> I know I can retransmit NOAA, but they (ARRL) told me that it can not be
> automatic. This is what I wanted to do. So then I asked about the weather
> alert radio changing my courtesy tone to a "W" so I could then bring up the
> link. The ARRL could not give me a straight answer on that one.
I'm a broadcast radio engineer not a lawyer, but my reading of the rules and
interpretations over the years has been that the problem with lack of control is
when the repeater transmits because someone/something other than a licensed ham
causes it to transmit. If the receipt of the weather alert radio changed the
courtesy tone but did not cause it to be transmitted, I believe, in my never to
be humble opinion, that the result would be both legal and helpful. If the
repeater, at some point shortly thereafter should ID, on it's own or because of
a user keying up, and the courtesy tone were heard, a controlling amateur could
then turn on the relay of the WX receiver, or play back a digital recording of
the alert that caused the tone to change. It might be stretching the rules a
bit, but after changing the courtesy tone, maybe the controller could be set to
ID every ten minutes until acknowledged. To fit into most EAS machines, the
alert is usually less than 2 minutes in duration and that is a pretty easy thing
to digitally record with modern stuff. That way, the playback could be repeated
for others to hear as many times as needed, BUT ALWAYS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE
HAM. Sounds to me like a good idea. I've often wanted to see a distinctive
courtesy tone or letter to indicate emergency in progress to warn hams away from
tying up a machine that was in the midst of something critical. Another tone
might indicate RACES active, still another one Club meeting tonight. Just a few
letters of the Morse alphabet could indicate a lot. Might even encourage the
no-coders to learn the code!.
Bill Croghan, CPBE, WB0KSW
Chief Engineer,
KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD
Lotus Broadcasting, Las Vegas, NV
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