. i think it still haunts them today . the link says facebook , but it is to the actual PDF of the FCC case . It a interesting read .


Neither of the above links work...

More proof that the FCC should be abolished.

What would you propose replace it?
 

bill4long

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Listened to a round table last night, where everyone was cordial to one another, but f-bombs among other vulgarities were dropped with impunity.

Profanity is legal on amateur radio. Obscene and indecent language is not, but the Supreme Court has narrowly defined the constraints of what constitutes "obscene" and "indecent" language. I listen to that Miami repeater frequently, and most of what is said over it is merely profanity.

While this document pertains to commercial broadcasting, it defines the relevant terms.


Since the Richard Burton case out in California several years ago, the FCC has been very leery of even issuing warnings about language content on amateur radio. Listen to some of the shenanigans on a couple of 40m and 75m phone frequencies and you'll hear some very obscene things by very well known operators who actually identify themselves. Been going on for years by the same perpetrators and the FCC never does anything. And of course, there's the notorious 147.435. The good news is that this sort of activity constitutes a very tiny part of amateur radio, and the easy way to avoid it is to spin the proverbial dial.

You could always hope when the new VMs are unleashed they will put a kabash to it it all!! :rolleyes:

Such as doing what?
 
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scanmanmi

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A) Those are not licensed hams acting that way. They're CCRs
B) This is the tip of the iceberg. This problem will only get MUCH worst. Think of that nasty repeater in California.
C) The owner/operator cannot control who has access. Much like car and gun manufaturers cannot stop drunks and idiots for misusing their product.
D) Unfortunately swearing is legal.
 

bill4long

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B) This is the tip of the iceberg. This problem will only get MUCH worst. Think of that nasty repeater in California.

Meh, probably not. Ham radio is on the decline, at least as far as analog repeaters are concerned. "Rogue" repeaters and frequencies have been around for several decades. (At least 40 years in my experience.) When some situation like this pops up, those disposed to such a behavior usually concentrate there and leave other repeaters alone. Same for frequencies on HF. 147.435 in Los Angeles has been been "rogue" for 30+ years, but it is still really the only one of its kind in the entire L.A. area. Think of those as the "immune system" of ham radio. It keeps all the rest of the frequencies relatively free from "disease."
 

AK9R

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A) Those are not licensed hams acting that way. They're CCRs
A "licensed ham" is a holder of a government-issued amateur radio license.

A "CCR" is a cheap, Chinese radio, e.g. Baofeng.

Are you stating that the influx of inexpensive, readily-available 2m/70cm handheld transceivers into the U.S. market is resulting in more profanity, indecent, or obscene language on amateur radio repeaters? Please tell us how you have measured this trend in behavior.
 

tglendye

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Wow... after reading this thread I listened to both repeaters on Brodcastify. Miami had a couple guys talking and "S" word kept flying out. LA had a couple guys throwing comments out... and one just dropped the "F" bomb and "N" word.
 

KE0GXN

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Profanity is legal on amateur radio. Obscene and indecent language is not, but the Supreme Court has narrowly defined the constraints of what constitutes "obscene" and "indecent" language. I listen to that Miami repeater frequently, and most of what is said over it is merely profanity.

While this document pertains to commercial broadcasting, it defines the relevant terms.


Since the Richard Burton case out in California several years ago, the FCC has been very leery of even issuing warnings about language content on amateur radio. Listen to some of the shenanigans on a couple of 40m and 75m phone frequencies and you'll hear some very obscene things by very well known operators who actually identify themselves. Been going on for years by the same perpetrators and the FCC never does anything. And of course, there's the notorious 147.435. The good news is that this sort of activity constitutes a very tiny part of amateur radio, and the easy way to avoid it is to spin the proverbial dial.



Such as doing what?

The VM comment was in jest and sarcasm, hence the eye roll imagoe. I have no illusions the new VM program will cleanup the bands.

As far as the Miami repeater. I do not mind the profanity so much. I am known to drop an f-bomb or two, etc.. in conversation with friends in person or on the telephone. (Do not really have any desire to do it on the ham bands.) However, you must not be listening when drunk Mikey is on. I will not put his callsign on here in case it is pirated from someone else, (believe or not he does ID) but, yeah take a listen when he is on, usually late at night/early morning. His statements concerning male rape among other things can be a bit too much...:oops:

But I digress, I am well aware of the "spin the dial" remedy. My concern is the young Miami area kid with his newly minted Tec license that stumbles upon this repeater. Not to mention it does not project a good image of ham radio in general when malfeasance of this kind is heard by the general public, considering both the LA and Miami repeaters are being streamed...:cautious:
 

w4amp

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Monitored the Miami repeater for an hour. Only heard one station ID, and he used the call of an op here in Atlanta that I know. And it was not him. At least ten ops were in qso the whole time.

