Abuse of Amateur Radio

Introduction

Most radio amateurs are responsible people who are keen to uphold the fine traditions of amateur radio. They recognise the privileges and responsibilities that go hand in hand with the amateur licence and operate without causing interference or annoyance to others.

Unfortunately a small minority of amateurs choose to operate irresponsibly. Most of them act in full knowledge of what they are doing and the harm and annoyance they are causing. The amateur movement does not want irresponsible operators and this information sheet explains what you can do to help us deal with this problem.

What is abuse?

Abuse of amateur radio comes in several forms. However, most of it is designed either to deny access to the spectrum or to offend and annoy by causing deliberate interference, using offensive language, playing music, pirating callsigns and the like. Most commonly it is aimed at open access facilities such as the voice repeater and packet networks so as to cause a nuisance to the maximum number of people and attract attention. Less common, but just as serious, is the abuser who targets individual operators or specific radio services.

It is worth remembering that vile and abusive language and threats are matters for the police and should be reported to them. Sadly, offensive language is more commonplace these days and courts need evidence that the language used in the alleged offences is worse than that encountered in everyday life.

What should you do when you encounter abuse?

Rule number one is do not respond to it. Experience suggests that abusers want an audience, so ignore them. Remember that you may be breaking your own licence conditions if you correspond with someone who is breaking the terms of their licence or who does not have a licence or if you try to deny them access by keying your microphone.

Rule number two is do not approach or confront them.

Rule number three is, if it occurs frequently, make a note of it. Write down essential details such as the date, time, frequency, location, mobile or fixed, what form the abuse took and any other factors that you think might be useful. If possible tape the transmission in a manner that can easily be identified at a later date. You should label the tape with time, date and frequency you were operating on.

Rule number four is maintain this log in order to build up a pattern of the abuser's operations.

Rule number five is make sure the information you collect is precise and accurate.

What do I do with this information?

The amateur radio movement has its own observation service and its objective is to monitor problems on the amateur bands and try to resolve them amicably. It is called the Amateur Radio Observation Service (AROS). It works quietly and calmly through a network of dedicated observers who operate confidentially.

If you send the information you have collected to AROS either directly or, preferably, via your club or repeater group, then AROS can look into the problem and attempt to resolve it.

Often it will succeed but where abusers persist in their behaviour, AROS will send fully documented cases to the Radiocommunications Agency for possible action.

What can the Agency do?

Unlike AROS, the Agency's local staff have the legal powers to enforce the law. The penalties can be severe. Offences tried in a magistrate's court attract a maximum penalty of £5,000 and/or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months. Those tried before a jury can attract an unlimited fine and/or two years imprisonment.

In addition, a court may order all or any of the apparatus of the station and other
apparatus used in the commission of the offence (including, in the case of mobile transmissions, the motor vehicle used) to be forfeited to the Secretary of State.

Another possibility is licence revocation. This is a separate procedure that is quite independent of any court action, although most revocations take place following a successful prosecution. The purpose of revocation is to protect the spectrum.

Where a licence is reinstated, the Agency may require the individual to re-pass the Radio Amateurs’ Examination. This provides an opportunity for the individual to demonstrate an understanding of licence
conditions. The Agency may also consider varying an individual's licence to impose certain conditions on subsequent use.

If the Agency has these powers why bother with AROS?

Amateur radio is allocated radio spectrum on the understanding that no protection can be given against interference within the bands. The Agency has to devote most of its resources to dealing with interference caused to the emergency services and others where there is a threat to safety to life. The Agency's next priority is to deal with interference caused to business users who depend upon reliable radio communications for the successful operation of their businesses.

Most radio users will see these priorities as reasonable and understand that the Agency must treat amateur and other non-commercial uses of radio as lower priority areas. Nevertheless, the Agency does take action against radio amateurs including prosecutions for Wireless Telegraphy Act offences. Therefore, by reporting cases of abuse to the Agency via AROS, responsible radio amateurs can help maximise the use of Agency resources. AROS may also be able to point out misdemeanours to amateurs before they become serious enough to pass
on to the Agency.

Expectations

Enforcement work is not easy. It takes many hours of quiet and painstaking work. It often involves gathering many pieces of information from a variety of sources and then verifying it by monitoring and other investigations. If you are able to help by submitting reports to AROS we will be very grateful. However, neither we nor AROS will necessarily be able to tell you anything about what has been done with your information. What we can do, however, is to assure you in advance that such reports will be treated seriously.

