Dennis OConnor writes...
> I see the entrepreneurial spirit rising here... For anyone thinking
> of starting a small business be very careful of running afoul of the
> Justice Department... The federal regs are crystal clear about
> charging for the use of ham frequencies - thou shalt not... This is
> just the sort of absolutely minor technical violation of federal law
> that prosecutors live to jam folks up for...
>
I would think you could get around that by choosing the correct
financing approach. If you formed a membership club and charged dues,
and then used the dues to support the shared station, you would not be
charging for the use of the frequencies. Rather, the members would be
contributing to the support of the station.
Flying "ownership" clubs do something similar. They will usually
establish basic dues to cover the recurring costs, and then pay into
the ownership fund for each hour of flying time. They are equal owners
of the airplane in question and share in the expenses, with the
sharing being defined no a pro-rata basis. That probably would not run
afoul of the restriction on selling access to the ham bands. But if
the dues were shared equally, that certainly would not be a
problem--else every club-supported repeater that is restricted to club
members in the land would be illegal, and the FCC has repeatedly
supported clubs in restricting club repeaters to members.
Nobody has yet mentioned the potential effectiveness of an Omni VII in
this application. With its ability to be operated remotely via the
Internet, I would think it an ideal rig for a shared station that
benefits those who do not live where they can install antennas, but
where they can get high-speed Internet service.
Rick, KR9D
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