The AM Forum

I don't want to step on any one's toes, and it may not even be a member of the AM community that I am addressing these remarks to, but allow me to ask a favor.

Tonight I heard the most outrageous jamming I have ever heard on Johnny W3EGC while he was operating on 75 meters.


Let me preface my remarks with:
Yes, he is a real Pain in the Ass.
Yes, I am outraged about his undue slander of Gary.
Yes, he is wide as a barn door and can't or won't hear other QSOs in place.
Yes, I see very little in merit in what he says, he is NOT an interesting old curmudgeon

However, when 3885 gets jammed it does not really ruin it for Johnny, but it does ruin it for me and every other AMer that wants to fire up.

Band space on 75 in the evening is a zoo, and tonight's jamming really just tired up 3885 for all of us. I turned off the radio and went home.

I am also concerned what kind of message it sends to those who monitor and to the SSB stations. I don't think any of us really want, kidding aside, 75 to sound like 11 meters. Such a display would make prime ammo for the BPL lobby, could you imagine them recording and playing that back at public hearing? (Yes, I know SSB is crazy as well.)

Perhaps most important, I think that Johnny enjoys it. It gives him something else to blather on about, and allows him to dredge up all his past perceived wrongs.

Think about it, I'd like to hear/read your thoughts.

I agree Bruce. I was listening to the mess while working on the HBR and it reminded me of 11 meters (or marine VHF at its’ worse). Nothing was gained except the AM crowd looked pretty sorry. EVEN if it was not part of the group, we will be associated with it.

I don’t care for him or his accusations but nothing was gained by the activity. He carried on his QSO anyway..

Even after I was called an alchoholic , a wife beater, and child molester this afternoon. He told a ham  that the law enforcement officers know my home too well from the repeated visits beacuse of domestic abuse -- -  this afternoon.

Even after my wife and daughter were in the room with me today and heard this and my wife actually got on the radio and spoke a few words with old John this afternoon.

Even after he accused all the users of this board of being criminals and nut cases this afternoon.

I couldn't agree more Bruce.

I have always tried to keep this off the air. This has gone on for over 9 months now. Repeated on the air attacks on my family,the site, and me. I have made few contacts with John on the air waves in an effort to keep it off the air.  I have tried to stay off the air in an effort to not provoke any incident . I am embarrased and sorry that our frequencies have yet one more sore spot to deal with..

 But jamming is just making it all just that more worse.  Johns behavior and operating practices are a blemish to the our mode to begin with. He offers nothing positive to the community. We really don't need to add to the infection.


PS -
Hopefully the FCC and OO's might actually do something about this attacking and poor operating .:roll:

Johnny had been behaving pretty well the last few weeks. It seems the pink elephants have come back.

My 2¢ worth:

I'm fairly new to the whole EGC thing, having first heard him a few months ago loading up right next to some of the guys on 3880. First few times I heard him I thoguht 'old buzzard with numb receiver'. Very soon it became quite evident he was doing it intentionally.

The crap he says about Gary and others is absolute nonsense, but here is something I observed recently: when he calls CQ next to an ongoing QSO, he seems to hope to get someone in the midwest who can't hear the east coast QSO in progress, to become an unwitting participant. Then of course, he claims that someone has moved in on him, blah blah blah. A week or so back he was talking with someone in 8-Land and went off on a rant about 'the alcoholic' and the troublemakers on the AM board. The station he was talking with immediately said 73 and left. End of rant. This has happened several times, he loses his audience and leaves shortly thereafter. He calls CQ a bunch of times, but leaves after receiving no acknowledgement of any kind (especially jamming).

My point is this: others seem to figure this idiot out pretty easily. As well as what Bruce, Gary, and others have said about the jamming garbage, the wosrt thing you can ever do is acknowledge these fools on the air. Same thing goes for the idiot in Belgrade Lakes, I heard someone sit on frequency a month or so back and call him an a-hole repeatedly. What good does that do? He's not listening, of course, but EGC is. And you can bet he takes great delight in any response he gets - even jamming. He's brought you down to his level, proving to himself that he is superior and able to control you. Sounds stupid, but you're not dealing with the brightest bulb in the string here.

