Kevin Sanders, K0KDS » legislation

Culver declares June 20-26 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:00:39 +0000

We’re getting closer to Field Day 2010, and that means lots of governors and mayors are recognizing the the hobby and service of amateur radio by signing proclamations declaring the week of Field Day as Amateur Radio Week.

Iowa is no exception, as my local ham club received a copy of the Iowa proclamation last week. The proclamation will be on display at the W0AK Field Day site at Big Creek State Park, near Polk City.

The text of the proclamation reads as the following:

WHEREAS, the State recognizes the services amateur radio operators provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA, DHS, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and

WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the National Weather Service; and

WHEREAS, amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA and in the tsunami catastrophe overseas; and

WHEREAS, these amateur radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL is the leading organization for amateur radio in the USA; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 26-27 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of June 20-26, 2010 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa.

Will GMRS go freeband? FCC seeks comments on Part 95 review

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:00:46 +0000

The FCC is now seeking comment on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that was issued earlier this week that seeks, among other things, to either relax the GMRS licensing requirements or do away with them altogether.

The proposal, which can be downloaded in its 92-page PDF entirety here, seeks to “simplify, streamline, and update the Part 95 rules to reflect technological advances and changes in the way the American public uses the various Personal Radio Services.”

The NPRM goes on to say, “Implementation of the rule changes proposed below should result in clearer, more consistent rules, benefiting Personal Radio Service users, equipment manufacturers, and the Commission.”

At a glance, the NPRM explores these main topics for the GMRS, FRS, and CB radio services:

Eliminate GMRS licensing (aka “license by rule”), similar to the FRS and CB spectrum, or extend licensing term from five to ten years.
Relax eligibility requirements. Under the current GMRS licensing regulations, only those aged 18 years or older are eligible to apply for a GMRS license. According to the FCC, if licensing is eliminated, it will be very similar to the FRS service, which has no such age restriction, so they don’t find a reason to continue the age eligibility requirement.
Move to narrowband 12.5 kHz spacing. Currently GMRS uses 25 kHz spacing. Moving to narrowband FM would provide better spectrum management.
Decrease GMRS handheld radio output power from 5 to 2 watts.
Eliminate the use of repeaters in the GMRS service.
Consideration of a petition from Garmin to allow the transmission of GPS location information and user-generated text messages on certain GMRS channels. These emissions are already authorized on FRS channels, but Garmin would like the FCC to consider allowing it in the GMRS spectrum. An example of such a radio that is on the FRS service is the Garmin Rino 110.
Prohibition of approval of dual VHF Marine/FRS radios.
Clarification of regulations to explicitly allow hands-free microphones to operate in the CB band.
Decrease the allowable output power or prohibit the use of directional antennas for CB radios.

Click here to read and submit comments regarding to Proceeding 10-119, “In the Matter of review of the Commission’s Part 95 Personal Radio Services Rules”

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

Prohibition of repeaters

Perhaps one of the more harrowing components of the NPRM to GMRS enthusiasts is the possibility of prohibiting repeaters on GMRS.

…we note that the personal communications environment has evolved substantially since the Commission adopted the rules allowing repeater operation for GMRS. For
example, most wide-area personal communication needs are now met by commercial communication providers. We seek comment on whether repeater and base station operations are still needed in the GMRS given the availability of commercial alternatives that allow for more efficient use of the spectrum.

Double the licensing term or eliminate licenses altogether?

Licensed GMRS operators have become increasingly frustrated with the flood of users on dual FRS/GMRS “bubble-pack” consumer-grade portable radios, who are unfamiliar with the licensing requirement to use the GMRS channel. Even more frustrating for the licensees has been the apparent lack of enforcement by the FCC. The commission acknowledges the problem, and is a leading factor in their proposal to eliminate licensing:

We also note that there are reports that most purchasers of portable FRS/GMRS combination radios (as well as purchasers of portable GMRS-only radios) use the licensed GMRS channels, while only a small percentage obtain the required license. Although the Commission has made several regulatory changes over the years to enhance the GMRS, the basic regulatory structure remains.

Another reason for the FCC exploring de-licensing is to decrease the administrative burden on the commission.

Furthermore, we believe that licensing GMRS by rule would reduce administrative and other burdens on GMRS users, as well as on the Commission. For example, users would no longer be subject to application and regulatory fees, and would not be at risk of losing their authorization to operate for failing to file a timely renewal application.

If the FCC decides to keep licensing, the commission would possibly extend the licensing term from the current five years, to ten years.

