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WMIT GM not friendly to Amateur Radio

F

fmradionuts

Guest
I understand all of the repeater owners with equipment in WMIT's site on Mt. Mitchell have been given notice to

'remove it all' by July 31! Apparently the owners of WMIT, Blue Ridge Broadcasting, also owned by the Graham family have made this decision. Very odd indeed being that for the last 27 years they have gave a few square feet to Hams. I have a feeling the relatively new GM made this decision, and the Grahams have no knowledge at this time. Interesting to see what happens since Franklin Graham is involved with disaster relief with Samaritan's purse and radio amateurs are in the disaster business. Bet he dosn't know about the GM's bad PR move. Maybe the GM should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z9136_Nhh4
 
fmradionuts said:
I understand all of the repeater owners with equipment in WMIT's site on Mt. Mitchell have been given notice to "remove it all' by July 31!/quote]

I assume one of them is the 145.19 repeater? If so that will be a real loss. 145.19 has terrific coverage! Maybe there is another tower on the mountain to serve as a new home for the repeater.

73,
Mike W4DXL
Click to expand...
 
This would be a terrible loss for hams. I've been able to hit this repeater from all over Charlotte and Gaston County and talk to people MILES away. I'd hate to see it go away. Anyone know how to get in touch with this guy.

Gymbeaux120
KG4ECQ
 
It is amazing they would even consider this. Got to be $$$ related in some way. This will impact repeaters on 6 and 2 meters, 220, and 440! Another bad move.
 
The 5.19 machine has one of the best signals in the country. If the they lose the space, there goes the 6600 net. Have to call it something else on another freq. Call it the "we used to get out net".-KD4RNC
 
I listen to WMIT quite a bit and make donations to its ministry when I can, thought I've not been happy at times with decisions that BRB's management and board have made -- starting about a decade ago. And while I am not a ham, this does trouble me. I think this is a vital communications link on prime space for coverage. I wonder if the state (since Mt Mitchell is a state park) could help in allowing placement of the repeater on the peak of Mt Mitchell? Antenna on top of observation deck? And there is also a lot of other non-BRB equipment on Clingman's Peak...are they being given the boot?

Eric
 
WOW!!! 145.190 was one of my favorite machines to use when I was still living down south... I dunno if he is a silent key or not but I had the chance to talk to Ken a lot and tried to check into the 6600 net each Sat night... 519 had some of the best 2 meter coverage I have ever seen... When I was not running simplex I had a lot of friends on 519 as well as the 35 machine which was on the WJZY tower. That is odd that after all these years 519 must go... 73 from Northern IL... KT4SJ... CC1
 
I mentioned this to one of the guys in Charlotte. He said this has been known for about a month now (it was news to me). Anyway he said that other sites on the mountain are being looked at. Let's face it at that height It wouldn't take a big tower to do the job.

If we had a really big national emergency I could see 145.19 being a vital link for communications. Someone needs to talk to the Graham folks and impress this on them.
 
Note to moderators if you consider this post against the rules or improper feel free to delete it. I am going to copy a letter here that I received and I don't know if that's allowed. I wanted to post all the details and not misquote anything so here goes:



Tonight I spoke with Randy Johnston, KE4RQL, who maintains the 145.190, 224.540 and 443.60 repeaters for Ken Woodard, WA4BVW on Mt Mitchell.

Ken was informed by WMIT Station Manger, Alice Knighten, whose facility houses Ken's repeaters, that ALL AMATEUR EQUIPMENT MUST BE REMOVED FROM THEIR FACILITY BY JULY 31, 2009. The building where these repeaters are housed also houses the 442.225 and 53.63 N4YR repeaters which will also be affected. As Randy understands it, the building where these repeaters are housed belongs to WMIT. The property is Forest Service property.



