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June 1, 1999
In My View
Editorial Opinion
by Doug Smith
KAF9830
WA6GON
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GMRS
Protect it or Lose It!
"The
situation in Central California
is now completely out of hand."
In the last several weeks, I have met
with other GMRS licensees who have told me horror stories about spectrum
intruders. I have even listened first hand to illegal operation on GMRS. During
the Memorial Day weekend I identified a GMRS intruder and spoke directly to the
police department that arranged to have radios programmed on a GMRS repeater
output channel.
The General Mobile Radio Service is in
trouble. Unscrupulous radio shops around the U.S. are putting business
customers and even law enforcement agencies on GMRS frequencies. The whole
attitude of these shops is, Who cares? It's just family radio." The
situation in Central California is now completely out of hand.
Examples
In Walnut Grove, California a back hoe
company is using a high powered repeater to facilitate business communication.
You never hear call signs and the repeater does not identify. Contact with the
company on the air and off has proved fruitless.
In the Stockton area, a major two way
radio firm sells time on a GMRS repeater frequency to a security company. The
security company dispatcher is asked by her supervisor to jam the lawful radio
transmissions of a GMRS licensee and his wife. The security company could care
less about the GMRS licensee. Personal contact, letters, and calls to the FCC
have proved fruitless.
A San Francisco Bay Area police
department sends extra portable radios to their contract radio shop for
reprogramming on new frequencies so volunteers can have radios for coordinating
security at a public fair. The radio shop returns the radios to the police
programmed on the "family channels," and tells the police that's no
big deal. GMRS licensees suddenly hear lost child broadcasts on a GMRS repeater
output frequency. The high power portables can be heard for miles. As soon as
the PD was made aware of the problem operation ceased.
There have been seasonal agricultural
abuses of GMRS for years in the San Joaquin Valley according to GMRS licensees
there. Some scofflaws operating repeaters have been chased off of one GMRS
frequency only to appear on another.
A major airport maintenance company
suddenly appeared on 462.675 at a Southern California airport. The company was
NOT aware their radios were on a frequency they were not eligible to use. Their
radio vendor put them on it.
Also in Southern California, a well
known hotel chain suddenly appeared on a GMRS channel. The hotel was also
unaware they were not eligible to use GMRS. Their radio vendor put them
there..
As a GMRS
licensee, what can you do!
What can it hurt? This is a question
from an intruder that you as a GMRS licensee are not required to answer. Nor
should you. It should be enough to explain to any spectrum intruder that they
are operating in a radio service in which they are ineligible to license. You
will be asked this question and you will just have to stick to your guns. The
intruder's operations must cease. It makes no difference how much they have
spent to install their system. Any argument they have for remaining in GMRS is
irrelevant.
Intruders are not as difficult to
identify as you think. In the case of both security companies mentioned above
the radio operators told the GMRS licensees looking for them, who they were and
where they were -- on the air. The back hoe company was an afternoon's drive to
triangulate the source of the radio transmissions since they ignored attempts
to contact them on the air.
Once identified introduce yourself to
the intruder in person or in writing. Links to sample letters are being
developed. Make the following points in your communication, keeping in mind
that the best approach for those already doing this work has been a polite and
informative one.
- Only individual persons may obtain a
new GMRS license. Business users are INELIGIBLE. Public safety and other
government agencies are also INELIGIBLE.
- EACH individual spectrum intruder
could be liable for an FCC enforcement action, up to a $20,000 fine and 5 years
imprisonment upon conviction.
- There may be another radio service in
which the intruder could license their activities. Discuss some potential
options and even give them the name of a reputable radio shop.
- It is possible the radio salesman or
radio shop that furnished the intruder with radios did so willfully. The
intruder may be able to establish civil liability against the company that sold
or rented the radio system. You appreciate the fact the business has an
investment in equipment but that really is their problem not yours.
- All operations must cease or your only
recourse would be to call the FCC. It is very possible that the FCC could
decide to investigate whether the technicians or radio shop owner is still
qualified and eligible to hold other Commission licenses. The FCC can suspend
or revoke commercial or Amateur Radio licenses held by people at the scofflaw
shops that should know better. Violating the FCC rules is an unnecessary and
foolish business/personal risk.
Please share your experiences and
letters with this magazine AND the Personal Radio Steering Group.
A Helpful
Analogy
Are you having difficulty making your
point. The following analogy or one like it might help:
You notice one day that your neighbor
from across the street has suddenly started using your back yard. They have
gone to a lot of trouble to jump the fence, unlock the gate, and even put a
lock of their own on the gate so they can get in tomorrow and the next day
after that etc. You are incredulous. You ask your neighbor why he would do such
a thing? He tells you that the neighbor down the street said you wouldn't mind!
Heck, you don't even know the person giving others permission to use your
land.
Just as the spectrum intruder can be
fined for FCC rule violations the neighbor above can be arrested for
trespassing. The neighbor who encouraged the law breaker might be civilly
liable. The point is, there is no defense. If you don't want the neighbor in
your backyard you must tell him to leave! You can bet that if you planted your
business or personal communication on a repeater channel licensed to an
unscrupulous radio shop for subscription customers that they would chase you
away post haste!
GMRS
Licensees
In order to identify REAL spectrum
intruders it is necessary for ALL GMRS licensees to use FCC assigned call signs
as required by law. If your repeater group uses system identifiers ALSO use
your FCC assigned call sign at required intervals.
Clean your own house. Coordinate
repeaters. Avoid using more tones than you need. Eliminating the aggravation we
can cause each other will go a long way toward assuring the FCC and the radio
industry that we are to be taken seriously.
Notice:
Unscrupulous Radio Shops
GMRS licensees are wise to your antics.
What you think is unimportant is very important to us. We intend to protect the
spectrum allocated to GMRS. We will identify your activities and report what we
know to the FCC. You cannot continue to put your customers in jeopardy nor
cause interference to the GMRS by doing so. What you are doing is wrong and it
will not be tolerated.
Potential buyers of two way radio
services should make sure they are licensed on the frequencies the vendor
selected for them. Buyer beware.
Industry
Awareness
I think it is also time for two-way
radio organizations representing industry and public safety to get involved by
educating their members in trade publications or by other means. Awareness of
this problem may prevent those predisposed to violate FCC rules for their own
convenience from doing so.
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Doug Smith
KAF9830
WA6GON
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