What a surprise to log in tonight to find that there are now over ten thousand unique readers of Shortwave America! WOW! This past week has been spent working on making the advertised changes to this publication, and getting new material ready, so things are coming slowly but surely!
Today starts a temporary "medical leave" for Shortwave America. Your well wishes and continued readership are appreciated. Posting will resume as soon as possible, and hopefully, sooner rather than later.
This evening's RAIN Report had Hap Holly with Part 2 of his interview with KE6RRI who now owns the wasteland known as the renegade repeater in L.A. Apparently, she and her group are moving the machine or a receive site about 20 miles away from her as opposed to the 80 miles she originally had to struggle to make it into the machine.
Everyone check the recent Amateur Radio Newsline because two stations in Southern Illinois will be conducting DX testing with different modes and levels of power. Antenna and signals will all be non-directional. One of these stations will go as low as 3 watts!
That's it for now. Stay around everyone, Shortwave America will be back!
Showing posts with label Renegade Repeater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renegade Repeater. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Christina - KE6RRI Pushing Limits Of Free Speech
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
**************
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
**************
Friday, October 15, 2010
History Of The California Repeater Wars - Part 1
Shortwave America was listening to the Los Angeles "Renegade Repeater" 147.435, on 10-10-2010. Given the date and the history of this repeater, it was no surprise to hear the group ripping on some younger guy named "Danny". One man in the conversation kept referencing how illegal it is to threaten a "County Employee" and accused "Danny" of threatening him. It is important that this author say that no threats were made during the time spent listening. The only thing heard was lots of unorthodox operation, swearing, and jamming.
This whole mess continued on into the early morning hours of 10-11-2010.
The funniest part of this whole skirmish was when they questioned "Danny's" food certification for working at Red Robin. At 5:03AM Central time, a jammer was heard playing a 435 user in a repeating loop recording saying "Yeah, I don't think Danny's ever heard of Homeland Security, everyone's connected to that, he'll learn."
It needs to be said that SWA is a stern advocate for professional operation, and has also learned that some repeater owners/trustees in the U.S. allow unorthodox operation to occur which doesn't always mean that an FCC violation is occurring because no one is truly being offended by the on-air antics of the repeater users.
It's all just one big act to be honest. Shortwave America became curious about how this group of amateurs came to be. A nice thread at QRZ was found:
WA6ITF quoted from a QRZ thread on the subject:
"The rules violations began back in 1978 on the .435 repeater (when it was still reversed channel from today) with the formation of the now long defunct ham radio political movement known as "Underground Radio." The stated purpose of "UGR" as it called itself was: "...to free repeater users from the totalitarian rules imposed by repeater owner operators using any means at its disposal..."
Since there were few rules on the .435 repeater nobody ever figured out why it began there -- but it did. And from a small central core of a dozen or so whose calls are long forgotten -- there began an all-out war against every 2 meter repeater within the LA - San Diego RF corridor that lasted close to 4 years.
UGR formed "attack squads" that would show up on repeaters, jam out QSO's with high power mobile or remote base radios and leave as suddenly as they appeared.
One repeater -- the old K6MYK machine owned by the late Art Gentry (W6MEP) -- the person generally credited with inventing the first practical ham radio repeater -- converted his machine from a repeater to a 24 / 7 code practice channel. Others fought back in kind by invading .435 and jamming the stations who had jammed their repeaters.
By '82 many of us had simply abandoned 2 meter FM -- going to 222 or 440. 222 was of little interest to UGR and they seemed to be scared to try to tangle with those on 440. In that day and age a ham did not dare to show up on a 440 repeater without a specific invitation to use the band as issued by its then inhabitants. In fact, the local retailers were quite reticent to sell the average ham a 70cm radio for fear of reprisal from the 440 community. Actually, its a lot more complex than that -- but it would take pages to go into full detail.
So UGR stayed on 2 meters and harassed any group it pleased. But one day they made the mistake of taking on the '76'ers -- the group that had for decades kept repeaters off of 146.76 MHz simplex-only and considered it their own private channel. When the UGR folks showed up on .76 they were literally met with what one could equate as an organized military response. UGR never again showed up on 146.76 -- likely in fear of their personal safety. (.76 was a closed community detailed in "The Chronicles of .76" as authored by the late Kendal Webster Sessions, K6MVH. It had its own society, its own rules and even its own police force known as the Seven Six Secret Service or SSSS.)
