The statements of Riley Hollingsworth and Bill Cross at Dayton should finally un-muddle the automatic operations debate.
It is now a closed issue at the FCC - *every* station *must* prevent QRM of other stations. Period. No exceptions. We can now report documented patterns of interference from *inadequately controlled* stations and anticipate aggressive FCC enforcement. Meanwhile we can also expect our fellow Hams to make such FCC enforcement unnecessary - by following the rules and ceasing from QRM-prone operations which make *no reasonable effort* to check for a busy frequency. WDYT? ---------------------------------------------------------- "We can enforce our rules, but we can't enforce kindness and courtesy or common sense," Hollingsworth concluded. "And a very wise person, who happens to be standing to my left [FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer Bill Cross, W3TN -- Ed] once told me: 'You can't regulate stupid.' If we could, we'd be working for the United Nations instead of the FCC." In his comments, Cross singled out the controversy that erupted recently over fears that automatically controlled digital stations would overwhelm the amateur bands, eclipsing most other modes. Cross cited ยง97.7 of the rules, which requires each amateur station to have a control operator and, in essence, to employ a "listen-before-transmit" protocol." When a station is under automatic control, regardless of the transmission mode, Cross explained, the control operator *need not* be at the control point, *but must* employ station control devices and procedures while transmitting that *ensure* compliance with the FCC rules and does not cause harmful interference to ongoing communications of other stations. The operational rule, Cross said, is: *"Your call sign, your responsibility."* -- Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E Personal: http://bibleseven.com/kd4e.html Ham QTH: http://bibleseven.com/steel/cjb-steelhouse-index.html