AMer reports on ARRL official's misdeed

ENFORCEMENT: FLORIDA ARRL OFFICIAL IN HOT WATER OVER ATTEMPT TO UNILATERALLY TRANSFER CALL

An FCC finding that a Florida ARRL official tried to unilaterally transfer a club call from one organization to another has brought a call for punitive action from part of his constituency. Amateur Radio Newsline's Warren Elly, W1GUD, is in Tampa Bay with the rest of the story:

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The FCC had to step into a long running and bitter turf war here in the ARRL West Central Florida Section last month, after rival groups wrestled over club station license K4WCF.

Paul Toth NA4AR filed formal complaints with the FCC challenging applications from WCF Section Manager Dee Turner N4GD to change K4WCF's trustee and mailing address. The FCC had already granted those changes, but rescinded them January 24th, after Turner admitted he had not obtained the signature of the previous Trustee.

Turner did give Newsline an email from the previous trustee offering to tender the K4WCF callsign for the section, but Turner admits he should have gotten the signature. Said the FCC, "based on the information before us, we conclude that two applications to change the name of the club trustee and the name of the club were submitted without authorization".

Toth told Newsline he doesn't want it to end there. He says the great call sign caper is a case of theft, and Toth adds that his West Central Florida Group board is deciding what to do next. Toth insists there were serious violations of the FCC regulations which he says ought to be investigated.

WCF SCM Turner says the West Central Florida Section wanted the call for Field Day and other operating events. "I thought I was doing the right thing", Turner told NewsLine. He says he accepts the FCC order, and believes the fight over a call sign is "an embarrassment not only to the WCF section, but to amateur radio itself." Its unclear tonight whether Toth's West Central Florida Group will
keep both its club call signs, NI4CE, and now K4WCF.

Reporting for Newsline from Tampa bay, I'm Warren Elly W1GUD