[HCDX]: (Fwd) $7500 fine for 7240 Jammer

["Bill Harms" <wharms@xxxxxxxxx>]

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From:           	"RAFman" <rafman@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To:             	<wharms@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject:        	$7500 fine for 7240 Jammer
Date sent:      	Fri, 13 Nov 1998 01:14:18 -0500

from arrl.org "Members ONLY" News section tonight

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FCC Levies Hefty Fine on Jersey Ham

WASHINGTON, DC, Nov 10, 1998--The FCC has levied a $7500 
fine on a New
Jersey ham who allegedly interfered with a net operation on 40 
meter SSB.
James C. Thompson, KA2YBP, of Waretown also was ordered off 
40 meters
until further notice after the October 18 incident. The case against
Thompson, 58, stemmed from interference complaints from other 
amateurs,
including the Association of North American Radio Clubs (ANARC), 
which
conducts a Sunday morning net on 7240 kHz. 

The FCC charged Thompson with illegally retransmitting programs 
from a
Standard Broadcast (AM) station on 40 meters and willfully 
interfering
with the net. The FCC also said Thompson failed to properly identify. 

FCC personnel used a combination of long-range and local monitoring and
tracking to zero in on Thompson's QTH as the source of the interfering
signal. FCC representatives conducted an inspection of Thompson's station
on the morning of October 18. "From approximately 9:39 to 10:00 AM EDT,
the licensee of station KA2YBP retransmitted programs from Standard
Broadcast station, broadcasting on 1450 kHz, to Amateur Radio Service
frequency 7.240 MHz," the inspectors' report said. FCC officials found an
AM receiver "positioned adjacent to the Amateur station's microphone and
tuned to 1450 kHz," the FCC said. 

The FCC issued an Official Notice of Violation October 21. In replying to
the NOV, Thompson admitted the violations, the FCC said November 9 when it
issued the Notice of Apparent Liability. "Applying the Forfeiture Policy
Statement and statutory factors to the instant case, we have determined
that a monetary forfeiture in the amount of $7,500 is warranted," the
FCC's notice said. Thompson has 30 days to pay the fine or appeal it. 

The Thompson case marked the Commission's first amateur enforcement action
since the FCC announced it would consolidate amateur enforcement within
the Compliance and Information Bureau. The CIB's legal advisor for
enforcement, Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, says he's spoken with nearly 100
individuals about enforcement complaints or issues since the FCC's latest
enforcement initiative began. 

The FCC expects additional amateur enforcement cases to develop as a
result of calls to the Amateur Enforcement Line, 202-418-1184. 



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