Well, I am not meaning to get out of band for the sake of doing it, but in
case of an emergency.  What happened to this person's friend?  If the
sherrif wasn't upset then why was the FCC?





On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Richard Webb wrote:

> HI folks,
>
> WHen transmitting out of band you're not operating within the terms of
> your amateur license.
>
> IN part 97 it states that you can use "any amateur frequency" and that
> doesn't mean public service or other freqs.  If the folks at the
> friendly candy company find you transmitting out of band without
> proper licenses you'll be getting a nice little pink slip.
>
> THere was a case a few years ago where a fellow was on a bike ride in
> the mountains with friends.  One of his companions had a serious
> accident.   tHe rider called on some local ham radio repeaters but got
> no response after folks found that their cell phones weren't working
> from that spot.  AFter meeting no positive result on ham freqs he went
> to the local sheriff's department repeater system where he was able to
> summon aide for his fallen comrade.
>
> TO make a long one short the sheriff's department wanted to give him
> an attaboy for quick thinking, whereas the FCC wanted to confiscate
> his equipment and fine him.
>
> NOte that I've reproduced the relevant section of the rules below.
> I've heard some discussion about this, and if you really want to ask
> him I'm sure Riley would tell you that the key phrase in the passage
> I've quoted below is "at its disposal" and the only frequencies an
> amateur station is to have "at its disposal" are amateur frequencies.
>
> S 97.403  Safety of life and protection of property.
>    No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of
> any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential
> communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life
> and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are
> not available.
>
> S 97.405  Station in distress.
>    (a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station
> in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make known
> its condition and location, and obtain assistance.
>    (b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the
> exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of
> radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress.
>
>
>
>
> Richard Webb
>
> Electric Spider Productions
>
> If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage.  But
> this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is
> somehow enobled and none dare criticize it.
>