Randy spoke with Alice Knighten to inquire as to the reasons for their decision. The only explanation given was that Amateur Radio was outdated technology and it no longer fit with the direction the station was going and that the only equipment that will be permitted would be FBI, CIA or Homeland Security UNLESS, they wanted to pay $1,000 per month per antenna at the site. Their position was non-negotiable. Amateur Radio equipment has always been permitted there per gratis and always under the direction and supervision of WMIT Station Engineers with regard to physical location, feedline and antenna placement.



As you personally know, Amateur Radio has been active on Mt. Mitchell since 1982 and no doubt you checked into the first net Phil Haga, KA4CAC called just as I did. It is all about to end unless we can educate the current management of WMIT. For 27 years the public has benefited and been served in untold ways. For Amateur Radio to be summarily discharged from that critical site without explanation or consideration of its public service value seems to be an uninformed decision at best and myopic to say the least.



Therefore, on Randy's behalf and with his permission, I am officially requesting any suggestions, assistance or influence the ARRL might be able to provide to influence an amicably resolution to this dilemma for Amateur Radio on Mt Mitchell.



Best Regards,

Dean Blair, K2JB

President, Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society

[email protected]

828-423-3082
 
This thread brings back memories for me. I used to babysit the transmitter up there in the old building during bad snowstorms 20 - 25 years ago. In case the remote went down, we'd put someone up there to keep the x-mtr running. I would be so bored I would dust, sweep, mop, and clean all night. Lots of dust in that old building. We had an old Kaiser Jeep geared so low its top speed was 45 (maybe.) We'd go out and plow snow from the park gate to the transmitter building through many a snowy night.

I was also around when they built the new building in the 90s. Tim Neese and Don Cain kept that place spotless and very organized.

Personally sorry to see the hams leave the site. Ken's a great guy, and his brother Lon helped me get a job at WMIT 25 years ago.

Sure do miss Edna Edwards, the classiest lady who ever worked in radio, secular or Christian.
 
I don't know if things are still done the same way they were during my short employment @ WMIT, but most all the major decisions were made by a board of directors, not the GM. I know that my job was eliminated by the board only a week after I was hired but that's another story.

I would suggest that someone try to find out who is on the board, and see if they can get one or more members of the board to see the light about Amateur radio and it's importance to disaster relief and emergency communications in the several state area served by WMIT.

Yet another option may be to try to get in touch with Franklin Graham directly to plead the case.
 
New information

New information on the QRZ.com website says that someone moved one of the ham antennas on the tower which created problems for WMIT. This was done without permission. :mad: :eek: That's the story so far.

If that's true someone has some 'spainin' to do. They should also be very humble.

Will WMIT forgive and forget?
 
That sure could explain a lot, but I am not sure that it qualifies for such a hard line stance from the GM.

Before reading the above post, I was also going to suggest that someone who is involved with Amateur radio contact the Asheville Citizen and WLOS with a story tip about this, thinking that perhaps some adverse local publicity might assist in reversing the decision. Maybe it still might help?
 
Nothing has been said from Franklin Graham's office yet but, they are working on it. Mike, hope this gets worked out- that room really needs a D-Star repeater in it! ;D
 
The tower site is not owned by Blue Ridge, correct? So why don't the Ham operators ask the park service for the permission to put up their own tower there. Blue Ridge couldn't do anything about that.
 
I would guess lack of funds is the biggest reason. They can't just put a tower up I don't think without a lot of approvals and legal work which may cost more than the tower itself.
 
knoxbob said:
The tower site is not owned by Blue Ridge, correct? So why don't the Ham operators ask the park service for the permission to put up their own tower there. Blue Ridge couldn't do anything about that.
Click to expand...

I actually queried the Yancey County GIS website and it indicates that the WMIT tower sits on a 77-acre parcel owned by Blue Ridge Broadcasting. The Clingman's Peak parcel has been owned by BRB since April, 1969. There are 2 smaller parcels just NE of the WMIT site owned by the state of NC (this appears to be along the service road from the State Park Ranger's Office), then there's the huge parcel that's Mt Mitchell State Park. You can see this by visiting

http://mapping.yanceycountync.gov/gis/
 
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