[PPRAANet] [ppdxg] [MHDXA] This was the last straw!

Fri Apr 1 22:39:46 EDT 2011

Rick,
     Apparently you missed a little something about bandwidth on your 
General exam.  A SSB signal on 14.225, even USB will have significant 
energy below 14.225 where your General class license does not permit you 
to transmit.  A CW signal on 14.025 will have significant signal below 
14.025 at any keying speed you could possible be using, the faster speed 
the more bandwidth.  Your general class license does not permit you to 
transmit energy below 14.025 MHz.  Don't knock the OO, they are doing a 
very important job of self policing our hobby.  Would you rather have 
had an FCC inspector send you an official notice of violation followed 
by a notice of apparent liability if you had answered the violation 
notice with no understanding of the bandwidth issues your signal 
produces?  The FCC monitor engineers are very familiar with the 
bandwidth occupied by a radio signal be it SSB or CW.  If you operate 
directly on the band edge that you are authorized to operate you WILL BE 
IN VIOLATION.  The OO might have saved you a very stiff fine, loss of 
your operating privileges and in extreme cases, confiscation of your 
equipment if you continued to operate in violation of the rules.  I have 
received two OO notices in my 38+ years of operation and have 
appreciated them calling my attention to the problems.  I also received 
one notice of violation from the FCC on my first day as a novice copying 
me sending at 5 WPM, "Please QRS, This is my first day"  They did not 
bother copying the very nice ham who sent back at about 3 WPM,  "go up 5 
Kc, you are out of novice band".  That probably saved me a stiff fine 
and taught me to pay attention to what I am doing.  My rule now is to 
stay at least 3 KHZ from the band edge with a SSB signal and 2 KHz from 
the edge on CW.  I also got my Extra so I have less edges to worry about.

     Bless the OO and thank them for keeping our hobby clean.
Bill

Bill Croghan,
WB0KSW
Chief Engineer, Lotus Broadcasting,
Las Vegas, NV.

On 4/1/2011 5:12 PM, Steve **KT0DX** wrote:
> Rick you must have found two OO's on a bad day as they never do anything
> the other 364 days a year.  When they (OO's) do something about the
> likes of KZ8O located in Michigan then
> I might say worry a little about them.  Don't sell yourself out over
> this you are to good of an operator.  I enjoy sitting on 14.240 taking
> in all that you and N0UN talk about in regards to DX operating.
>
> Hang in there!
>
> Steve
> KT0DX (Fountain, CO.)
>
> On 4/1/2011 16:32, DickT-W0RAA wrote:
>> Rick,  toss them in the circular file.  An OO postcard is a reminder, not an
>> official warning.  It was not from the FCC.  I received one years ago for
>> being close to the band edge while mobile.  Since I was a new ham I figured
>> the FCC was going to be pounding at my door.  It never happened. A friend
>> told me the same thing that others have said to you: don't sweat it, but
>> just be more aware the next time.  Now, if you were exactly on 14.025 part
>> of your signal may have been lower than that.  Two ways to solve this
>> problem.  One is to stay a couple kc's away from the band edge and 2, get
>> your Extra. If I can do it, you can do it.
>>
>> I hope you don't go QRT because of a couple post cards.  BTW,  if you decide
>> to go through with this, I'll give you $500 for everything and if you throw
>> in the car with the mobile unit, I'll up my offer to $750.  Let me know
>> ASAP.   ;)
>>
>> Dick
>> W0RAA
>>
>>
>>     ----- Original Message -----
>>     From: Rick WØRIC
>>     To: Telepresence Forum
>>     Cc: Al Reeves ; mhdxa at mhdxa.com ; OB-MJ ; tonyandginger D'Ercole ; Rich
>> W9RG ; Grand Mesa Contest Club ; Hank W0CZE ; Larry ; Richie W1STT ; John
>> Ayres ; chris&chantal ; raymond ; Don K2DC ; ARS KØKE Keith ; William
>> Sawders ; Walt K1QS
>>     Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 9:08 AM
>>     Subject: [MHDXA] This was the last straw!
>>
>>
>>     Yesterday I received not one but two Official Observer cards. Both
>> basically said I was "out-of-band".
>>
>>     The first one was from the WPX contest saying that on 14.225 I was
>> "transmitting out of band". WTF? My General licence says I can TX from
>> 14.225-14.350
>>
>>     The second Official Observer notice came from a CW DX contact on 14.025
>> saying I was sending CW too close to the "BAND EDGE" of my licence.
>>
>>     CW on the band edge? WTF???? Are you kidding me?
>>
>>     OK, so explain to me why is it when we call CQ DX on 14.240 and stateside
>> stations QRM we don't hear about these great Official Observers sending
>> cards to them?
>>
>>     Also, what about the stations who call over the DX, don't run split and
>> don't hear the DX and actually call the DX on the wrong frequency? What are
>> these great OO's doing?
>>
>>     So I was up all night thinking about all this. I've decided to give it all
>> up.
>>
>>     I am in the process of listing everything on eBay&   eham. Tower,
>> antenna's, radio's, amp's, mobile etc. It all goes.
>>
>>     Its been fun knowing all of you and maybe in a decade I'll reconsider the
>> hobby like my good friend Wayne, N0UN did but for now, I AM DONE!
>>
>>     All the best to all my friends and I hope we remain good friends.
>>
>>
>>     73
>>     Rick
>>     WØRIC
>>     www.w0ric.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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