Alternatively, if we were to maintain the individual licensing requirement for all or some types of GMRS operations, we propose to extend the GMRS license term from five to ten years, to conform with most other wireless services, where the license terms have been extended from five to ten years. Extending GMRS license terms to ten years would decrease the administrative burden on both the general public and the Commission without, we believe, any adverse impact. It also would promote standardization of general licensing rules and streamlining of administrative requirements.

Business use of GMRS vs. FRS

Under the current system, businesses may operate in the GMRS spectrum, only if all employees possess individual licenses, which is $85 for five years. The commission is taking comments on whether this is still acceptable, noting that businesses use FRS radios (although with lower transmit power) with success without causing congestion in the FRS band.

Consideration of transmit power, RF exposure, and uncoordinated stations

The FCC is concerned, with the increase of popularity of GMRS/FRS radios, about RF exposure to users. The GMRS service was originally categorically excluded from routine RF exposure evaluations because use of GMRS was typically done with a mobile installation, e.g. the antenna was away from the body. Many commercial-grade GMRS handhelds are capable of transmitting from 1 watt to 5 watts, and the NPRM seeks to reduce the allowed transmit power to 2 watts.

Along those lines, the NPRM notes that the allowed 50 watts on GMRS is “relatively high power for stations that are not coordinated.” It questions whether more stringent height and antenna requirements are needed to reduce interference in GMRS.

Family Radio Service (FRS)

New dual VHF Marine/FRS radios may bring unfamiliar users to maritime frequencies

The FCC is also seeking to clarify the policy on dual radios. In recent history, radios with dual VHF Marine/FRS frequencies have been found on the market. The commission is concerned that the inclusion of the VHF Marine channels on consumer-grade FRS bubble-pack radios with users unfamiliar with maritime radio use may hinder the United States Coast Guard’s response to distress calls.

Citizens Band (CB)

The NPRM seeks to modify the continuous transmission duration for the CB band. Currently, each CB station must limit its conversations to no more than five continuous minutes, and that after each conversation, CB stations must not transmit again for at least one minute. This regulation was introduced at the inception of CB to reduce congestion, and the FCC asks if this regulation is still necessary with the sharp decline of CB use.

Section 95.413(a)(6), which prohibits “the transmission of music, whistling, sound effects or any material to amuse or entertain,” and 95.413(a)(7), which prohibits “the transmission of any sound effect solely to attract attention,” has been proposed to be amended or completely eliminated.

Surface wave vs. sky wave propagation (click to enlarge)

Because the CB service was intentionally created for short-distance communications, the commission is considering prohibition of directional antennas attached to transmitters or decreasing the allowed transmit power. The root of the FCC’s concern is the high-frequency nature of sky wave propagation, which can absorb transmissions into the ionosphere (under the right solar conditions) and carry the transmissions over long distances, opposed to direct, where transmissions travel along the earth’s surface. The FCC notes that while amplifiers or modified CB radios are already illegal, an un-modified, un-amplified CB radio right off the shelf can achieve sky wave propagation. Thus, the commission is debating whether or not this is a problem — and if so, would prohibition of directional antennas or a decrease in allowable power solve the problem?

“Is there harm in allowing CB operators to communicate in sky wave mode, or would such an allowance tempt the use of illegal amplifiers which cause interference? We seek comment on how best to deal with section 95.413(a)(9) and other challenges in permitting a “commons” band regulatory structure in the HF band,” the NPRM states.

Officer considers cell phones and radios one in the same, issues citation

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:47:58 +0000

The Troy, NY amateur radio community is up in arms about a traffic citation that was issued to amateur radio operator Steve Bozak, WB2IQU, for talking on a cell phone while driving, which is against New York state law.

Bozak, who was first licensed in 1976, was on his way to breakfast with fellow amateur radio operators when he was stopped. When the officer explained the charges, Bozak explained that it was an amateur radio, but the officer dismissed the notion and said that cell phones and amateur radios are all the same, the Troy Record reports:

Bozak, who owns an antenna company and has been using so-called “ham” radios for 34 years, was pulled over at the intersection of 15th and Hoosick streets while on his way to breakfast with fellow enthusiasts of the technology. He was slapped with a ticket for talking on a cell phone while driving, and he said Officer Mark Millington dismissed his claims that the radio was not in fact a telephone.