But the real downfall of the UGR movement was when it went up against the DX Club repeater. A group of very wealthy doctors, lawyers, bankers, film industry executives and the like who had the "connections" to force the issue. It also had a hard-bitten attorney, the late Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, who had personal contacts at the level of the U.S. Congress. Within weeks of UGR's assault on the DX Club repeater, Merdler made a trip to Washington to meet with Rep, Jim Corman. Within a month of that meeting the local LA FCC office had begun targeting hams breaking the rules -- especially those identified as members of UGR. I still recall being at the ARRL SW Division Banquet in 1980 when the then ARRL Division Director introduced two Federal agents who in turn announced the arrest earlier that day of one of the most blatant violators. By late 1982 UGR was gone but the toll it took on 2 meter FM operation likely will never be accurately assessed.
But the remnants of UGR hung around on .435 but as long as they stayed there nobody cared. Just as long as they stayed off everyone else's repeater -- all was well in the world. Those there now -- whomever they are -- are there because they cannot operate elsewhere in the unorthodox style -- the dame as their predecessors. To out of town'ers who hear it on the Internet and to newcomers who hear it for the first time -- live -- it tends to be upsetting. But once people understand the "unofficial truce" that exists, it just becomes a way of life.
In the end I think its safe to say that its there because the overall SoCal ham community might consider it an eyesore; might in public demand it be taken off the air -- but in reality would rather have it in one place rather than all across the 2 meter band.
Oh yes: Hundreds of hours of tape exist from this period. I have several dozen hours here -- somewhere. Maybe one day Ill try to find the box with the cassettes. I suspect that the voices will be different but the conversations will be about the same."
Shortwave America spoke with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF after viewing this comment and asked him to dig up the tapes. The following transcript was the result of an E-Mail reply sent to Shortwave America by Bill Pasternak:
"Most of the story of .435 -- Underground Radio and its followers is what was posted. More detail can be found in late 1979 and early to mid 1980's issues of 73 Magazine which I wrote for back then. Look for the column titled "Looking West."
One thing not mentioned in the posting was the work of the late attorney Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, in trying to stem the tide of this organized interference and through him the involvement of former US Congressman James Corman (D. Cal) that forced the issue with the FCC. (When a US Congressman demands a meeting with an agency, his wants become an urgent priority.) For his work, Merdler was awarded
As Ive said before: The real downfall of the UGR movement was when it went up against the DX Club repeater. A group of very wealthy doctors, lawyers, bankers, film industry executives and the like who had the "connections" to force the issue. It also had a hard-bitten attorney, the late Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, who had personal contacts at the level of the U.S. Congress.
Within weeks of UGR's assault on the DX Club repeater, Merdler made a trip to Washington to meet with Rep, Jim Corman. Within a month of that meeting the local LA FCC office had begun targeting hams breaking the rules -- especially those identified as members of UGR. I still recall being at the ARRL SW Division Banquet in 1980 when the then ARRL Division Director introduced two Federal agents who in turn announced the arrest earlier that day of one of the most blatant violators.
But the UGR fought back -- and did so with overt violence. As noted above, Joe Merdler was both an attorney and ham radio activist leading the fight against UGR and other copycat groups that had formed. One morning he was awoken by the fire department responding to a report of a lawn fire at his North Hollywood home. What was burning were three foot high crosses on his lawn The incident made national news on all 3 TV networks. It was widely believed that the crosses were a warning from Underground Radio to Merdler to "..back away or else..." Merdler would not back away but did take the precaution of getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon and never left home without it after that incident.
A few weeks later, another person believed to be a UGR member attempted to force Joe off the road and into the barrier of the Hollywood Freeway. The antenna-laden pick-up truck with no license plates (as described to me by Joe) was going to try to do whats now called a PIT maneuver and force Joe to crash. Joe was driving a full sized Cadillac with a "big ass" engine. As the guy tried to ram Joe, he simply accelerated (again -- that big V8) and the pick-up was what hit the separator. There were no cellphones back then so Joe asked another ham to call thew CHP to report the incident, but by the time the CHP arrived, the pick-up and its occupant were gone. Joe said he stopped on his way home at the North Hollywood PD Station and filed a report.
In addition to fighting jamming, Joe was an avid DXer, has also been practicing law for 16 years, and combines his profession and hobby well. He is President of the Personal Communications Foundation, Legal Advisor to the Two Meter Spectrum Management Association, an Assistant Director for the ARRL Southwestern Division, and an Advanced Class licensee. My take is that Joe would likely still be leading the fight against jammers if he had not suffered a fatal heart attack in January of 1996.
By late 1982 UGR was gone but the toll it took on 2 meter FM operation likely will never be accurately assessed. But the remnants of UGR hung around on .435 and as long as they stayed there nobody cared. Just as long as they stayed off everyone else's repeater -- all was well in the world.
Those there now -- whomever they are -- are there because they cannot operate elsewhere in the unorthodox style -- the same as their predecessors. To out of town'ers who hear it on the Internet and to newcomers who hear it live for the first time, it tends to be upsetting. But once people understand the "unofficial truce" that exists, it just becomes a way of life. And that in essence is the reason its still there. And I seriously doubt that its user base today even remembers Underground Radio, Joe Merdler, or even the generation of hams that preceeded them on that repeater."
