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Author Topic: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License  (Read 9229 times)

Offline secretlab

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FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« on: May 20, 2020, 2322 UTC »
The long FCC process in the non-renewal for cause of William Crowell's ham ticket seemingly is over with the cancellation of his license on 5-5-20. Crowell devoted considerable resources voicing his displeasure (the FCC alleged that included jamming with pre-recorded loops and music) over many years on frequencies used by WARFA, a racially diverse net which refused to 'check him in.'

The FCC decision came in February. Most of the FCC Docket 08-20 is available online.  It's interesting reading.

Docket 08-20 https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filings?action_offset=0&express_comment=0&proceedings_name=08-20&sort=date_disseminated,DESC&submissiontype_description=REPLY



« Last Edit: February 02, 2023, 2012 UTC by Sealord »
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Offline Strange Beacons

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2020, 1550 UTC »
When I lived on the west coast, I actually was able to tune into the net in question and was an ear-witness to some of the abuse from that guy. It was indeed pretty bad. I don't know much about how the FCC works, so far as enforcement is concerned. But it really surprises me just how long it took the FCC to address that issue.

Offline secretlab

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2020, 0210 UTC »
When I lived on the west coast, I actually was able to tune into the net in question and was an ear-witness to some of the abuse from that guy. It was indeed pretty bad. I don't know much about how the FCC works, so far as enforcement is concerned. But it really surprises me just how long it took the FCC to address that issue.

Part of the answer I think is that Crowell is a retired attorney who was able to exploit a number of quirks in the 'due process' built into FCC enforcement. That's a protection from abuse by the government and a good thing. But I'm sure a number of FCC attorneys wish he'd pursued another hobby.

One of the WARFA net controls was an elderly woman living about 20 mi. from me. Some nights, it was tough to copy her over the wall of abuse!
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Offline MDK2

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2020, 1544 UTC »
It's about time. Just last week I was looking up this guy to see if anything had changed. His license was in a state of expiration going back to 2007, so the case goes back to that date at the latest. The guy must be a sociopath. It will be glorious to have him gone.

I wonder what the lids on 3.840 think? I heard W6WBJ in real time on that frequency a couple of times, apparently they're his kind of people.
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Offline Matt_B

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2020, 1526 UTC »
The long FCC process in the non-renewal for cause of William Crowell's ham ticket seemingly is over with the cancellation of his license on 5-5-20. Crowell devoted considerable resources voicing his displeasure (the FCC alleged that included jamming with pre-recorded loops and music) over many years on frequencies used by WARFA, a racially diverse net which refused to 'check him in.'

The FCC decision came in February. Most of the FCC Docket 08-20 is available online.  It's interesting reading.

Docket 08-20 https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filings?action_offset=0&express_comment=0&proceedings_name=08-20&sort=date_disseminated,DESC&submissiontype_description=REPLY

Hopefully, this will have the effect of finally shutting this fool up.
Matt Boland
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Offline MDK2

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2020, 0341 UTC »
Welp, as of 0338 UTC on 29 MAY 2020 (2038 Pacific time on the evening of Thursday the 28th), the WARFA net is experiencing malicious interference in the form of music. No ID. But it ended at 0339, followed by calls for checkins to the WARFA net, but then some of the old familiar jamming recordings are now being heard. It seems W6WBJ is still on the air, regardless of the status of his license.
Denver, CO.
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Offline MDK2

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2020, 1553 UTC »
I wonder if we can start logging him as a pirate?
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Offline secretlab

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2020, 1759 UTC »
I wonder if we can start logging him as a pirate?
There's been some speculation (because the wall of jamming appears to have several sources) that Crowell has had several licensed or unlicensed proteges who joined in. It will take some sleuthing to determine where the current mess is coming from.

Peace, brothers! Promotion of brotherhood, which is WARFA's stated goal, became the worst troll bait ever, it seems.
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Offline Strange Beacons

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2020, 1121 UTC »
Peace, brothers! Promotion of brotherhood, which is WARFA's stated goal, became the worst troll bait ever, it seems.

I really don't know much about the jammer's motives, but I have to wonder whether the fact that WARFA appears to be an all-inclusive, multi-racial net has something to do with this? In plain speak, I'm wondering if there is some sort of racism involved on the jammer's part? Does anyone know?

