At 04:36 PM 06/05/07, you wrote: > >In order not to start a rules & regulations thread.... can anyone point me > >to a definitive opinion on the legality of using NWS SAME decoders to > >automatically transmit severe weather bulletins over amateur radio? I know > >that there were divided opinions, with one side coming down strongly > >against > >it, as an unlicensed individual (the NWS employee activating the receiver) > >is causing an amateur radio station to transmit... similar to the argument > >against the use of "reverse autopatch" by non-hams. > >I posed this question to Riley Hollingsworth via email, his response was >that it could not be done automatically, but rather the rebroadcast had to >be done by a control operator.
When was this? >We do it automagically while a control operator monitors it. I figure it's >close enough. > >73 >"Daron J. Wilson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> In my writeup (posted at <http://www.repeater-builder.com/radio-shack/radio-shack-index.html> I specifically said "automatically" in my email to Riley on November 15th 2006. Riley forwarded my email to Dan Henderson N1ND "ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist", @ the ARRL, who on the 17th said it was OK as long as a control op was monitoring and could shut it down if needed. Dan said it was OK, and as he was speaking for Riley (and I saved all the emails), it's fine with me. Hopefully the web page I created answers all the questions. If it doesn't let me know and I'll email Dan (again). REMEMBER - Part 97 is the ONLY section in the FCC rules that say "You can't do X". Every other section - GMRS, Public Safety, CB, Aircraft, etc all say "You can only do X". Don't give them any opening to say NO. If you have a good reasonable reason to do something, do it on a private limited use system at your house. If it works out, do it (or move it) to an open wide area coverage system. That's how the first remote base in the Southern Calif area got put up in the mid 1950s - first on a garage repeater, then on a mountaintop. The remote control was a rotary telephone dial pulsing an audio oscillator. Nobody asked "is it legal?" They just did it. Mike WA6ILQ