Bill has promised to send Shortwave America MP3 files from these old days of the "435" machine, and in the meantime, to keep the great, loyal, readers here informed and entertained, Shortwave America has a recent recording of 10-10-10 from the Renegade Repeater, humorously called "Background Checks"! Note that this video is rated "R" for use of adult language, and coarse behavior.
This publication will seek out the articles referenced by Mr. Pasternak, as well as the book about the "76'ers" and attempt to bring you a series on what we all know as the California Repeater Wars. Shortwave America thanks Bill Pasternak for his gracious reply and the time he took out of his schedule to give everyone more insight into what those old days were like.
This whole mess continued on into the early morning hours of 10-11-2010.
The funniest part of this whole skirmish was when they questioned "Danny's" food certification for working at Red Robin. At 5:03AM Central time, a jammer was heard playing a 435 user in a repeating loop recording saying "Yeah, I don't think Danny's ever heard of Homeland Security, everyone's connected to that, he'll learn."
It needs to be said that SWA is a stern advocate for professional operation, and has also learned that some repeater owners/trustees in the U.S. allow unorthodox operation to occur which doesn't always mean that an FCC violation is occurring because no one is truly being offended by the on-air antics of the repeater users.
It's all just one big act to be honest. Shortwave America became curious about how this group of amateurs came to be. A nice thread at QRZ was found:
WA6ITF quoted from a QRZ thread on the subject:
"The rules violations began back in 1978 on the .435 repeater (when it was still reversed channel from today) with the formation of the now long defunct ham radio political movement known as "Underground Radio." The stated purpose of "UGR" as it called itself was: "...to free repeater users from the totalitarian rules imposed by repeater owner operators using any means at its disposal..."
Since there were few rules on the .435 repeater nobody ever figured out why it began there -- but it did. And from a small central core of a dozen or so whose calls are long forgotten -- there began an all-out war against every 2 meter repeater within the LA - San Diego RF corridor that lasted close to 4 years.
UGR formed "attack squads" that would show up on repeaters, jam out QSO's with high power mobile or remote base radios and leave as suddenly as they appeared.
One repeater -- the old K6MYK machine owned by the late Art Gentry (W6MEP) -- the person generally credited with inventing the first practical ham radio repeater -- converted his machine from a repeater to a 24 / 7 code practice channel. Others fought back in kind by invading .435 and jamming the stations who had jammed their repeaters.
By '82 many of us had simply abandoned 2 meter FM -- going to 222 or 440. 222 was of little interest to UGR and they seemed to be scared to try to tangle with those on 440. In that day and age a ham did not dare to show up on a 440 repeater without a specific invitation to use the band as issued by its then inhabitants. In fact, the local retailers were quite reticent to sell the average ham a 70cm radio for fear of reprisal from the 440 community. Actually, its a lot more complex than that -- but it would take pages to go into full detail.
So UGR stayed on 2 meters and harassed any group it pleased. But one day they made the mistake of taking on the '76'ers -- the group that had for decades kept repeaters off of 146.76 MHz simplex-only and considered it their own private channel. When the UGR folks showed up on .76 they were literally met with what one could equate as an organized military response. UGR never again showed up on 146.76 -- likely in fear of their personal safety. (.76 was a closed community detailed in "The Chronicles of .76" as authored by the late Kendal Webster Sessions, K6MVH. It had its own society, its own rules and even its own police force known as the Seven Six Secret Service or SSSS.)
But the real downfall of the UGR movement was when it went up against the DX Club repeater. A group of very wealthy doctors, lawyers, bankers, film industry executives and the like who had the "connections" to force the issue. It also had a hard-bitten attorney, the late Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, who had personal contacts at the level of the U.S. Congress. Within weeks of UGR's assault on the DX Club repeater, Merdler made a trip to Washington to meet with Rep, Jim Corman. Within a month of that meeting the local LA FCC office had begun targeting hams breaking the rules -- especially those identified as members of UGR. I still recall being at the ARRL SW Division Banquet in 1980 when the then ARRL Division Director introduced two Federal agents who in turn announced the arrest earlier that day of one of the most blatant violators. By late 1982 UGR was gone but the toll it took on 2 meter FM operation likely will never be accurately assessed.
But the remnants of UGR hung around on .435 but as long as they stayed there nobody cared. Just as long as they stayed off everyone else's repeater -- all was well in the world. Those there now -- whomever they are -- are there because they cannot operate elsewhere in the unorthodox style -- the dame as their predecessors. To out of town'ers who hear it on the Internet and to newcomers who hear it for the first time -- live -- it tends to be upsetting. But once people understand the "unofficial truce" that exists, it just becomes a way of life.
