From: pdh@netcom.com (Phil Howard )
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.policy
Subject: Re: Ham Radio "banned" at Iowa State?
Date: 21 Jul 92 19:27:15 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

jeffries@iastate.edu (Anthony G Jeffries) writes:

>The rule is (from p.44, "The Guide to Residence Hall Living, 1991-1992"):
>
>        Radio transmission of any type, including Citizen (sic)
>        Band equipment, is not permitted except through authorized
>        agencies such as KUSR and the Ham Radio Club.

It clearly addresses the transmission (as opposed to having the idle
transmitter).

>        Outside antennae wires for radios and televisions are not
>        permitted.

Seems clear enough.  When I lived in the dorms at Marshall U in Huntington WV,
reception of channel 8 was poor (edge of Grade A and in a building) for the
rabbit ears so I bought a 10 element channel 8 yagi and hung it from the
ceiling inside.  That fixed the reception problem.  NOTHING WAS EVER PUT
OUTSIDE.


>FYI, KUSR is the student run FM in the basement of Friley Hall (a residence
>hall), and the Ham Radio Club is the Cyclone Amateur Radio Club (the shack
>of which is also in Friley).  We've brought up the issue in the past at club
>meetings, but we still can't figure out if we're only allowed to operate 
>in the CARC shack or if we can also use our HTs in our dorm rooms and other
>places around the residence halls.  I have carried my HT (and used my HT) in 
>the residence halls, and have never been busted.

Well it doesn't say WHERE the transmissions may or may not occur, it just
says "through authorized agencies".

NOW HERE COMES THE BEST PART

It says "authorized agencies SUCH AS...".  My emphasis is on the "SUCH AS".
This suggests to me that this is not the only possibility.  Now the question
is what other authorized agency is valid.  May I suggest: FCC


>BTW, the above rule applies only to students.  Security people and other
>authorities can use their radios all they want.  Cordless phones are 
>overlooked, too.

More than likely the rule will be "overlooked" until it is convenient to
use "against" someone who was actually causing someone a problem.


>Personally, I don't think the powers-that-be in the ISU residence halls don't
>care too much about ham radio, cordless phones, and the like, just as long as
>we don't interfere with anybody.  The only problem I can see is with CBers
>getting out of hand.

Given that CB is unlicenced and ham radio *IS* licensed (through an authorized
agency: the Federal Communications Commission) I see a big difference.

The question now is what they will do in the case of interference.  Let's
say it is clearly a case where the transmission is fully legal and is only
emitting the signal on the authorized band(s).  Someone's TV might be
overloaded because it has one of those broadband frontends that are so
popular these days.  In this case we know it is not "real" interference
because the set is in fact designed to recieve the ham transmission (by
the fact that it has no filter to select only the desired frequencies).
You might "stage" such a complaint to make sure that it gets handled
through, and ONLY through, the school bureacracy (as opposed to some
random person who might do all sorts of nasty things).

If the person doing the transmitting is NOT a member of the club, then
this can test the "authorized agency such as" clause (re: FCC).

If the person doing the transmitting *IS* a member of the clib, then
this can test the lack of a specification of location in the rule.
-- 
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| Phil Howard  ---  KA9WGN  ---  pdh@netcom.com   |   "The problem with |
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