A WIN for Our Side! SS-B Clown Gets His Handed To Him

[AB5S]

    FCC ENFORCEMENT LETTER for Jammer KJ9T.
       Word is more letters for SS-B a**-clowns
       are on the way.  Hurrah!!


                   CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

   January 14, 2013
   Mr. Jimmy J. Isom
   (Address withheld)
   (Address withheld)
   Re: WARNING NOTICE

   Amateur Radio License KJ9T
   EB-FIELDNER-12-00004722

   Dear Mr. Isom:
   By letter dated October 22, 2012, the Commission notified you that it had
   received a complaint regarding the operation of your amateur station. The
   complaint alleged that you had been deliberately interfering with the
   operation of AM operators in an effort to run them off of the air in
   violation of Section 97.101(d) of the Commission's rules.

   You responded to the Commission's letter on November 1, 2012. In that
   letter, you indicated that you had gotten involved in an "ongoing battle"
   with a group of east coast AMers. You acknowledged that you did inform the
   members of your "group" that if they deliberately caused interference to
   the AMers, that maybe the AMers "would move and leave us alone." You
   further concede that you did indeed engage in the prohibited behavior of
   causing deliberate interference to the group of AM operators. Finally, you
   state that you recognize that "two wrongs do not make a right," you
   apologize for your behavior and assert that this behavior will never
   happen again.

   Your operation as described above is contrary to the basis and purpose of
   the amateur radio service as set out in Section 97.1 of the Commission's
   rules and is a violation of Section 97.101(d) of the Commission's rules.^
   Please be advised that the Commission expects you to abide by its rules.
   This letter serves as notice that, if operation of this type reoccurs
   after receipt of this letter, you could be subject to severe penalties,
   including license revocation, monetary forfeiture (fines),^ or a
   modification
   proceeding to restrict the frequencies upon which you may operate.

   Sincerely,

   Laura L. Smith, Esq.

   Special Counsel

   Enforcement Bureau

   Cc: Chicago Field Office

   Northeast Regional Director

   ^ See 47 C.F.R. SS 97.1 and 97.101(d).

   ^ Fines normally range from $7,500 to $10,000.

[KA2DZT]

Good to see that the FCC is addressing this problem.

Fred

[WA3VJB]

Curious about which "side" he might be on.

In the past, "Jimmy" has had an AM transmitter.  Pair of 4-1000 modulated by a pair of 833A.

http://www.kj9t.com/BIG_MAC/gallery.html



If I read it right, the transmitter was built by the late Bill Decker, W N4VMY, who I had talked to many times over the years. Bill had come around to AM after a period of time where he was antagonistic toward our part of the hobby. Maybe Jimmy never saw the light?

Adding the FCC document.
The PDF's file date from the FCC website seems to be April 20, 2013.  
Quite a delay from when the correspondence took place.
(Agency warned him 10/2012, he replied 11/2012, the agency sent this back to him 01/2013, and didn't put it to the public record until yesterday. Maybe the 90 day delay is protocol.)

[W7TFO]

A live link to the FCC database containing this letters' text would be most appreciated...

73DG

[AB5S]

Link:
http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/files/Isom_13_04_20_5338.html

 400 KC of open band and they have to jam us.
Guess they think they set the standard for "acceptable" modes.
It's a small but nasty minority of lids.  
But ignore them and it will become a BIG "minority."
Ask our friends in VK-land what happens when you try
to appease these clowns.  VK AMers, last I heard,
were cornered and forced onto 3885 KC and jammed even there.

D.S.

[W4AAB]

Bill Decker was N4VMY. I used to listen to him on 160m. I believe he passed away a couple or three years ago. I have been off the air due to not having time to get my antenna back up after an ice storm took it down early this year.I sure hope that some of these ssb-using jammers get forced off the air.
                                                          Joe W4AAB

[w3jn]

Bill built the mod deck in my GPT-750, and when I went to visit him on that trip to Tennessee to pick it up from his SK friend's widow, he had 3 ultra-cool and superbly built AM xmitters in his shack.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

There are no "winners" here since a number a SSB operators who have regularly frequented 3875 over the last 20 or so years are also AM operators. I suspect it was more of a frustration peak that went ballistic.

Here's another shot of Jim's station. Don't know how recent it is.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Ask our friends in VK-land what happens when you try
to appease these clowns.  VK AMers, last I heard,
were cornered and forced onto 3885 KC and jammed even there.

D.S.

