FCC Fines CB Operator-Amateur Licensee
The FCC has imposed large fines on a Washington CB operator who now holds a Technician class amateur
license . In an October 18 Forfeiture Order (NOF), the Commission levied a $10,000 fine on Robert A. Spiry,
now KD7TRB, of Tacoma, for unauthorized operation on 11 meters that also involved the use of
uncertificated equipment and the use of an illegal external RF power amplifier. The alleged violations
occurred in 2002. Following up on "numerous complaints of interference to home electronics equipment"
from CB transmissions, agents from the FCC's Seattle Field Office tracked the interfering transmissions to
Spiry's home and vehicle. "The agent observed signal levels that appeared to be significantly higher than
those expected from a legal CB transmitter," the FCC said in a subsequent Notice of Apparent Liability
(NAL). The FCC says its agents conducted inspections of Spiry's station in April and November 2002 and
determined that Spiry was operating uncertificated transmitters and using a linear amplifier attached to his
CB transmitter in violation of Part 95 rules. The FCC said it advised Spiry that his use of unauthorized and
non-certified equipment voided his blanket authority to operate his CB station, but he continued to operate
anyway. The Commission said that when Spiry responded to the December 2002 NAL, he did not dispute
the facts as the FCC had presented them. But, Spiry told the FCC that he had given up CB, removed his CB
antenna and obtained an Amateur Radio license. Spiry's ham ticket was granted December 2, 2002. Spiry
also said he didn't realize that the fine for such violations couldbe so high and that he is unable to pay it. The Commission says Spiry presented no evidence to back up that claim, however, and it's not persuaded that
Spiry's "remedial efforts" warrant any reduction in the fine. The FCC gave Spiry 30 days to pay the fine.
NASA names space veteran, ham as deputy for exploration operations
NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe has appointed International Space Station Expedition 8 Commander
Mike Foale, KB5UAC, as deputy associate administrator for exploration operations. In that role, the
British-born Foale--who also did a duty tour aboard the Russian Mir space station--will advise the mission
directorate senior leadership on near-term opportunities to refocus and realign training, operations,
engineering support and life sciences research towards accomplishing the Vision for Space Exploration.
“Mike brings his unique science and mission background to NASA Headquarters during a critical and
exciting time for the agency, O’Keefe said. During his stay aboard the ISS, Foale participated in more
than a dozen Amateur Radio on the International Space Station school-group contacts from NA1SS .
An astronaut since 1987, Foale developed crew rescue and integrated operations for the ISS. He also
served as chief of the astronaut office expedition corps, and as assistant director (technical) of Johnson
Space Center. He is a veteran of six space flights and has logged more than 374 days in space, including
four space walks, making him the US record holder for time spent in space.
Diversity is the Key to Success in Utah
By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, ARRL Affiliated Club/Mentor Program Manager
Homebrew night is just one of the many events that keep the Utah Amateur Radio Club (UARC) so active.
This year the annual "Homebrew Night" had many projects that were too large to bring to the meeting so
some members used PowerPoint to show off their handiwork. While the October meeting typically features
"Homebrew Night", September's theme is "Junk Box Wars", where two-person teams compete to design
and build a working electronic device described at the beginning of the contest. Participants have 35
minutes to design a circuit and obtain parts from discarded electronic circuits. Teams earn points for
things like design, stability, and accuracy. They are penalized each time they have to consult reference
materials. While one team member is working, the other is describing to an audience [all at the same time?]
what they are doing. The result is an event that's both a competition and a lesson.
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12
BRATS Home Page
