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--- faq [2017/04/26 13:15]
kd6kpc
+++ faq [2019/12/14 10:49]
KD6KPC [Do you list GMRS repeaters?]
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 No. Membership and use are free.
-It does cost money to run a site like this. Your help is greatly appreciated. Your [[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=wDUdkz1S0n8mCYr851Lz3Z6lLARdwzkguqz5k9hGwDVM9Dk2P30ePUWVcQ4EncYzWR6-5W|donations]] will help pay for server space, bandwidth, and programming.
+It does cost money to run a site like this. Your help is greatly appreciated. Your [[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=6MHjB75ezUbG_WhcIgNX8rt-WWOFMpxN4g1tV-ZcIOj5fzRkzsYrDa9OjHcgqknDSjknrW|donations]] will help pay for server space, bandwidth, and programming.
 ==== Do I have to use a call sign to register? ====
-Yes. This is an amateur radio web site and all regular users must have a call sign.
+Yes. This is an amateur radio web site and all regular users must have an FCC issued Part 97 call sign.
 This is an open community. We use our call signs whenever we transmit on the air. Anyone can look us up and see who we are. Often, the radio operators who seek anonymity are jammers and trouble-makers, who are not welcome here.
-There are those that are very interested in amateur radio, but do not yet have a call sign. You are absolutely welcome here. What you are primarily missing are features that really only work if you are licensed and have a radio to use.
+There are those that are very interested in amateur radio but do not yet have a call sign. You are absolutely welcome here. What you are primarily missing are features that really only work if you are licensed and have a radio to use.
 The administrator reserves the right to reject or cancel memberships to this site at any time, with or without cause or notice.
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 ==== As the owner or trustee of a repeater, why should I share my information with you? ====
-We are attempting to build an open access and free database of useful information for all amateurs. The deployment of the information is designed to help those with a legitimate interest in amateur radio a reliable and central resource to gather repeater information. We do not require anyone to pay any fee for use of the site and openly seek accurate information. We believe this is in harmony with the concept of amateur radio as a service organization.
+We are attempting to build an open-access and free database of useful information for all amateurs. The deployment of the information is designed to help those with a legitimate interest in amateur radio a reliable and central resource to gather repeater information. We do not require anyone to pay any fee for use of the site and openly seek accurate information. We believe this is in harmony with the concept of amateur radio as a service organization.
 Beyond all of that, we believe that this site can assist travelers and new HAMs with the information they need to confidently enter the hobby in the area served. Travelers appreciate the ability to program reliable repeater data into their radios to increase the safety and pleasure of their trips. New HAMs appreciate a quick way to get the information they need to program their radios and start socializing. In this spirit, we hope that you will share your repeater information with us.
@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 However, we will not obscure the frequency, city (or nearest city), county, or state the repeater resides in. We will publish the known operational status of the repeater, usage rights, contact e-mail, and Web site of the repeater if it was obtained from publicly available sources.
-Occasionally, we receive some demanding and rude requests from repeater owners ordering the site to obscure more information than the site policy permits. The U.S. Constitution safeguards the first amendment right to publish this data on the Internet, along with exact coordinates of repeaters and PL tones, which trumps a repeater's "right" to privacy as a repeater site has no right to privacy. Furthermore, amateur radio repeaters reside on publicly available radio spectrum and no frequency is licensed to any person for exclusive use. The general public, and certainly the amateur radio community, has a right to know that a repeater is operating on a given frequency, even though usage of said repeater by the owner/trustee is prohibited.
+Occasionally, we receive some demanding and rude requests from repeater owners ordering the site to obscure more information than the site policy permits. The U.S. Constitution safeguards the first amendment right to publish this data on the Internet, along with exact coordinates of repeaters and PL tones, which trumps a repeater's "right" to privacy as a repeater site has no right to privacy. Furthermore, amateur radio repeaters reside on publicly available radio spectrum and no frequency is licensed to any person for exclusive use. The general public, and certainly the amateur radio community, have a right to know that a repeater is operating on a given frequency, even though usage of said repeater by the owner/trustee is prohibited.
 Try pleading, begging, or a simple please and we will be more willing to work with you! Requests phrased any other way may be ignored.
 ==== Do you list GMRS repeaters? ====
-No, we do not. We thought about this carefully and even started building out an interface for it.
+Yes, we do.
-What we found is that GMRS owners often times do not have the same goals as amateur radio repeater owners. Many GMRS owners create small radio networks to operate farms or for family use and do not want outsiders on their systems. They also want to lock down all listings of their repeaters so only they can modify them.