In the end I think its safe to say that its there because the overall SoCal ham community might consider it an eyesore; might in public demand it be taken off the air -- but in reality would rather have it in one place rather than all across the 2 meter band.
Oh yes: Hundreds of hours of tape exist from this period. I have several dozen hours here -- somewhere. Maybe one day Ill try to find the box with the cassettes. I suspect that the voices will be different but the conversations will be about the same."
Shortwave America spoke with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF after viewing this comment and asked him to dig up the tapes. The following transcript was the result of an E-Mail reply sent to Shortwave America by Bill Pasternak:
"Most of the story of .435 -- Underground Radio and its followers is what was posted. More detail can be found in late 1979 and early to mid 1980's issues of 73 Magazine which I wrote for back then. Look for the column titled "Looking West."
One thing not mentioned in the posting was the work of the late attorney Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, in trying to stem the tide of this organized interference and through him the involvement of former US Congressman James Corman (D. Cal) that forced the issue with the FCC. (When a US Congressman demands a meeting with an agency, his wants become an urgent priority.) For his work, Merdler was awarded
As Ive said before: The real downfall of the UGR movement was when it went up against the DX Club repeater. A group of very wealthy doctors, lawyers, bankers, film industry executives and the like who had the "connections" to force the issue. It also had a hard-bitten attorney, the late Joseph Merdler, N6AHU, who had personal contacts at the level of the U.S. Congress.
Within weeks of UGR's assault on the DX Club repeater, Merdler made a trip to Washington to meet with Rep, Jim Corman. Within a month of that meeting the local LA FCC office had begun targeting hams breaking the rules -- especially those identified as members of UGR. I still recall being at the ARRL SW Division Banquet in 1980 when the then ARRL Division Director introduced two Federal agents who in turn announced the arrest earlier that day of one of the most blatant violators.
But the UGR fought back -- and did so with overt violence. As noted above, Joe Merdler was both an attorney and ham radio activist leading the fight against UGR and other copycat groups that had formed. One morning he was awoken by the fire department responding to a report of a lawn fire at his North Hollywood home. What was burning were three foot high crosses on his lawn The incident made national news on all 3 TV networks. It was widely believed that the crosses were a warning from Underground Radio to Merdler to "..back away or else..." Merdler would not back away but did take the precaution of getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon and never left home without it after that incident.
A few weeks later, another person believed to be a UGR member attempted to force Joe off the road and into the barrier of the Hollywood Freeway. The antenna-laden pick-up truck with no license plates (as described to me by Joe) was going to try to do whats now called a PIT maneuver and force Joe to crash. Joe was driving a full sized Cadillac with a "big ass" engine. As the guy tried to ram Joe, he simply accelerated (again -- that big V8) and the pick-up was what hit the separator. There were no cellphones back then so Joe asked another ham to call thew CHP to report the incident, but by the time the CHP arrived, the pick-up and its occupant were gone. Joe said he stopped on his way home at the North Hollywood PD Station and filed a report.
In addition to fighting jamming, Joe was an avid DXer, has also been practicing law for 16 years, and combines his profession and hobby well. He is President of the Personal Communications Foundation, Legal Advisor to the Two Meter Spectrum Management Association, an Assistant Director for the ARRL Southwestern Division, and an Advanced Class licensee. My take is that Joe would likely still be leading the fight against jammers if he had not suffered a fatal heart attack in January of 1996.
By late 1982 UGR was gone but the toll it took on 2 meter FM operation likely will never be accurately assessed. But the remnants of UGR hung around on .435 and as long as they stayed there nobody cared. Just as long as they stayed off everyone else's repeater -- all was well in the world.
Those there now -- whomever they are -- are there because they cannot operate elsewhere in the unorthodox style -- the same as their predecessors. To out of town'ers who hear it on the Internet and to newcomers who hear it live for the first time, it tends to be upsetting. But once people understand the "unofficial truce" that exists, it just becomes a way of life. And that in essence is the reason its still there. And I seriously doubt that its user base today even remembers Underground Radio, Joe Merdler, or even the generation of hams that preceeded them on that repeater."
Bill has promised to send Shortwave America MP3 files from these old days of the "435" machine, and in the meantime, to keep the great, loyal, readers here informed and entertained, Shortwave America has a recent recording of 10-10-10 from the Renegade Repeater, humorously called "Background Checks"! Note that this video is rated "R" for use of adult language, and coarse behavior.
This publication will seek out the articles referenced by Mr. Pasternak, as well as the book about the "76'ers" and attempt to bring you a series on what we all know as the California Repeater Wars. Shortwave America thanks Bill Pasternak for his gracious reply and the time he took out of his schedule to give everyone more insight into what those old days were like.
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