[Dx-qsl] Re: [dx-qso] I Found This on QRZ.com
Alan C. Zack
[email protected]
Fri Dec 19 14:18:01 2003
I agree that you need permission to ENTER KH7K, KM6, KW6, KJ6, KW6,
KC6, KC4, etc, to use their old prefixes, but once you are there, do
you need permission to operate from the local authority, may it be the
Base C.O., the head Gooney Bird counter, or who ever? I contend you
don't. Note I said to operate. You may need permission to put up an
antenna, heaven forbid a Gooney Bird may crash into one of your guy
wires. What if the old KJ6 MARS/Ham Station was still in operation
but no one presently on the island was interested in working pileups
but just called back to KH6 once a week or so. Then I land there on a
Medi-Vac on my USCG C-130. The patient has to be stabilized over
night so I stroll over to the MARS/Ham station and create a pile-up to
kill some time. I log all my contacts in the stations log book and
instruct the people I contact to QSL these Q's via my home call. Are
those Q's not countable? I have my flight plan in and out of
Johnston, I have my receipt for my room in the BOQ and my meals at the
Officers Mess. I have done such at all these island locations in the
past.
KT6E certainly had permission to enter. He was on a gov't contract.
I would assume he could use all the facilities on the island including
a Ham station if one was in operation at the time. If he hung a wire
out of his quarters window with no complaints from the BOQ/VOQ/
Billeting Office why wouldn't his contacts count?
Ron Notarius WN3VAW wrote:
>
> 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" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>; "Lighter Side of KCDXC"
> <[email protected]>; "Mike ZooLoo" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
> 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.
>
> [email protected] 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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--
__________________________________________________________________________
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
SEMPER PARATUS