FCC nails ex-ham

[WA4STO]

+ FCC Enforcement News: FCC Issues $10,000 Fine to Missouri Man for Unlicensed Operation on 14.312 MHz

On February 25, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) in the amount of $10,000 to Jared A. Bruegman, ex-KC0IQN, of Bolivar, Missouri. The FCC said that Bruegman "apparently and willfully violated Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended by operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on the frequency 14.312 MHz in Bolivar, Missouri." Bruegman -- who does not currently hold an Amateur Radio license -- was operating in the phone portion of the 20 meter band that is assigned to the Amateur Radio Service on a primary basis; his Amateur Radio license expired in 2010. As a former Technician class licensee, he did not have privileges to operate in that portion of the 20 meter band when he held an Amateur Radio license.

In December 2012, the FCC's office in Kansas City received a complaint from an Amateur Radio operator, reporting interference on 14.312 MHz. Upon investigation, agents from that office heard a male voice transmitting on the frequency 14.312 MHz. Using direction finding equipment, the agents located the source of the radio frequency transmissions to a transmitting antenna mounted on a pole next to Bruegman's residence. The agents determined that the signals on 14.312 MHz exceeded the limits for operation under Part 15 of the Commission's rules and therefore a license was required to transmit. The agents further discovered that Bruegman did not hold a license to operate a radio transmitter on 14.312 MHz at or near that location.

The agents determined that the source of the transmissions was coming from an unlicensed radio transmitter from a bedroom in Bruegman's residence. "Mr Bruegman was the only person present in the bedroom and the only male in the residence during the inspection," the NAL stated. "Mr Bruegman admitted to the agents that he owned the radio transmitter. The agents observed that the transmitter was turned on and tuned to 14.311 MHz. Mr Bruegman told the agents that he had no current Commission licenses, but that he previously held an Amateur Radio license, call sign KC0IQN. Mr Bruegman told the agents he would remove the microphone from his transmitter and only use it as a receiver."

Section 503(b) of the Communications Act provides that "any person who willfully or repeatedly fails to comply substantially with the terms and conditions of any license, or willfully or repeatedly fails to comply with any of the provisions of the Act or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commission thereunder, shall be liable for a forfeiture penalty." In addition, Bruegman was found to be in violation of Section 301 of the Communications Act, stating that "no person shall use or operate any apparatus for the transmission of energy or communications or signals by radio within the United States, except under and in accordance with the Act and with a license granted under the provisions of the Act."

Bruegman has until March 27, 2013 to pay the forfeiture in full, or file a written statement seeking its reduction or cancellation.

[RadioRay]

Wow!   HF direction finding used to get one of the gomers off of the notorious 14312'ish dog pile (no offence intended toward dogs . . . )  Good job.  This may also clean-up some of the interference to the Maritime Mobile Service Network.  I'd love to see if statistically, it drops interference with that wonderful service net.

Seems as though the FCC >IS< interested in taking down those who jam on the HF ham bands.  Good job FCC.


>de RadioRay ..._ ._

[KC9TNH]

This may also clean-up some of the interference to the Maritime Mobile Service Network.  I'd love to see if statistically, it drops interference with that wonderful service net.

Ditto. Statistically speaking that is. There is one on the west coast of FL whose day (or night) is coming.
When he's off his meds it's really bad. He needs to go on a long & secure vacation with Nurse Ratched.

Nurse Ratched: Aren't you ashamed?
Billy: No, I'm not.
[Applause from friends]
Nurse Ratched: You know Billy, what worries me is how your mother is going to take this.
Billy: Um, um, well, y-y-y-you d-d-d-don't have to t-t-t-tell her, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: I don't have to tell her? Your mother and I are old friends. You know that.
Billy: P-p-p-please d-d-don't tell my m-m-m-mother.  It was, um, only t-t-tw-twelve hundred wa-watts with an old Cu-Cushcraft b-b-eam...
NOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
8)

[gil]

Some human behavior I just can't understand. It is just beyond my comprehension. The olde I get though, the more I realize that a large part of the population is either plain dumb, mentally ill, and/or sociopathic. Well rounded individuals are few and far between. Of course, you give some individuals a radio to hind behind and they will say and do things they would nerver dream of in person. Same goes for some drivers. They are seemingly the nicest poeple, but behind the wheel, they become foul mouthed monsters. It's that steel cage around them... Until someone get really pissed off and the light turns red with a car in front of them... The best thing to do is to ignore these people as much as possible. Until the time comes to cut their antenna cable and connect a tazer to it and press the button.

Back in the early 80s, still in the CB era, I heard if someone was jamming a channel regularly, they would find the guy and have a trucker with a 1KW amp park in front of his house and transmit at full power to attempt frying his radio. Not sure if this would work...?

Gil.

[KC9TNH]

Back in the early 80s, still in the CB era, I heard if someone was jamming a channel regularly, they would find the guy and have a trucker with a 1KW amp park in front of his house and transmit at full power to attempt frying his radio. Not sure if this would work...?

Gil.

Up in this neck of the woods it'd be a big duallie pickup, with a couple of loggin' chains. Bye Bye antenna.
AMF.

[Frosty]

Sewing pin/needle through the coax to fry the finals when they keyed up was a rumor I often heard for taking care of CB troublemakers back when. 

What makes no sense to me is the overpowered/pirate radio stations caught in the FM broadcast band, and there's a bunch of them.  Did they really believe they could operate there for long and not get caught?  They recently caught an extra (KC0GPV) operating on 88.3Mhz, and he's about to be $10,000 lighter. 

[gil]

They recently caught an extra (KC0GPV) operating on 88.3Mhz, and he's about to be $10,000 lighter.

My question is "why?" I mean, on a contest week-end, maybe, all bands are hijacked then.. Seriously though, is a hobby worth a $10K fine when there are plenty of frequencies to operate on? Stupid...

Gil.

[White Tiger]

As one who experienced the crackpots that inhabit 14.312 for the first time trying to contact Luck...im glad to see them thin the crackpot heard a bit. One of the 14.3 rats ruined my first ever HF experience on 20m...some grouch kept interrupting my first ever QSO with Luck - complaining that I was "splattering" all over him - even after I explained that it was my first time on HF he kept swearing at me and loudly insisting that I was "splattering" his QSO...

We never found a way to moderate the alleged splatter and he wouldn't leave us alone - we changed freq's and never had another problem, and to this day I have never heard that my signal was too wide, anywhere else (Luck's reply was not to listen to him as he was probably just one of that notorious 14.312 group that lived to create trouble). Unfortunately, it justified Luck's disdain for voice and it served to end a pretty cool contact after my antenna raising success.

...oh how I hope that this is the grouch that just got busted....

[White Tiger]

This may also clean-up some of the interference to the Maritime Mobile Service Network.  I'd love to see if statistically, it drops interference with that wonderful service net.

Ditto. Statistically speaking that is. There is one on the west coast of FL whose day (or night) is coming.
When he's off his meds it's really bad. He needs to go on a long & secure vacation with Nurse Ratched.

Let me know the area...I have family up there...they could be induced to drop off a "leaky" LED strobe under his bedroom window...just to aid the FCC with direction finding...

[RadioRay]

The reason that voice jammers/bootleggers are so common is because it's the easiest and most self-gratifying mode for jamming.  To some of these frustrated maggots, hearing someone mentioning their jamming effect is the closest they'll come to a love life.    :-[

I'll generally stick to CW and in time, likely get back onto WINMOR with friends  and etc.  Voice is OK with a Buddy occasionally, but like even the best salsa music, becomes repetitive for me after about the third dance. ha ha



>RadioRay ..._ ._