Offline secretlab

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2020, 1704 UTC »
Peace, brothers! Promotion of brotherhood, which is WARFA's stated goal, became the worst troll bait ever, it seems.

I really don't know much about the jammer's motives, but I have to wonder whether the fact that WARFA appears to be an all-inclusive, multi-racial net has something to do with this? In plain speak, I'm wondering if there is some sort of racism involved on the jammer's part? Does anyone know?

Crowell recorded (sang on) a couple of songs that can only be described as racist which became part of the jamming. There were racist comments made. He had some sort of run-in with Moody Law, WQ6I, of WARFA some years ago that seemed to escalate, but I don't know the specifics of it. Also with the late Art Bell, W6OBB, who was a member of WARFA.

I'm down with brotherhood, but it's a sad fact that there's no shortage of people who aren't.







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Offline Strange Beacons

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2020, 2000 UTC »
Crowell recorded (sang on) a couple of songs that can only be described as racist which became part of the jamming. There were racist comments made. He had some sort of run-in with Moody Law, WQ6I, of WARFA some years ago that seemed to escalate, but I don't know the specifics of it. Also with the late Art Bell, W6OBB, who was a member of WARFA.

I'm down with brotherhood, but it's a sad fact that there's no shortage of people who aren't.

OK, that explains what I heard from the jammer a few times (blatantly racist music and racist speech). I 100% draw the line at that kind of crap. Thanks for the reply.

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2020, 0147 UTC »
This guy ain't no pirate, and logging him as such just gives the FCC and other anti-pirate a**holes one more excuse to go after pirates.

Don't do it. And, in fact, logging him at all probably will just feed his ego.

Al
AL6FAN

I wonder if we can start logging him as a pirate?

Offline Charlie_Dont_Surf

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2020, 1915 UTC »
Welp, as of 0338 UTC on 29 MAY 2020 (2038 Pacific time on the evening of Thursday the 28th), the WARFA net is experiencing malicious interference in the form of music. No ID. But it ended at 0339, followed by calls for checkins to the WARFA net, but then some of the old familiar jamming recordings are now being heard. It seems W6WBJ is still on the air, regardless of the status of his license.

This is interesting because it seemed to me that since the ruling and before his license was more recently formally cancelled, the jamming reduced or was gone but I haven't been checking it intently. Maybe he briefly got a life but got bored and decided to go back to jamming.

I did multiple TDOA runs on the WARFA Net jamming one night and pretty much everything I saw lead me to believe that it was coming from the area east of Sacramento and west of the Nevada border, neatly agreeing with his purported location.

Whereas music on 3840 KHz that night appeared to be coming from various other locations.
I don't STRETCH the truth.

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Every minute Charlie squats in the bush, his signal gets stronger."

Offline Charlie_Dont_Surf

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2020, 0743 UTC »
Crowell recorded (sang on) a couple of songs that can only be described as racist which became part of the jamming. There were racist comments made. He had some sort of run-in with Moody Law, WQ6I, of WARFA some years ago that seemed to escalate, but I don't know the specifics of it. Also with the late Art Bell, W6OBB, who was a member of WARFA.

You know about as much as I know.

I can also add that he was a frequent "member" of the 3840 group, where there is one hell of a lot of long-term personal enmity between "members", going back a long time, aside from the racism (and many other -isms).
I don't STRETCH the truth.

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Every minute Charlie squats in the bush, his signal gets stronger."

Offline Polar Bear

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Re: FCC Cancels W6WBJ License
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2020, 1458 UTC »
If you tune across 80 meters after midnight est most any day of the week, you will hear multiple deranged people, some of whom talks to themselves.  Every time you remove one, there is always 10 to take their place.

Poor Mike did his best to defend the WARFA morons, and his repayment was a generic email sent to him that stated thanks but no thanks, that they were glad that the worlds biggest jammer was taken off the air, but that they no longer required his services and for him to kindly go away!

The Quote I read from Moody was - and now things can go back to the way they were..

The last time I bothered to tune in - 3.908 - they were actually calling CQ, begging someone, anyone to check in to their net..

It seems that the jamming and Mike were bigger attractions then a bunch of colored people that only wanted to talk to each other.  I predict that the whole net will fall into the hole they dug when they chased away half of their check in's - in a single stroke of a keyboard key.

WARFA what?  Never heard of it!