The control operator is responsible for every single transmission on that system.
 
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AK9R

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The control operator is responsible for every single transmission on that system.
Actually, that's not true.
§97.205 Repeater station.
(g) The control operator of a repeater that retransmits inadvertently communications that violate the rules in this part is not accountable for the violative communications.
 

w4amp

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Actually, that's not true.
Must have changed the rules then. Back in the AX25 packet days a station forwarded a message that was full of profanity. The FCC issued a blanket warning letter to every op that forwarded it. About 1991.

If I had stations using a repeater I owned and not id'ing , I would turn it off. But they changed the pecuniary interest rules and station address rules, must have changed that too.

Total apathy.
It's what's for dinner.

Looks like multiple rule changes concerning repeaters, I was not aware.

Repeater and Auxiliary Station Control

Even with the new rules, as the control op or owner of the repeater, I would not allow that language or non id'ing stations on the system. I guess that's just me. I also have my station address on file and log every contact. That's the way it was when I started.
 
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bill4long

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My concern is the young Miami area kid with his newly minted Tec license that stumbles upon this repeater. Not to mention it does not project a good image of ham radio in general when malfeasance of this kind is heard by the general public, considering both the LA and Miami repeaters are being streamed...:cautious:

I understand, but I have to chuckle a little. Young Miami kids are going to hear stuff that is just as bad, if not worse, at school all day long every day. (Unless perhaps s/he is homeschooled.) It's a different world up on Walton's Mountain now. Moreover, I'm of the opinion that having a "rogue" repeater in every area actually helps the rest of the repeaters stay "pure." As for the general public hearing any amateur radio at all: ham radio is a very obscure subculture these days, with not much of a place in the "public mind", especially the young.
 

W5GX

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KE0GXN

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I understand, but I have to chuckle a little. Young Miami kids are going to hear stuff that is just as bad, if not worse, at school all day long every day. (Unless perhaps s/he is homeschooled.) It's a different world up on Walton's Mountain now. Moreover, I'm of the opinion that having a "rogue" repeater in every area actually helps the rest of the repeaters stay "pure." As for the general public hearing any amateur radio at all: ham radio is a very obscure subculture these days, with not much of a place in the "public mind", especially the young.

I have to disagree. I doubt kids spend their days at school talking about how they are going to rape each other, etc.. As far profanity, yes, I am sure that is espoused regularly (unfortunately).

I see your point on the one “rogue” repeater keeping the others pure.. just a shame it has come to that.

I am curious though...not sure how long you have been a ham, but from what I have gathered you may be a long time OM...with that said, would rogue repeaters like these have been tolerated back when you started out in the hobby? Would the FCC have intervened back in the day? I know these are different times now...but I am just curious non the less.

On a side note, it’s just a matter of time before someone starts streaming 7.2, 14.313, etc..:rolleyes: :confused:
 

bill4long

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I have gathered you may be a long time OM

40 years

...with that said, would rogue repeaters like these have been tolerated back when you started out in the hobby? Would the FCC have intervened back in the day? I know these are different times now...but I am just curious non the less.

Supreme Court adjudications have occurred since I became a ham, which is why "profanity" was removed from Part 97 prohibitions. The FCC previously was tougher on the language questions in decades gone by. They effectively don't pay attention to it anymore. Too much of a can of worms to prosecute I assume given some the cases that they have lost.

On a side note, it’s just a matter of time before someone starts streaming 7.2, 14.313, etc..:rolleyes: :confused:

I don't know about any continuous streams, but there are a lot of online SDR radios that can pick up 7200 around the midwest and south. 14313 is not very active these days because the sunspot cycle. But I suspect it will pick up again in a few years.
 

tglendye

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... I'm of the opinion that having a "rogue" repeater in every area actually helps the rest of the repeaters stay "pure." ...
I see your point here and kind of agree. And like KE0GXN said, it's a shame it's come to that. But I have to wonder why Broadcastify would even allow these two repeaters to be placed on the Live Audio stream.
 

bill4long

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I actually like listening to it sometimes. I have never heard any of the extreme things people have been saying about it. If I did, I would just listen to something else at that time. At any rate, nobody is forcing anyone to listen.
 
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