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Below is a letter Joe Phillips, K8QOE wrote. It was published in the Ohio Section News and the Mike and Key. This shows his thinking on the QRM problems surrounding the 535 machine. Please read the response from a friend of the 535 which follows Joe's letter. The response was also published in the Mike and Key - they completely removed the last sentence calling for Joe's apology or resignation. |
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Statement by the Ohio Section Manager BRING AN END TO THE "RUMPKE REPEATER" CONCEPT In this message I will not be identifying any actual VHF-UHF repeaters. Nor the names of any repeater owners/trustees or any actual frequencies involved. While I am familiar with the Cincinnati area, this message may also be applicable other parts of Ohio. Interference on local VHF-UHF repeaters continues to be a problem for all of us since the mid-70s. Two decades ago in Cincinnati, a repeater trustee (now a Silent Key) unofficially designated a two meter frequency pair for those who wished to engage in illegal and/or unethical ham radio operation. The theory was that if the "squirrels" had a particular place to play - other local repeaters would be left alone. It seemed to have wide acceptance. We called it the "Rumpke Repeater" named after a well-known waste disposal company. Whether or not this was a successful strategy is up for debate. It certainly was not sound amateur radio practice but for the two decades, this has been widely accepted in Cincinnati. Seven years ago something happened. Riley happened. Mr. Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, began using his authority in the FCC compliance division. His goal was to rid illegal and interfering operations on all amateur radio frequencies - HF as well as local repeaters. His success is well noted and welcomed relief by all licensed radio operators. Add to that was Ohio leading the nation in forming "Local Interference Committees" for local repeater interference problems. These LICs developed a relationship with the FCC and Riley's office. The Greater Cincinnati LIC has been successful to the extent that fines have been levied, FCC ham licenses pulled, and in a couple of instances, illegal operators received jail time from various courts. Something this far reaching is bound to have controversies. The "Rumpke Repeater" concept tops the list. While a number of Cincinnati ham radio operators continue to accept this, the FCC now has the resources and dedication to stop this concept. So in Cincinnati an interesting and unhealthy dynamic has occurred. There the trustee of a repeater, so designated as "Rumpke" by many, wants that reputation to stop. But the trustee also believes most area hams think this frequency pair is a "local garbage dump." Members of the Greater Cincinnati LIC believe the repeater trustee to be uncooperative and unwilling to accept their assistance. The repeater owner says he does his best to clean up the repeater but he is being singled out and harassed. Some LIC members believe this trustee does not make many attempts to clean up this repeater. My sole purpose in writing this message is an attempt to get the repeater owner and the LIC on the same page. Both wish the same result. Everyone here is a volunteer. No one gets paid to do this work. Both the repeater owner and the LIC members believe in good amateur radio practice and the integrity of their ham radio licenses. If I did not believe this, I would not state this. Hopefully getting this controversy out in the open will change this unhealthy dynamic. Joe Phillips, K8QOE Ohio Section Manager
Response to Joe Phillips from Robert O. Craig, K8RC. Although Phillips does not name names, it is obvious to all in the Cincinnati area that the Silent Key referred to is Tom Talley, W8HQQ. Tom was a good friend and colleague of mine and he is greatly missed. I also know that Tom would never have supported any such concept. In the early '70s, there were several repeaters in the area but all were owned by clubs and associations that made no secret of expecting membership from users of their machines. There was no repeater where hams could go to enjoy themselves without political and monetary involvement. To remedy that situation, W8HQQ, with the help of many others of like mind established the original Cincinnati Repeater Association (CRA). The 70 repeater and the other machines that followed were truly "open" machines. All were welcome to stop by and chat whenever they liked without pressure to support the repeater financially. Membership was required only of those who wished to use the autopatch. The money collected went to pay the large monthly tab Cincinnati Bell required for the "business" phone line and the technology to make it work. The open repeater concept was, of course, despised by some in the other organizations. They saw it as a drain on their finances. The criticism of the day even went so far as to accuse CRA of "selling" autopatch. I'm guessing that their attitude was that it's OK to "charge" for casual ragchewing to subsidize autopatch expenses but NOT vice versa? Unfortunately as years rolled by, CRA itself began to succumb to the "us vs. them" attitudes that inhabit human institutions. I recall specifically some rather heated debate over whether new "no code" licensees were "real hams" or merely "relabeled CB'ers". History repeated itself as W8HQQ dug into his own pocket and established a couple of repeaters, unaffiliated with the growing politics of CRA, where all would be welcome (including no code techs) without dues or political entanglements. Tom included that specific mission statement for those repeaters in his letter of resignation as president of CRA. When the key of W8HQQ suddenly became silent in 1994 there were a couple of clumsy attempts at appropriating the repeater assets by members of a local repeater club. Fortunately, Tom's XYL, Carol, knew better and resisted the thefts. Tom Case, K8CLA, and his wife Debi, N8BVI, both long time good friends of W8HQQ, stepped forward and bought the equipment from Carol Talley with a resolve to keep the repeaters on the air. The repeaters continue to this day to be a welcome home for one and all. One repeater in particular, 145.35, has become one of the most active repeaters in the region. Dozens of hams, including many homebound by physical infirmities, ragchew the hours away morning, noon and night. Unfortunately, a popular frequency also attracts those who cause problems. Belching and broadcasting (which I can remember hearing over a 75 meter phone net every Sunday back in the 60s) always seems to be present wherever there's an audience. There are only two ways to stop this practice: While you would think that a group operating under a banner of a "local interference committee" would concentrate on #1 there also seems to be a large contingent, apparently including K8QOE, that prefer the #2 solution. I AM OUTRAGED that the stewardship of my friends Tom & Debi Case and the memory of departed friend Tom Talley were smeared in such a irresponsible manner. I am also saddened that an officer of my ARRL put official voice to such a ludicrous concept as a "Rumpke repeater". Joe, you should apologize or resign. Robert O. Craig, K8RC
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