A better approach in my opinion is to either get a couple of heavyweights into a QSO to obliterate the offending station or, if you get frustrated and decide to leave, just say "someone is at the door, gotta go" or whatever. Don't give them the satisfaction they so desperately crave by acknowledging it! As time passes, EGC's audience of potential QSOs shrinks more and more, leaving his only route to enjoyment the job of trying to annoy others. Better to let him burn his bridges and isolate himself as he's rapidly doing. Just ignore, don't even make a reference to such fools (as tempting and frustrating as it gets).

No audience = No one to perform for.

~ Todd, KA1KAQ

On March 12, 3:44 p.m., I answered a CQ on 3885 kHz. AM from Pete KA3STN/3 operating QRP from western PA.  Shortly after I was in QSO with Pete and he was transmitting, Johnny started calling CQ about 4 kHz. down.  When Johnny ended his CQ transmission he found me on the air and then realized there was a QSO in progress and I did address him on this during my transmission.  He ceased transmissions.  After a few more minutes, he horned in; “Irb”ed us.  He said he had ruined a 3-500Z again in his other linear.  He was running a SB-220 on this QSO.  I checked his signal and it was clean!  I pleaded with him to stay with that linear instead the other one even when he gets the new tube.  

The 3-some lasted a half hour total with Pete, Johnny and myself being jammed the latter half of the QSO.  When we signed I said “thank you fellow member of the amateur fraternity for jamming my QSO”.  

Pete and I were minding our own business and John joined in to our QSO.  This attracted flies.  The jammer didn’t care that he hurt at least 2 other people besides his target.

Personally, I hold great contempt for the self-righteous jammers.  To me they are 10 times worse than the original infuriaters.  This attitude of taking the law in to one’s own hands is becoming more prevalent in the society today.  You see it on the highways on the way to and from work; the guy that rides someone else’s bumper at 2 feet for a quarter mile because HE didn’t like something the guy in front of him did.

I group Johnny and Irb together in one sense.  I see 2 lonely old men who live by themselves.  Both may have medical problems that affect their neurological abilities, in my opinion.  Irb had a bicycle accident a few years ago that left him in a coma for a few days.  Ever since this, he started the aggressive behavior on the air.  Johnny takes a fair amount of medication for his problems as far as I know and I think this is one facet affecting his faculties.

In my opinion, I do think that Johnny is much less in control of his faculties than Irb is however.  I believe that logic should not be used in regards to the specifics of Johnny’s comments.   Realize that he is not operating rationally.

Perhaps it would be advantageous in the long run to try to find out who Johnny’s primary care physician is and let him know what Johnny’s behavior is outside of the doctor’s office.  I don’t know if this is over the line or not.

I heard the tail end of Johnny’s “QSO” with Gary last evening on 3883 kHz.  At one point, Johnny said that he has many friends.  I thought about his rabbits multiplying.

I think about how man is able to create hell on earth for himself in places like Northern Ireland and Iraq.  The cowardly terrorism astounds us daily.  Jamming is terrorism.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I emplore you to stop the jamming and leave the enforcement to the proper authorities.  Follow a proper civilized path or turn off your radios.

One man’s opinion of living in Splatter Alley 70 south of Scranton and 50 miles west of Liberty Corner.

FCC is worried about people trying to kill us by the thousands. OO reports lack any kind of clout. The only thing that's going to stop this is some legal action against him. Gary, consult your legal department and have a certified letter drawn up and delivered to him. When he tears up that one, have the next one delivered by a Deputy Sheriff. He won't be able to ignore that one. You need to get this stopped and talking to this guy is not going to cut it.
Keith
WA1HZK

I arrived late and listened to only about 30 minutes of the session last night.

It's too bad, cuz Johhny was actually acting "normal" for the last month or so. It appears the jamming pushed his buttons and started the trouble all over again.

