By WBORUR[1], on the scene
PORT O' GLOOM, GEORGIA - A Chickasaw County man has become the first amateur
radio operator to officially purchase an HF radio frequency, the Federal
Communications Commission announced today in a noon hour media luncheon.
Between bites of cucumber sandwiches and small squares of bread slathered with
pimento cheese, FCC spokesman Pontus "Smokey" Blumenthal told reporters
gathered at the Tri-County Technical College dining hall that the sale is
"?part of the government's plan to generate revenue from 'under-performing'
slices of the radio spectrum."
Using a lottery system, local ham radio operator Buzz Sanders (175 Fisherman's
Landing), accepted purchase of 14.281 MHz in the 20 meter amateur radio band.
A retired auto industry worker, Sanders says he'll pay $2500 for the frequency
over 35 monthly payments with a large balloon payment in month 36.
"It seemed like a fair deal to me," he said. "When I get ready to work a
contest, have a rag chew, want to tune up on the air, or just create some
random QRM, I can use 14.281. And if someone gets belligerent, I'll remind them
that as a matter of fact I DO own the frequency!"
Sanders says he's already thinking about subletting the frequency after several
large contesting organizations contacted him in recent days.
Blumenthal shared that the FCC is also considering a "lease-to-own" frequency
program, with the option to return the frequency to the government at the end
of the lease term if propagation isn't suitable to the operator.
# # # HamHijinks.com
Photo courtesy[2]
[1] http://www.wb0rur.com
[2] https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewfeinberg/
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