According to The Wireless Institute of Australia ( http://www.wia.org.au/ ), even with their Advanced License, on 80 Meters, VK amateurs can only operate from 3.500 - 3.700 MHz and 3.776 - 3.800 MHz. Permitted emission mode is any emission mode with a necessary bandwidth not exceeding 8 kHz.

[W3RSW]

http://www.wia.org.au/licenses/licensing/hfhighpowertrial/. Poor Blokes.

Pete, thanks for interesting link.  Look what they are trying now in PW land down-under.
Looks like Canada is about the last "non-progressive," controlled land left for QRN busting
AM power limits.  ..quasi legally, that is, what with what is run in this country with FeeCee looking the other way.

[VE3AJM]

I had worked both Bill VMY and Jim KJ9T in the past on AM. I recall them being very good guys and the QSOs were enjoyable and pleasant. But we also had to deal with the QRMers from 3875 which often included those guys back in the 90s. And it was a large group from all over the place from the UP of Michigan, down to the Gulf.

They seemed to have the attitude that there was no place for AM operation in primetime, especially on 75m or near "their frequency". They acted as self-appointed splatter police all the time. For those of us that had to battle these guys, we know that the interference was real, nasty and malicious.

So with some of those guys, there seemed to be a Jeykll and Hyde mentality at work. They were AM operators on one side, and the slopbucket QRMers on the other.

The group seems to have calmed it down a bit, since some of the them became silent keys, the onset of the Riley enforcements at the FCC, and the beginnings of the Wally and Richard group nutbar show on 3878.

Al VE3AJM

[Steve - K4HX]

The enforcement is about 25 years late. Those clowns on 3875 started their jamming of AMers as long ago as the late 1980s. Yea, some of them ran AM then or later. So what? Jamming is jamming, no matter what mode(s) one uses. No free passes. These clowns should have lost their licences decades ago.

[KA0HCP]

I think this is the greatest news since Riley appeared on the scene.
 
My feeling is that the FCC, and even Riley, placed too much emphasis on trying to build iron clad cases that would hold up in Federal Court, when they to should have been using influence, reputation, and threat of action to quash the bad actors.   

A letter from the feds, delivered your door with signature required, can make anyone who values their license stop and think.   

A demonstration of technical ability would also shake up the community.  Pick half a dozen miscreants, send them recordings of their follies with date time stamps, and copies of the DF plots pinpointing their station.  Word will get around that the bad actors aren't anonymous, and that the FCC really is watching (when they want to).  For real-time fear, let the DF boys call a few on the phone during their jamming sessions!

b.

[W2VW]

So with some of those guys, there seemed to be a Jeykll and Hyde mentality at work.

Well said.

[Steve - K4HX]

Not so much Jeykyll and Hyde as an extreme amount of ego and sense of entitlement. "We decide when and where it's OK to run AM. And anyone not agreeing with us will be QRMed."  "We own 3875. Anyone on the frequency when WE decide to get on will be QRMed, most especially AM." These guys are completely disconnected from Part 97 and the spirit of amateur radio. Sad.

So with some of those guys, there seemed to be a Jeykll and Hyde mentality at work.

Well said.

[WBear2GCR]

Notwithstanding the particulars of this situation, I still think, and have said that it would make good sense for folks to perhaps meet in the "window" and QSY, probably lower in frequency.

Don't bunch up?
Spin the receiver dial?
That's how we managed cross band CW QSOs when I was a novice... crossband. Gotta tune around.


At my QTH, I often hear out to 8 land when most of New England can't hear them and I know that often both AM sides are within 5kc or even on the same frequency.

I'm not suggesting the QSY ought to put AM right up or on top of ongoing SSB QSOs, and sometimes it's not possible to find a freq to QSY off to. We had this discussion when the band got widened a while back.

Yeah, yeah, I know "my antenna is tuned for..." etc...

But I really think it might help AM if it were heard fairly regularly randomly around the band, besides the Carrier Net and the QCWA group...

Stations with the "tall ship" capability might ought to go and anchor such an expedition, but why not spread it out?

                    _-_-bear


PS. I know that on certain days of the week, some southern SSB boys camp out on 3878, and usually pack up about the same time every week... personally, I'd give them wide berth, and move up band or elsewhere... not try to put the flag down and claim the area... just my perspectives.