I think the jammers actually meant well, in a sense, showing support for Gary, though it back fired and caused Gary more frustration as a result.

I would agree that the best thing is to ignore Johnny and let him self destruct - the path he is on now.  His previous accusations were explained away as being incorrect and now he's invented a new one - calling G an alcoholic - just grasping for straws and attention.

Ham Radio is all about communicating and chatting on the air with people. I think the problem with Johnny was taking care of itself quite well via self-alienation until last night's session gave him the attention he craves.  

I'd vote to just let him do his thing as a lone-wolf and over time he will fade away from "bore-doom"....    :D

T

The best thing to do is ignor him and he will get bored and go away.
He is a poor lonely old man that is looking for attention. Gary tried to help him out and got kicked in at butt for it. It would be best to just leave him alone. I agree with Bruce about the jamming thing which is just as bad.

Irb won't even talk to Johnny anymore, after calling Johnny an "imperialist".  That's one conversation I wish I had taped.

No wonder he burned out another 3-500 the way he overdrives that SB-220... I've seen him 50 KHz wide on 40 meters, measured with a HP spect analyzer on max hold.

And what kind of grown man keeps a rabbit for a pet.

wabbits tell no tales

Like Sheep, Wabbit Lies!

We're Criminals...?  Now I have been around all yunns guys now for how long I dunno 4 years now...for some reason criminal does Not come to mind...

Highly Talented...
Very pleasant..
Technically Abreast and Advanced...
Very Humorus...and Orny... :D
And yunns guys drink good beer... :D [I had to add that] for my nite on the air under the inflkuence... :D NOT FOR DISCUSSION............ :D

But Criminals ...I Highly Doubt this...

Some Peoples Kids... :lol:

Is a Radio Gangster a criminal?

We accepted Screwball.....
That inspired us to all get our Screwball number & award.
But not criminal. That's a bit much. Normally I would agree to just ignore but that's not going to work here. Legal action is necessary. Usually a letter outlining the charges pending will make this type of problem go away. One hour of a Lawyers time is necessary. Much more effective than that voice machine jammer. remember, he likes the attention. I bet hes having a great time bugging everybody. It's all he's got to do!

I actually spoke with Johnny on the telephone yesterday.

I would prefer not to post the text of our conversation here, but if you email me I will explain.

Suffice to say our colorful "friend" is in need of some help.

I'm sure we all want to see this just go away.
I'll gladly contribute to the W2INR legal fund, any other takers?

-Bruce


.

Keith

It isn't that easy OM.

If you think I have not spoken to attorneys and looked at my options your nuts. My brother inlaw is a judge for the State of New York and two of my nephews are in law enforcement.

If I was to go legal this is what I would have to do and the time frame it would take.

1. The only legal option I have is to sue John for slander. I am in New York he is in PA so I will need a PA attorney first off.

2. This could take take anywhere from 4 -7 years to get into the courts and take its coarse.

3. It would cost me around $15,000 to go thru this adventure and during the time from sending the letter of intent, actually going to and getting thru the court case John could continue on the air waves as he is doing now. That could be 7 years.

4. Each and every recording of this guys slander( which I have over 100) would have to be verified thru affadavits to each and every individual in the QSO's recorded.

5. Many in the QSOs would be called to court to testify what transpired in the QSO in question. This would be at your own cost and you could find yourself sitting in a motel room in some city for weeks waiting to get on the stand to say yes. This might be needed for each individual in the recorded QSO's. (hint - - If you are in a QSO with John you ARE being recorded for possible future legal action)

6.After all this then I would have to show damages. Someone calling me a criminal is, beleive it or not, not considered damaging . I mean what are the damages besides my feelings and name. It has not cost me a loss of income.

7. John does not have much. The home he lives in is not his. It belongs to the city of Scranton. ( Another poor Johnny story) So I could attach  his equipment and any personnal material he has cars, furniture, rabbits( :shock: ) etc,along with any financial areas he might have.

8. All this - - - over 7 years - - - with over $15,000 out of my pocket and again while waiting he can continue on just as he is. That's another 7 years !!

