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Author Topic: Techs caught on HF FT8  (Read 1803 times)

WA2ISE

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Techs caught on HF FT8
« on: August 15, 2021, 04:30:23 PM »

Heard that some Techs were caught on HF FT8 (outside 10m).  Not sure what the penalty for that is.  Thought crossed my mind that someone at the FCC might say "Upgrade to a General or Extra within a year, and we'll forget it ever happened".  A kind of incentive licensing, somewhat similar to a judge telling someone to behave for a year and if you do, we'll drop the charges'.

Yeah.
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K7LZR

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2021, 05:40:01 PM »

I doubt that anything will be done. Not like yesteryear when there was more enforcement. Seems like the ham bands have become freeband, where pretty much anything goes.....
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K1VSK

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2021, 07:18:10 PM »

The FCC will be assigning a czar to look into the “root cause”
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W9IQ

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2021, 07:27:11 PM »

The ARRL Volunteer Monitoring program reported Technician-class licensees in Spring Valley, Smith River, and Nipomo, California; Oneonta, New York; Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Center, Texas, received Advisory Notices concerning FT8 operation on frequencies not authorized to Technician licensees.

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

KM1H

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2021, 05:09:57 PM »

What happens if they do it again?  Is Riley going to wield the broadsword?
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K0UA

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2021, 06:00:24 PM »

One was caught today by a net control operator on a 40 meter SSB net. But the Tech was certain he was legal.
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73  James K0UA

K1VSK

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2021, 07:34:58 AM »

One was caught today by a net control operator on a 40 meter SSB net. But the Tech was certain he was legal.
In most activities, the lack of punitive action is often evidence of legality.
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K3XR

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2021, 01:43:33 PM »

Don't forget a certain portion of today's ham radio operators came from a rather lawless radio service.  Of course there is no way of knowing the origin of the miscreants mentioned in the infractions set forth in this thread.  If you were free to do what you please in another radio service why not believe you can do the same on the ham bands?
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WW5F

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2021, 04:51:28 PM »

More anecdotal evidence that there's a growing number of people who believe "rules for thee, but not for me."
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W9IQ

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2021, 05:03:14 PM »

Recalling my Novice days, I would like to think that the majority of these incidents are simply naiveté such that once advised, the infraction will not be repeated.

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

K0UA

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2021, 07:47:57 PM »

Recalling my Novice days, I would like to think that the majority of these incidents are simply naiveté such that once advised, the infraction will not be repeated.

- Glenn W9IQ

The one I referenced was that the tech latched on to the proposed new band plan allowing tech on SSB on several of the HF bands. He took this as settled law and operated accordingly.
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73  James K0UA

W9IQ

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2021, 04:52:25 AM »

Recalling my Novice days, I would like to think that the majority of these incidents are simply naiveté such that once advised, the infraction will not be repeated.

- Glenn W9IQ

The one I referenced was that the tech latched on to the proposed new band plan allowing tech on SSB on several of the HF bands. He took this as settled law and operated accordingly.

Those nasty skirts on the bell curve where all sorts of perturbations are found...

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

WA2ISE

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2021, 05:58:08 AM »

The ARRL Volunteer Monitoring program reported Technician-class licensees in ...., received Advisory Notices concerning FT8 operation on frequencies not authorized to Technician licensees.


I wonder if those advisory notices have an informal mention, beyond "don't do it again", that if you upgrade your license, you can "do it again" with no issues.  As people keep saying, the tests are not that hard.  And these techs must have HF rigs, they'd have a reason there to study up and upgrade.
 
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N4KZ

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #13 on: August 24, 2021, 11:10:06 AM »

I'd heard for a while that some tech licensees were operating on bands, modes and frequencies they were not authorized to use. But I hadn't heard any of that until one night I was reading the mail on a roundtable in the 75m extra class subband. A guy checked into the group and he was apparently known to some of the guys. Immediately, he was told, "You have a tech license. You are not supposed to use this part of the band." His solution was to continue talking with them but not give his callsign again. They should have shunned him but they didn't. On a related matter, I have called CQ on SSB in the 40m extra/advanced class subband and had general class people answer me. Two of them gleefully told me that they had recently upgraded from tech to general. In both cases, I calmly explained they were operating outside their authorized frequencies and that since I didn't want them to get into trouble for it, I would move up to the general portion of the band so we could continue our QSO. One apologized for his misdeed but just signed clear while the other took me up on my offer and we moved up the band and continued talking. He was very apologetic for his mistake and thanked me for moving up the band. He said he was nervous and not paying attention to the frequency display. I suspect some or even many of these incidents are honest mistakes. But not all. I've told the story before about my time in the 15m extra phone subband and a fellow with an advanced ticket answered my CQ. I calmly offered to move up the band to continue our QSO. But he declined and told me he had been operating in the various extra class subbands for 25 years with his advanced ticket and no one had ever made an issue of it. And then he topped it off by telling me, "I'm 83 years old. What are they going to do to me? Throw me in jail?" Then he let out a hardy laugh and signed clear. I just sat there in amazement. And it wasn't the good kind of amazement. 73, N4KZ
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WA2ISE

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Re: Techs caught on HF FT8
« Reply #14 on: August 24, 2021, 12:13:08 PM »

... He was very apologetic for his mistake and thanked me for moving up the band. He said he was nervous and not paying attention to the frequency display. I suspect some or even many of these incidents are honest mistakes. ...
Having my extre means I don't have to worry about this issue.   :)
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