[FCARC] Fwd: FCC Proposes Record Fine for Unauthorized Transmissions During Idaho Wildfire

[Adam Cately]

So -

    This may not be of interest to everyone involved, but sometimes it's 
"said" to OK to transmit on Public Safety channels when life or limb is 
involved - this may NOT be true, or prudent for you to do so, depending 
on where you are and what's going on.

    Just to preface this, I do work for a world-renowned two-way radio 
service organization and have access to public safety radio channels, 
conventional and digital and trunked.  I don't use them all of the time, 
or as a crutch, or for anything other than having access for testing 
when needed in the service aspect and/or the mentioned emergencies 
stated below.

    I *have* made transmissions to certain local dispatch centers and 
also direct to certain police or fire entities, outside of the standard 
"radio service tests" that all of us techs do when testing, either 
relaying information that was pertinent to an emergency at hand or to 
add "on-the-scene" information of an emergency in progress (because I 
was there on the scene), but, that was all local to this particular area 
of NW Ohio and everyone already knew me as a radio service provider, and 
the radio traffic on the public safety radio channel was allowed by the 
entities involved, AT THAT TIME.  Read the link provided here to see why 
that may not work with Joe or Jen Ham, or ME, depending on the 
circumstances...

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/fcc-proposes-record-34-000-fine-for-alleged-interference-and-unauthorized-transmissions-during-idaho

    Towards the bottom of the story, it states that the man in question 
was giving pertinent information to the fire crews, on a designated fire 
channel, because he was familiar with the area and thought it would be 
prudent to help out - the FCC doesn't seem to think it was necessary and 
considered all his transmissions to be harmful, and is trying to hammer 
the point by proposing a record fine for doing such.  The man states 
that he identified as a "comm tech" but that doesn't seem to sway the 
FCC any.

    My thought is - if YOU are ever in a situation where you really need 
to pass information to a public safety organization that isn't during a 
drill, PLEASE call 911 or the local non-emergency phone number to the 
entity you need to speak with - PLEASE DO NOT dial up their radio 
channel on your portable or mobile and try to converse with them there.  
Since I've read this linked article, I will probably change my stance as 
to "I can do it, I'm a Radio Service Guy" to something more amenable to 
the organization in question, like making a phone call to dispatch. 
Public safety dispatchers and first responders are already on high-alert 
during calls, so there's no need to extend or impede that by stepping 
into their radio traffic with your own.  I can't think of anything MORE 
worser than getting the local public safety departments angry at the 
local ham/radio community for "trying to be helpful" because we have 
radios that work where they shouldn't.

    This is also - my opinion only - if you want to risk tens of 
thousands of dollars in fines, then you do you, there, radio buddy . . 
.   I would just like to see the local radio community be aware of the 
possibilities and repercussions that do exist in the real world.

    Thanks for following along this far - everyone take care.


de KB8MDF



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	[repeater-builder] This should help make the case with USFS ..
Date: 	Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:06:32 -0500
From: 	Peter Laws <plaws0 at gmail.com>
Reply-To: 	repeater-builder at groups.io
To: 	repeater-builder at groups.io



http://www.arrl.org/news/view/fcc-proposes-record-34-000-fine-for-alleged-interference-and-unauthorized-transmissions-during-idaho