 

[flintstone mop]

On a strange night a week ago, I fired up on 1885 and was hesitant to enter the QSO cuz there was the usual SSB 1kc away making comments about old geezers on the air and "Why don't they just go away". The two stations signed and I was still hesitant about calling CQ. I did call CQ, and Tim WA1HLR answered and we had a very nice QSO. I might have been closer to them (SSB guys) and they would have lost in the usual "talk-over an AM QSO" and spoil our fun. Lightning crashes started taking Timmy out and K2ORS jumped in with Tim and they had a nice QSO as I signed.
If people would be a little courteous sharing the bands, it would be nice to be on the air more. I always read comments here "get on the air, instead of making posts on AMFONE". That dam 1500 Watt PEP rule really stinks!
Tim HLR has a solution using 1500 watts double sideband with a suppressed carrier. Anybody here explain? Or should that be another thread?
Fred

[W2VW]

We should be keeping own own noses especially clean right about now.

[WA3VJB]

There are plenty of examples where the AM Community has led the way toward minimizing friction with incompatible modes and activities.  The overture hasn't been reciprocated by certain outsiders, deliberately or not.

But people **do** hear when we've made the effort.  A group of Canadians gathers for a roundtable at 6:30pm, Eastern time on 3733Kc.

This happens also to be where the "What's For Dinner Net" takes place starting a couple hours earlier.

However, those on AM participating in the WFDN keep an eye on the clock, and either close out or QSY to make way for our friends north of the border.

Nearly every time we get a sincere "thank you" and others in their group remark about the pleasant coordination.

For years I pointed out how it was the AM Community that led the way in coordinating our activity around 3885 and 7290.  The payoff has been marginal, and certain negative outsiders have said we should "stay in our place."

Thus, with the FCC's decision to reapportion the phone bands, I take full advantage of my licensed phone privileges and set up shop wherever there's a clear spot on the dial.

I make no apologies and refuse to get defensive about doing so. Federal regulators have made it clear -- including in the proceeding this thread represents -- that they do not play favorites among modes.

[Steve - K4HX]

Some people either do not know how or when to use the VFO. Here's a perfect example (a recent excerpt from the ARRL Propagation newsletter).

Paul Drahn, KD7HB of Crooked River Ranch in Central Oregon wrote: "I
must take exception to your comment about 'great news for HF
propagation.'  It's very difficult for local evening nets on 75
meters. I am active on the Oregon Emergency Net on 3980 from 6pm to
7pm. Just prior to our net, the Tennessee phone net operates on the
same frequency. Afterward, several Tennessee hams use the frequency
as a local rag chew net. At times, like the last two evenings, they
are stronger in Oregon than many of the local check-in stations.
Last night there were at least three conversations going on from
Tennessee, all on 3980. They could not hear each other, and could
not hear the OEN.

"We expect this interference in the Winter, but only is a problem at
other times when the propagation allows it. Fortunately the folks in
Tennessee go to bed early!"


Why not just move to a different frequency? Instead he'll write an email to the prop letter editor. Sheesh!

[W1RKW]

There's a slopbucket group on 1945 that meets around 1130PM or so and they P&M but when an AM group happens to be on the 1945 before they get there then things rapidly change. I don't recall the AM call signs but the slop bucketiers come on and start their P&Ming and QRM in an effort to get the AM crew to move which doesn't happen. But the slop bucketiers do their fair share of QRMing and don't give a crap.

[WB4AIO]

I think the KJ9T citation is a result of an AM versus AM conflict, sadly. I have heard him many times in the last few months on AM.

I suspect he's one of those who believe 5 kHz spacing is adequate for AM operation, and has sometimes started up with a net or group on 3880 when 3875 was in use. This has caused some angry conflicts among people who ought to be friends. If the FCC is right -- and I don't know if they are, that's why I'm saying IF -- apparently he took it too far and tried to purposely interfere.

My opinion: 5 kHz is too close for AM spacing if you want AM that sounds even halfway decent. It's adequate for SSB, though.

With my best,


Kevin, WB4AIO.

[KI4MXO]

there was a ki4 call from tn on 3886 last night that about blew out the s meter on my 129x just rambling on. he would just talk and talk about how he was on ssb on 3886. i guess he got his license out of a cracker jack box or the local dollar general.

[W7TFO]

Yep, that kind of OP is enough to make a decent, stable ham into one like this:

http://www.myfootage.com/search.php?search=radio&match_type=all&gid=&sgid=&startat=20&perpage=20&page_num=2&sort_by=&rfrp=

 

73DG

[W1LLY]

This was not a case of AM against AM interference. KJ9T and his group were on SSB and they decided that they owned 3875. They were actually caught plotting future interference and congratulating each other on the results of their intentional interference in the past. Not very bright.

If we want to preserve the "AM Window", the best way to do that is to get on the air and have fun.

Bill - W1LLY