If you are able to help then please contact the AROS co-ordinator:

RSGB Headquarters, Lambda House, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 3JE. Any general enquiries about this information sheet should be addressed to Neil Marr:

RA3/Enforcement Policy Unit,
Radiocommunications Agency,
Wyndham House,
189 Marsh Wall,
London E14 9SX

Tel: 020 7211 0461.

A similar information sheet, RA344, has been produced concerning "Abuse of CB Radio" For further information on revocation see RA346. Contact addresses, with the postcode each local office covers are as follows:

NORTH EAST ENGLAND

BD-Bradford; DH-Durham; DL-Darlington; DN-Doncaster; HD-Huddersfield; HG-Harrogate; HU-Hull; HX-Halifax; LN-Lincoln; LS-Leeds; NE-Newcastle; S-Sheffield; SR-Sunderland; TS-Cleveland; WF-Wakefield; YO-York.

Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Leeds LS16 5XQ

Tel: 0113 203 0200
Fax: 0113 203 0221

NORTH WEST ENGLAND

BB-Blackburn; BL-Bolton; CA-Carlisle; CH-Chester (English section); CW-Crewe; FY-Blackpool; L-Liverpool; LA-Lancaster; M-Manchester; OL-Oldham; PR-Preston; SK-Stockport; WA-Warrington; WN-Wigan.

Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Newton Le Willows
Merseyside WA12 0NP

Tel: 01942 528200
Fax: 01942 528218

SOUTH AND SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

BA-Bath; BH-Bournemouth; BX-Bristol; DT-Dorchester; EX-Exeter; GL-Gloucester; GU-Guildford; GY-Guernsey; JE-Jersey; OX-Oxford; PL-Plymouth; PO-Portsmouth; RG-Reading; SL-Slough; SN-Swindon; SO-Southampton; SP-Salisbury; TA-Taunton; TQ-Torquay; TR-Truro.

Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Bristol BS99 7LJ

Tel: 0117 959 7200
Fax: 0117 959 7230

MIDLANDS AND EAST ANGLIA

B-Birmingham; CB-Cambridge; CV-Coventry; DE-Derby; DY-Dudley; HP-Hemel Hempstead; HR-Hereford; IP-Ipswich; LE-Leicester; LU-Luton; MK-Milton Keynes; NG-Nottingham; NN-Northampton; NR-Norwich; PE-Peterborough; ST-Stoke; SY-Shrewsbury (English section); TF-Telford; WR-Worcester; WS-Walsall; WV
Wolverhampton.

Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Birmingham B32 1TA

Tel: 0121 423 5200
Fax: 0121 423 5232

LONDON AND SOUTH EAST

AL-St Albans; BN-Brighton; BR-Bromley; CM-Chelmsford; CO-Colchester; CR-Croydon; CT-Canterbury; DA-Dartford; E-London East; EC-London East Central; EN-Enfield; HA-Harrow; IG-Ilford; KT-Kingston; ME-Medway; N-London North; NW-London North West; RH-Redhill; RM-Romford; SE-London South East; SG-Stevenage; SM-Sutton; SS-Southend; SW-London South West; TN-Tonbridge; TW-Twickenham; UB-Southall; W-London West; WC-London West Central; WD-Watford.

Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Whyteleafe
Surrey CR3 0YL

Tel: 020 8645 2200
Fax: 020 8668 2194

SCOTLAND, WALES, NORTHERN IRELAND and ISLE OF MAN

Scotland
Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Falkirk FK1 1XP

Tel: 01324 616200
Fax: 01324 616212

Wales
Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Cardiff CF14 4YW

Tel: 029 2052 4200
Fax: 029 2052 4217

Northern Ireland and Isle of Man
Radiocommunications Agency
PO Box 2500
Belfast BT8 8SA

Tel: 028 9081 0200
Fax: 028 9081 4515

For further information about other Agency matters the Radiocommunications Agency has produced a range of information sheets, general publications, licence application forms and guidance notes concerning the use of the radio spectrum. These publications, unless otherwise stated are available free of charge on a single copy basis and may be obtained from:

The Library and Information Service
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX

Tel: 020 7211 0502/0505
Fax: 020 7211 0507

E-mail: library@ra.gsi.gov.uk

RA 345 June 2001 (rev 3)