When the FCC gave Amateur Radio to the United States, and eventually, the world via the HF bands between 160 Meters and 6 Meters, the purpose was to have a trained pool of technically trained & able communicators, electronic communications experimenters, to create and maintain good will, and to conduct emergency communications.
The First Amendment in the Bill Of Rights was to afford a broad swath of protection to speech and to make sure that the U.S. Government could not censor speech unless it was so tasteless as to incite real violence without good cause by way of the proper channels used by our founding fathers when the United States was becoming a reality.
Can someone please make a LOGICAL legal connection between amateur radio and free speech? Tonight on the RAIN Report, Hap Holly interviewed KE6RRI who is the new owner of the controversial 146.435 repeater in Los Angeles, California. In this interview, Hap offered KE6RRI an out when he likened this machine to a "ham radio stage" on which the various players perform in their respective characters and he also asked her a good question (paraphrased): "What communications have been conducted between you and the FCC in regards to the 435 repeater?"
Apparently, this new owner was told to closely monitor the machine for outrageous obscenities that go beyond just foul language. shortwave America asks the FCC openly right this second...why are you allowing broadcast standards to apply to amateur radio? Amateur Radio is NOT served well by allowing these disgusting people to keep their amateur licenses and equipment!
Why isn't the FCC enforcing the intent and spirit of part 97? How the hell did broadcast standards get confused and then intermingled with amateur radio and the laws that make up Part 97? KE6RRI needs to be pressured as intensely as possible by the amateur radio and SWL community to ban each and every person who so much as utters a reference to anything foul! Tasteless, foul, incendiary, offensive, childish, immature, disgusting, sexually violent, racist, sick behavior on an amateur radio frequency should never, ever, under any circumstances be even tolerated, much less accepted by the amateur radio and SWL community.
"435 is really a psychology"? Christina, please, spare all of us the embarrassing political correctness! Either you control these goofs or we, the amateur radio community will do all we can to make sure that the repeater doesn't have an operations site! As a matter of fact, Shortwave America strongly urges everyone to write to the owner of the repeater site and urge him/her/them to demand Christina remove the 435 from the site and that the repeater and all future owners be banned from said site.
The repeater site owners should know about the content and character of vile content that the repeater is used for, and how it impacts the character of a site owner who allows a home to such a foul and violent communications system. Dear fellow amateurs, please also deluge the FCC and your local Congressmen with written letters and petitions to end the existence of the 435 repeater, and strip Christina and her users of their amateur licenses permanently.
Shortwave America is a HUGE free speech advocate, even advocating for speech that isn't well liked nor politically or socially popular, however, 435 crosses the line beyond acceptable boundaries. Shortwave America will seek to interview Christina and ask some really hard questions based on her interview with Hap Holly and let's see if she can stand on her own when really intelligent and pointed questions threaten to expose what her decisions mean to the amateur radio community as an entirety.
****Update****
There is a HUGE discussion happening over at ShoutMix
Apparently, this piece has a few of the 435 denizens quite upset
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11 comments:
Seems to be pretty much an about face from your october article....
Strange how that happens.
Either you control these goofs or we, the amateur radio community will do all we can to make sure that the repeater doesn't have an operations site!
You do are not the entire amateur radio community nor do you speak for the entire amateur radio community. I for one have no problem with what happens on the KE6RRI repeater (and yes, I have heard it, and no, I don't participate as I'm in N. California). Please don't imagine that you speak for everyone in amateur radio; you don't.
Kate Ebneter
AF6ZN
The old bandwagon mentality approach...lacks finesse.
If you're going to try to play hero, a little civility would be lovely; wouldn't want to be indecent, after-all. :)
Cheers.
I'm surprised at the "cop" attitude and threats in this article. As a fairly new ham, I can tell you that this repeater is doing more to spread the word about ham radio than anything or anyone else at this point in time.
Remember that even bad publicity is still publicity.
Find me another repeater anywhere that has 5% of the activity of 435.
The shortwave and ham community should look at 435 as comedy, and also as a definite exception to every day ham radio operation.
Is Howard Stern representative of an ordinary radio host? No. And 435 is not representative of ham radio.
It is the position of Shortwave America to publish from different viewpoints so as not to be unfair or unethical. It is understood that everyone may perceive some material differently and that there are times when some material may elicit different thoughts and emotions.
Remember that Amateur Radio encompasses many different styles of operation and the most accepted form of communication in amateur radio is that which is diplomatic and professional in it's approach. Most of us like to be civilized and like to listen to people who are also civilized. 435 is quite the unique operation and presents a genuine challenge to the limits of what Part 97 says we can get away with.
I will bring a sawzall and cut that useless tower down. I am behind you Shortwave America.
Cut the tower down? That does not sound like a real Amateur Op to me... also highly illegal. I agree with the poster that says this repeater has more activity than any other one, I's great. There are a few dumb a--es on there that have no license though, they should be fined.
Other than that, as long as no curse words are being used, it's all free speech to me. You don't like it, there are other frequencies to program into your rig... but I bet you monitor 435 all the time!
Nothing wrong with cussing... free speech is free speech. So what if kids and morons hear it? They cuss too! If you have a problem with people cussing on the airwaves, pack up and move to Iran or North Korea where you can be as unfree as you want.
KE6NWH obviously did not get the spirit & intent of this article, nor did he read the comment stating the position of Shortwave America on this and similar topics. Thanks for reading!
I'm afraid you are completely clueless about free speech law. You are correct that broadcast speech standards don't apply to amateur radio, but that is because hams have MORE free speech rights than broadcasters, not less! Hams have the right to say on the air anything that you could legally say on a street corner. In other words, hams have the full panoply of free speech rights under the Constitution.
You should hear the crap on the radio in San Antonio, Texas on 146.520 fm
They call it .52 to SHOW they have two hams WD5GXH & WD5FWP These two has gone way over the line. They are just VULGAR !!! We all wish the FCC would take they out... But Ms Smith will not do a thing....
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