On the Web : May 2006

If you enjoy reading 'On the Web', your ham radio club can publish this column on an exchange basis with SJRA. Contact Ted, , for the exchange details.		Our contributions to the South Jersey Radio Association club bulletin "Harmonics" includes lengthy Web addresses. As the URL's can be difficult or a nuisance to type into your Web browser, the postings here should make it easier to get to the Web sites SJRA members are interested in. Look for the posting at w2xq.com at the time "Harmonics" is scheduled for delivery in the south Jersey area. Questions, suggestions or contributions are always welcome.
		Solar X-rays  Geomagnetic Field  N 3 K L

The 2006 Field Day Rules
The SJRA Field Day Site entrance is on Lower Main Street, Marlton, opposite the Indian Springs Golf Course.
GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates are N 39° 53.162', W 74° 53.486', or use these maps.
Mapquest - Google

Is justice served? I would answer "Yes!". On March 27, the USA's FCC issued the following statement:

GLENN A. BAXTER. Issued a monetary forfeiture in the amount of $21,000 to Glenn A. Baxter, for violation of Sections 97.101(d), 97.113(a)(3), 97.105(a) and 97.113(b) of the Commission Rules, and for failure to file required information pursuant to a Bureau directive. Action by: Regional Director, Northeast Region, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/27/2006 by Forfeiture Order. (DA No. 06-663). EB

Who is Glen A. Baxter? Baxter is K1MAN, an annoyance on the HF bands for the past few decades with his long demonstrative broadcasts. Under the pretense of an alter-universe American Amateur Radio Association, Baxter rails against the ARRL and anyone or anything else he thinks of. K1MAN's broadcast day on several different bands rode roughshod over anything on or adjacent to the operating frequencies. At times, in the musty early years of my HF operations, I would hear attempts by other persons to start up QSOs on the frequencies K1MAN would use before the K1MAN transmissions would begin, and the catfights were on. Name-calling, attempts to bait Baxter and his supporters, carriers and deliberate interference, all made the situation worse. The monetary forfeiture may or or may not slow down Baxter. On March 28 Baxter responded to the FCC order.

The "Order" is attached below. What Now?

1. The FCC has declined to provide a requested hearing, and the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires a hearing and due process of law before they can collect a dime much less the "ORDERED" "fine" of $21,000. Even a traffic ticket gets a hearing, right?

2. Therefore, the next step for the FCC, by statute, is to now sue K1MAN for the claimed $21,000 in Federal District Court in Bangor, Maine where K1MAN would demand a trial by jury (trial de novo), subpoena witnesses (Hollingsworth, Boston Office Engineers, hams, etc.), file motions, etc. The FCC can't even bring such a suit, of course, because the minimum claim in Federal District Court is $50,000.

3. By statute, unresolved forfeiture matters such as above cannot be used in any other FCC proceeding such as K1MAN's pending renewal application.

4. By statute, K1MAN can and will continue to operate until the renewal application is finally decided including all appeals to the D.C. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bottom line is that the FCC is blowing phony legal smoke leading to Hollingsworth's 2006 Dayton "Special Achievement Award" which is not too bad for a guy who was sick on the day they taught law at law school. Wake Forest Law School should refund all of his hard earned money! Good luck in the contest!

73 and GL de K1MAN

This stuff is amateur radio at its finest. I give Riley Hollingsworth all the credit in the world for tackling this mess. In my opinion, if other persons had not responded to Baxter's baiting, K1MAN would have been bored talking to himself and quietly gone away. I wonder how many citations were issued to those rising to K1MAN's barbs.

When summer television programming bores you and baseball drags on through the long hot summer, follow the thread on QRZ.com and the Center for Media Studies Public Interest Group pages. (Updated 2007-05-27 per note from K3VR, dropping host.picturewizard.com URL.) Nevertheless, this dispute is, in my opinion, more interesting to follow than the local murder, mayhem, and rape reporting on the Philadelphia TV news outlets at 6 and 11.

Quickies

The solar Web site Sun Spot Cycle at www.sunspotcycle.com has vaporized in a cloud of radiation. The sun is gone, and the page features hair styles!

Another disappearing act is the "Big Hole" Web page (c.f. February 2006 column) that figured out where you would surface on the other side of the planet if you dug a hole all the way through. I haven't found its new home, if one exists. Too bad, as it was quite unique.

Do you know someone that loves to pop the bubbles in bubblewrap? (Sometimes it is more fun than the stuff in the box!) Now you don't have to wait for a package to arrive. Have fun popping the bubbles any time you like. It is great stuff (grin). Flex your fingers at www.nonstop.lv/files/bubblewrap.swf whenever the urge is upon you.

Do you always see what you think you see? Follow the pink dot at www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html and read the instructions atop the page.

Have the almost-$3-per-gallon gasoline prices have you talking to yourself? Sign up at Gas Buddy -- www.gasbuddy.com -- and post the prices of the gasoline service stations in your area. Search for the lowest prices in the areas that you travel. Share the knowledge and perhaps we all can save a bit of coin.

And finally, I have decided to discontinue publishing my area repeater list for several reasons. The time involved, the lack of feedback from end users, the availability of datafiles from virtually all repeater coordinators, and yet another party (Ham-Shack's US Repeaters at www.ham-shack.com/repeater.html) attempting to construct a national list contribute to the decision. See my comments on data fracturing -- too many people stirring the same pot of misinformation -- in the "Your Help Is Needed" thread on QRZ.com.

Field Day is coming up real soon now. See the countdown clock on the Web version of this column. The seconds are ticking off...

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Revised 5 May 2006

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