[Dx-qsl] Re: [dx-qso] I Found This on QRZ.com

[Ron Notarius WN3VAW]

The answer lies right there in the original (or first) post.

The base commander did NOT give formal permission for KT6E to operate.

Notice, of course, that in the various comments, the usual anti-ARRL blasts
are made, and one reading this could get the impression that since KT6E
didn't have the League's permission, it doesn't count.  But what is not
noted is that the League is following procedures set by one or more agencies
of the US Government on permitted operations.

Further, the DXCC rules have been tightened over the last decade or so (up
to and including the "DXCC 2000" rewrite/update) to require official
authorization; you can check the rules for the specific details.  Why?
Amongst other things, because of the flaps the League has had to endure with
governments alleging various inappropriate or unauthorized operations -- I'm
thinking specifically of the 9U license situation a few years back to name
one.

Now K7ACZ mentions that he didn't need said "official" permission during his
days of operating & maintaining the US Coast Guard LORAN stations.  True,
but that was under an older set of rules (both the DXCC rules and Federal
agency rules) that are no longer in effect today.

Keep in mind that you can not land on many US territories today (KH1, KP1 &
KP5 to name three) without official blessings of one or more US government
agencies, and you can not operate your rig, FCC license not withstanding,
from there with permission of the same agencies.  Is it fair?  Is it right?
Personally, I think not... but it is the laws (or R&R) in place today.

Finally, getting back to the original point... again, read KT6E's comments.
From a careful reading of his post, and reading between the lines, I gather
that this may be what happened:  He says he operated from Johnston Island
(and I believe him, but bear with me).  The ARRL, as per policy, requests a
copy of his permission to be there and to operate.  He declined... in part
because he may never have gotten it (after all, he does acknowledge that he
never had permission from the bureacracy because of the amount of time it
was taking to get said permission) and proceeds to make cracks about being a
"thorn in the side" of the AH3D crowd.  Hmmm.  Interesting.  And yet it's
all the League's fault?    In short, he chose not to follow the rules, and
blaming the League for all of it is a bit of a stretch.

And by the way... AH3D turned out to NOT be the last operation from Johnston
Island.  I seem to recall that the KJ6BZ station was QRV after the AH3D
expedition was over.

...and if the KJ6BZ license was still good, why didn't he just operate under
the club call?

I could go on, but you get my drift.  There's a lot of interesting unasked
questions here.  I'd be VERY hesitant to put full blame on the ARRL until
they are asked and answered.

73, ron wn3vaw

"You used up all the glue ON PURPOSE!"
In Memory of Shep K2ORS (SK) and 10:15 PM on WOR 710 AM

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan C. Zack" <k7acz@cox.net>
To: <dx-qso@yahoogroups.com>; "Lighter Side of KCDXC"
<KCDXC-for-fun@crcltd.com>; "Mike ZooLoo" <aa0mz@yahoo.com>; <n7dc@cs.com>
Cc: <kt6e@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 1:47 AM
Subject: [Dx-qsl] Re: [dx-qso] I Found This on QRZ.com


I used to operate from Johnston as well as Wake, Kwaj, Kure, Marcus,
Iwo Jima, Yap, Palau, etc, etc while supplying the Coast Guard LORAN
stations there.  As a Licensed ham my operations were never
questioned.  Doesn't a legally issued ham license allow you to operate
from any U.S. Territory?  There may be a question of if you can use
their equipment or put up an antenna but it seems that shouldn't keep
contacts made as being not recognized.  All the Coast Guard LORAN Stas
had HF rigs, mostly KWM-2's, and TA-33 beams.  At Johnston the AF had
a ham shack where the room was never locked.  You left a copy of your
license and started a new page in the log book showing the Q's you
made while there.
I did have to jump thru loops to operate from DU and HS, but that is a
different story.

n7dc@cs.com wrote:
>
> It may be well and good that he is not concerned that the ARRL doesn't
> recognize his operation.  The trouble is that those whom he gave a contact
to cannot
> use that contact for ARRL awards, and, after all, that is of utmost
> importance to them.  Without that approval, those contacts are next to
worthless.  I
> encourage everyone who made a contact to write him and ask him to provide
> further info to the ARRL, as they requested.  Sadly, its the ARRLs stance
on the
> subject, and there is not much anyone else can do about it.

The following e-mail exchange illustrates an
interesting "ruling" by the ARRL regarding the
legitimacy of the last ham radio operation from
Johnston Island in the Central Pacific.

John,

I want to thank you for the contact from Johnston
Island on 25/05/03 @07:45 UTC, 20m SSB 59. However
when I submitted this card for DXCC credit this
year, it was rejected by the ARRL. I spoke with Wayne
Mills today and he said all that is needed is a letter
from your captain, or any Island official that
permitted you to operate from land. While Johnston
Island is a US possession, the Island must give
permission to operate from land, otherwise amateur
radio is forbidden at the Island. If you or your
manager have any credential that will verify this
operations permission, please send a photo image to me
and to the ARRL DXCC bureau. It would be a great
disappointment to have worked so rare of a contact and
not get credit for it.
Please advise.

Dear Pete,
I am not surprised that the ARRL rejected your
application for DXCC based on your contact with
Johnston Island on 25/05/03. After all, the last
"Official DXpedition" to Johnston Island, the AH3D
dxpedition, was fully sanctioned by the ARRL. (Please
see:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/01/27/100/?nc=1)
The AH3D dxpedition on Johnston Island went from
approximately Jan 27, 2003 to Feb 4, 2003. I was on
Johnston Island from Feb 12, 2003 to June 4, 2003. I
went there on very short notice to work as an
Environmental Chemist for the Army's Johnston Atoll
Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS). I started
going through the legal channels to operate ham radio
from Johnston Atoll, writing letters to the base
commander, requesting permission to operate ham radio
from my dorm room while working on the island. After a
month of the bureaucratic run-around, I was so eager
to get on the air that I mail ordered a rig, risked my
neck (literally) and my job just to get an antenna up
and get on the air so I could give the KH3 contact to
the Ham Radio DX community. I wrote an e-mail to Wayne
Mills (ARRL) while I was on Johnston Island stating my
temporary KH3 operational status. Perhaps I was a
thorn in the side of the AH3D group as well as the
ARRL while I was operating out there. They went to
great effort and expense for their dxpedition and had
made great fanfare of the fact that they were "the
last DXpedition to Johnston Island for a long time."
While operating from Johnston, I had the full sanction
of the U.S. magistrate (also a ham) on the island. The
base commander, while not giving official permission
to operate from my dorm room, was well aware of my
outdoor station and chose to ignore my use of the old
KJ6BZ club station beam.

Perhaps the ARRL does not acknowledge my operation
from Johnston Island for their award system, but in
the end I was a U.S. licensed ham radio operator
exercising his legal right to operate from a U.S.
protectorate under the joint jurisdiction of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Air Force. I am
not terribly concerned by not receiving official ARRL
endorsement for my operation. After all, I made over
1400 hams worldwide quite happy with a contact and/or
QSO with a ham operator on Johnston Atoll.
73s de John, kt6e



>

--
__________________________________________________________________________
                                     Alan Zack
                     Amateur Radio Station K7ACZ
                         Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
          Quality Engineer, The Boeing Company, Retired
  Aviation Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired
        U.S. Coast Guard, Always Ready, Always There
Every hour, Every day, Around the Clock and Around the World
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