None of this mentions the many states involved is this federal etc etc etc.

So this really wouldn't go away for years even if legal action is taken.

And If you think John doesn't know this you are crazy. I know he sounds like an sick old man but he  knows everything he is doing and it is deliberate.

Peer pressure is the only logical solution to this. The more people do not tolerate his behavior the less he will continue.  The more people communicate with him the more we give approval of his actions. It's pretty simple.


So there you go. If there are any people out there that can help with the legal options please email me. I am open to suggestion to stop this..


ADDITIONAL.

The attorneys I have spoken with each said they would take the case. My brother inlaw has seen the documentation and stated if the witnesses and the recordings can be validated I would have a good case. He stated this is slander without a doubt in the legal arena here in NY. But John is in PA

Bruce I would be interested in the conversation.

There may be other avenues to explore and I am open to any suggestions.

One would think if IRB can get a letter from the FCC for answering a CQ John should be easily dealt with thru that channel also.

This all makes me sick thinking that we really have to deal with this in this fashion - - it turns my stomach but  - - - - -this all must stop.

OK Gary
Thanks for the reply. We need to talk about this over Brent's keg at Hoss Traders. Yes, that's right Johnny, There's a keg and we keep it on ice. This is a real pain in the ass problem. Makes us all sound bad to everyone else listening. I guess your recommendation is to just 100% shun this guy like I do anyway. Well that's it guys, you don't hear him, he's not there, he does not exist. If he has no one to play with the fun will be removed. And they wonder why the public takes the law into their own hands sometimes.........

Even I have to agree. This is an unredeemable situation. Regrettably (and becoming less so as time goes on), the only way to deal with it seems to be ignoring him completely.
It works fairly well with Irb . . . hopefully, at a minimum, John will fade to another venue to vent his concerns. I doubt he will cease this tirade until he acquires another negative experience to dwell upon. For people like him. . . .it shouldn't be long.

-ap

Not soon enough Art :roll:

If you can't bring yourself to ignor him then run him up to critical mass
but you might feel guilty when he explodes.

There is another way.

We all know that Johnny's snuggle-up-and-CQ constitutes interference. But that's only one side of it.

A few years back, a guy that Chris XA and I used to talk to on 75m slopbucket got into a pissing match with another ham. Like Johnny, this guy was completely maladjusted and would go off for hours on end about this other guy's criminal record (real or imagined).

The Riley-gram was almost immediate. Two points were made in said Riley-gram:

1) Whatever your problem with this guy, you are hereby instructed to keep it off the air.

2) What you're saying about this guy amounts to slander. Keep it up, and we'll refer this case to the Attorney General's office.

And, of course, the famous "these actions will reflect adversely on your qualifications to remain a Commission licensee".

I'd post a link to the Riley-gram, but the ARRL website is down right now. A few of you may already know who I'm talking about.

The FCC can act more directly, decisively, and rapidly against Johnny's behavior than the courts can at this point. They issued our licenses, they set the rules by which we keep or lose our licenses, and they enforce those rules without having to go through a court 95% of the time. They also have the authority to refer this to the courts if they feel criminal charges are warranted. That would be a criminal charge, not a civil suit. They may be more helpful at this point than most of us probably expect.

To put it another way: Charlie don't surf.

Back to the topic of Johnny-jamming, since it's safe to assume many of you responsible are probably reading this thread, let me just say that THIS HAS GOT TO STOP, for numerous reasons:

1) Half of you can't aim any better than Johnny can. If you must waste your afternoon jamming somebody, you might as well take the effort to be somewhere near their frequency, instead of taking up the whole damn window.

2) It's rather difficult to roll usable tape on someone when there's 9 or 10 carriers being dumped on them. You're obstructing the only hope of justice, and providing no justice in return.

3) Some of you have the most obvious hums, buzzes, clicks, switching noise, etc., known to mankind. I recognized three or four of your carriers by ear. It's your license, but stop and think about the wisdom of jamming someone with your main transmitter. Some of your signatures are just too obvious, and you're begging to get busted. I have no intention of naming names to anybody, but that doesn't mean somebody else won't.