“He assured me that I could not be speaking on that cell phone while I was driving,” said Bozak, who lives in Clifton Park. “I mentioned to him politely that it wasn’t a cell phone but an amateur radio. He assured me that it was all the same.”
Bozak, scheduled to appear on June 23, faces a $100 fine if the judge decides the citation was acceptable under the state code. He will have the support of many of his fellow local amateur radio operators, who plans on being in the courtroom for his appearance.

New scanner apps ‘alarming’, but safeguards already in place

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:00:39 +0000

KAIT-TV 8 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, filed a rudimentary report about the proliferation of applications to listen to online police scanners via cell phone. One officer in the video said in a sound bite that it was “alarming” and a “high concern” that such scanner apps exist.

Indeed, these apps do make the radio waves more accessible for everyone — not just criminals. The low cost of these apps — sometimes free — makes police radio broadcasts more accessible than in the days of walking into your local Radio Shack and picking up a handheld scanner for a hundred bucks and get help from the store clerks on how to program it.

What KAIT-TV failed to mention is that most, if not all, of the radio streams for cell phone apps are provided through agreements with RadioReference, who had established strict policies for feed providers when RadioReference acquired ScanAmerica to somewhat limit aid for criminals in the commission of a crime. The policies state that the following is not allowed to be broadcast: “SWAT type operations if on dedicated channels or talkgroups” and “Narcotics / CID / Investigations or other tactical operations”

Seems to me that if you don’t want to be heard on the scanner apps, then switch over to the tactical frequency. Moreover, the same police officer that expressed concerns in the video’s opening also expressed concern over, for example, a criminal listening to the scanner app would be able to know when to get out of the area and if the police were setting up a perimeter. But really, wouldn’t sirens and flashy lights give it away? It doesn’t take a genius to be observant. And it seems simple enough that you could look out the window and be able to see if the police are setting up a perimeter. If you’re setting up a perimeter, then you should already be moved off the dispatch channel and on to a tactical channel.

What KAIT-TV also failed to show are those departments that believe scanner listeners can be an asset to their crime prevention and neighborhood watch objectives. While criminals using scanners can create bad relationships between police departments and law-abiding scanner hobbyists, there are other departments who enjoy mutual relationships with scanner hobbyists.

In fact, RadioReference has actually partnered with some public safety agencies to provide “official feeds” — feeds that are supported and provided by the agencies themselves. Just ask a senior officer how many times they have found a scanner being used in the commission of a crime and you’ll find the whole truth about how rare it is.

The feeds could be broadcast on a time delay of maybe 30 minutes to an hour to avoid aiding in the commission of a crime. But I believe a widespread time delay like that wouldn’t be implemented unless a law is enacted to require it.

Only in very few instances would a feed otherwise be delayed, such as in 2008 when the FBI and Minnesota law enforcement requested RadioReference to delay the feeds by 30 minutes for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

So, the Cliff’s notes: not all scanner listeners are criminals, not all police hate scanner listeners, and there are safeguards in place on online radio feeds to limit the abuse of the feeds by criminals.

Anti-rebroadcast bill introduced in Illinois general assembly

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:24:34 +0000

Ill. Rep. Dan Brady

A new bill has been introduced in the Illinois general assembly that aims to make it illegal for broadcasters in Illinois that contribute to sites such as RadioReference to re-broadcast any transmissions on the internet that come from the new StarComm 21 state radio system.

Synopsis As Introduced
Amends the State Police Radio Act. Provides that a person receiving public safety voice or data communication transmitted via the facilities of the State’s public safety radio system by wire or radio shall not, without the written authority of the originator of the communication, rebroadcast the communication via any means, including radio or Internet, or otherwise divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning thereof. Provides that this provision does not apply to the public safety radio communication transmitted by any system station for the use of the general public, including Amber Alerts and other communications specifically intended for rebroadcast to the public. Provides that radio access to the public safety radio system within the State may only be accomplished upon receipt of written authorization granted by the appropriately licensed authority. Provides that a violation of these provisions is a Class A misdemeanor. Effective immediately.

The bill is proposed by Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, who has served in the assembly since 2001. He was instrumental in procuring funding for the StarCom 21 state radio system, and named named Public Official of the Year by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in 2004.

18-year-old ‘radio fetishist’ lands in jail, disgraces hobbyists nationwide

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:01:20 +0000

An 18-year-old radio enthusiast, Steven Riddle W3MOT, has been busted for stealing various radios — some actually from emergency vehicles such as ambulances and even a fire chief’s vehicle. He is suspected of some of the 28 various radio thefts occurring in the Long Island region of New York. The New York Post reports:

The former Explorer cadet with the Bohemia volunteer fire department is known for constantly fiddling with radio settings, firehouse sirens and anything else he could get his hands on, sources said.

…

He’s charged with stealing two radios from a Sayville Community ambulance on Dec. 27, two portable radios from a West Sayville fire chief’s vehicle between Dec. 24 and 26, and two portable radios from an East Moriches fire vehicle on New Year’s Day.

Steven Riddle W3MOT, radio thief, stands next to a Suffolk County Police Department car (from hamsexy)

Riddle was also the subject of a stern slap on the wrist from the FCC Enforcement Bureau for jamming the frequencies of Suffolk County public safety agencies, amateur radio repeaters, and other frequencies within transmitting range.

A forum thread over at RadioReference is also revealing details of several transactions that members have had with Riddle, involving mostly professional-grade Motorola radios, raising concerns that members unknowingly were purchasing stolen equipment. Fittingly, Riddle’s member icon on RadioReference was a fox in a bandit mask and black gloves. He was already once banned from RadioReference, posting under the “SCPDfan” username.

One of his posts that really struck a chord with me was in a thread about a MotoTRBO taxi radio system:

WTF is a taxi company doing with digital radios?? They don’t need those!!! Meet me over there with your crowbar and duffel bag!

Another post he authored on RadioReference was to sell an AED he had supposedly purchased seven months prior. Though, he may not have sold this item, as there weren’t any more posts by prospective buyers or to announce that the item has been sold.

More details are coming out on the wash in the RadioReference thread, while I can’t confirm these statements are true. People who live in the New York/Long Island region and familiar with Riddle’s doings report that he was “posing as a fire officer on the air, stating that houses were on fire that were not, and houses that were not on fire, that were.” Another user from Riddle’s area reported “pagers set off, sirens and traffic lights were activated, and overhead apparatus room doors were opened at all hours of the night [by Riddle]!”

W3MOT's hacked entry (click to enlarge)

It appears that a disgruntled hobbyist had likely gained access to Riddle’s QRZ.com listing, and replaced it with an amusing biography. By midnight, the page had been reverted to a blank biography.

I am confident that the hacked QRZ entry echoes the sentiments of radio hobbyists nationwide. Riddle falls into one of the many categories of people that radio enthusiasts are ashamed of.

I’ll say all of this this in bold-faced font because I think it’s incredibly important to mention: His thievery and misuse of his knowledge threatened the safety and integrity of police officers, firefighters, EMT’s, and other first responders. It is people like him that force public safety officials (and the general public) to turn up their noses at radio enthusiasts, and cause more than passing suspicion upon those carrying a police scanner or anyone that has more than one antenna on their vehicle. You can thank people like Riddle for giving agencies a reason to go digital and/or use full-time encryption. You can thank people like Riddle for states passing anti-scanner laws.

It’s likely that Riddle will get away with only a slap on the hands, with a few years of jail time and a revocation of his license. Will he be able to re-apply for a license? I don’t know. But as long as he has access to radios, it’s also likely that he’ll continue to abuse his knowledge of radio systems.

That time of the year again: Cell phone restrictions on the agenda

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:02:20 +0000

With the Iowa legislature in session for only a week, new bills creating restrictions on cell phone use while driving are in the transportation committee in both the House and the Senate.

Two bills, House File 2020, and Senate File 190, both aim to restrict the use of cell phones unless they are used in conjunction with hands-free devices.

Gov. Chet Culver, during a taping of Iowa Press today in Johnston, said he believes legislators will be able to compromise and get a bill on his desk restricting use of cell phones. Culver also said he would sign the bill into law, but doesn’t support a full-on ban on cell phones use while driving.

Only one of the bills, SF 190 authored by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, explicitly excludes FCC-licensed amateur radio operators:

1 14 c. This subsection does not apply to the use of an amateur
1 15 radio by a federally licensed amateur radio operator.

HF 2020, co-authored by Reps. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, and Curt Hanson, D-Fairfield, does not explicitly mention amateur radio, but instead mentions “cellular telephones,” “wireless handset” and “text messaging” instead of a broader restriction on all two-way half- and full-duplex radio devices.

Last fall, the National Safety Council declared that there are no “significant crash risks” while operating mobile radios.

“We also have no evidence that using two-way radios while driving poses significant crash risks. Until such time as compelling, peer-reviewed scientific research is presented that denotes significant risks associated with the use of Amateur Radios, two-way radios or other communication devices, the NSC does not support legislative bans or prohibition on their use,” NSC President Janet Froetscher said in a letter to the American Radio Relay League.