I can understand the desire to jam Johnny. Hell, I'd like to do a lot more than jam him, but it solves nothing, and has the opposite of the intended effect. It galvanizes Johnny, and covers up evidence of wrongdoing in the process.

Thanks for letting me finally get that one off my chest, G, and I'd seriously recommend going by way of Gettysburg first. Things are a bit more cut-and-dry down that road, and it won't cost 15 grand.

I can post the link to the Riley-gram I discussed later if anyone's interested.

End of old buzzard transmission. TNX fer listening.

--Thom
Kilowatt Amplifier One Zero Grid Current

If you would Thom please email me the link.

I ask everyone to please email any suggestions.

I do not want this site to be accused of ganging up on John. The only posts here are in response to actions already taken in the public arena by John. Since I am trying to not engage John on the air this is my only public forum I can use. John has been using the airwaves.

So please any ideas or such I would appreciate an email.

w2inr@amfone.net

Thanks for the input and support

Tularemia Or Rabbit Fever
This disease, caused by Francisella tularensis is associated with rabbits and rodents. It was first formally recognized in 1911 in Tulare County, California in ground squirrels. It occurs in two forms, a glandular form affecting the lymph nodes and a more acute and severe typhoidal form affecting the entire body. In the first instance the organism enters through a scratch. In the second it is inhaled. The disease in man is characterized by high fever, painful, enlarged lymph nodes, chills, myalgia and malaise. On rare occasions it attacks the brain, heart and bones. Ticks are the most common method of spread of the disease from animals to man. When it is passed from direct handling of wild rabbit carcasses inflamed lesions are primarily on the hands. It can also be transmitted in undercooked meat consumed from infected animals.

Gary

For this problem... I would suggest that you talk to the experts in your family about the possibility of obtaining an injunction (a court order) that would enjoin EGC from any public discussions (on the radio or otherwise) regarding his opinions about you, your character, or the specific grievance he has with you. EGC would still be able to pursue his grievance with you through the courts (which doesn't mean that anyone supports or would support his position on that subject)... but he would not be able to discuss it in any public forums.

An injunction is usually granted on the basis that certain behavior by one person is causing significant irraparable harm (or potential harm) to another person... and that this harm (or potential harm) more than offsets the inconvenience to the person who is being enjoined from continuing that behavior.

Since an injunction is not a finding of guilt, I believe that the burden associated with obtaining an injunction would be relatively small, and the time required would be relatively short. I also believe that you have a fairly persuasive case for obtaining an injunction.

If a judge places such an injunction on EGC... and if he violates the injunction... then he will be in contempt of court... and the judge who placed the injunction on EGC will have him promptly arrested.

I don't think that Riley can help you on this one. While Riley might personally agree that what EGC is doing is wrong... this matter does not appear to fall within the jurisdiction of the FCC. I.e., EGC 's behavior does not appear, to me, to be in clear violation of any specific FCC rule that I am aware of.

I know that there are readers of this board who don't agree that the complaint I filed with the FCC against VJZ is a valid complaint. I respectfully accept the fact that they disagree with me on that... so there is no reason for those people to repeat their views on that subject.

Stu
AB2EZ

47 CFR 97.101 - General Standards:

(d) No amateur operator shall willfully or maliciously interfere with or cause interference to any radio communication or signal.

47 CFR 97.113 - Prohibited Transmissions:

(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this section; communications intended to facilitate a criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or identification;

--Thom
Killer Album One Zappa's Greatest Compositions

Thom,
I think Stu was refering to the slander ECG is spewing. But I believe u are correct about the rest......matter of fact I agree whole heartedly with your post.

Yep, so was I.

We can discuss this further offline (Hosstraders, perhaps). I'm trying to get the hell out of the office before my head bursts, and we've beaten this topic pretty well to pulp.

Gary, I'll get a hold of you later, uh... somehow.

--Thom
Killer Agony One Zipper Got Caught