-This does not follow the Repeaterbook.com model. Furthermore, there seems to be other resources available that offer this service. Though not as robust and built out, their services seem to be adequate for that community. Repeaterbook.com will continue to focus on the amateur radio community.
 ===== Contributing =====
@@ Line 123: / Line 122: @@
 The time commitment is not very high. There is some front-end work getting the data entered and updated, but ongoing maintenance is low. The typical admin can spend just 15 minutes per week handling requests and doing some light research. Occasionally, more time is required for the bi-annual data reviews.
+===== Exporting =====
+==== How can I export to the CHIRP, RT Systems, or G4HFQ programming software? ====
+Repeaterbook data exports have been certified by CHIRP, RT Systems, and G4HFQ. The recommended method for exporting the data is to use the corresponding Export menu option. This will create a file that you can import directly into the software.
+The CHIRP and RT Systems software itself has an option to download directly from Repeaterbook.com.
+==== Why don't I see the option to Export? ====
+You must be registered and logged on to access the Export menus.
+==== Can I export as an Excel file? ====
+Yes. You must be registered and logged in to see the Export option on the menu.
+First, search for the repeater listing you want. You should see 'Export' on the menu. Choose 'CSV' as that file type can be opened by Excel.
+==== Why are there sometimes a difference in the number of repeaters in the search result and export? ====
+Repeaterbook.com contains data on repeaters that operate on analog, digital, or both emission types. Not all radios are able to decode digital transmissions and not all programming software programs are capable of programming radios that can decode digital signals (ie, CHIRP). Using CHIRP as an example, CHIRP is not known to have the capability to program any DMR or D-STAR radios. For this reason, if the user attempts to download a list of repeaters where some are digital-only, they will be excluded from the CHIRP export to eliminate the need to weed these repeaters out of the list before programming a non-digital radio. If CHIRP later is capable of programming a digital radio, these repeaters can be added back in the export.
+==== How do I export to the MCP-4A (Kenwood) programming software? ====
+To export data to the Kenwood MCP-4A programming software, you can use the TravelPlus .tpe format. The MCP-4A export is not compatible with the Kenwood software.
+==== Is there a special format of the .csv file that works with Icom? ====
+If you are trying to program an IC-7100 using CS7100 cloning software for D-Star repeaters, we would like to provide this export. We would need a sample of a file that can be uploaded to this radio to create a similarly-structured file.
+==== What is your TravelPlus tpe export compatibility? ====
+The TravelPlus tpe format is a file format specifically designed to export to radio programming software. All programming software applications should be able to accept this file format as produced by the TravelPlus software.
+The TravelPlus tpe file export directly from TravelPlus will not work in CHIRP (as of the 20140124 daily build). The tpe file from RepeaterBook has been modified to allow the file to work.
+You may find that exporting a tpe file from TravelPlus and attempting to import into TravelPlus may produce errors. You should have a better experience with the RepeaterBook version of the tpe format. However, this formatting change does come at a cost as the data is more generic. We are working with CHIRP to correct errors so that we can return the RepeaterBook tpe export file to the same format the TravelPlus software produces.
+===== Legal =====
+==== If someone vandalizes a repeater site after finding the coordinates on your site, aren't you liable? ====
+Many of us are repeater owners and we always cringe when we hear about repeaters that are damaged or vandalized. We know that there are outdoor enthusiasts that come across repeaters and cause so much havoc for their own fun.
+We really would hope that Ham Radio operators are above using RepeaterBook to try to locate a repeater and inflict damage upon it. However, we know that it certainly can happen, but are we liable?
+The short answer is no.
+==== As a repeater owner, I demand that the listing of my repeater be completely removed. ====
+We understand your concerns and want to work with you but take a deep breath first. When we receive this request, invariably some right to privacy or copyright is claimed. An assertion that permission has not been granted to publish the data on this website and is therefore prohibited.
+Most people that make such a claim actually do not know how copyright and the fair use doctrine works. If they did, they would probably not make an uninformed legal argument. But because this method is employed from time to time, we opted to do some research for you.
+Privacy Argument
+Consider for a moment that the repeater listing on Repeaterbook was similar to your home address being published on the Internet. It is nearly impossible to prevent as there are many website parsing data from multiple government and commercial entities publishing your information. In order to keep your address from print in the local phone directory, you must initiate a request to your local phone service provider. Notice they never ask for your permission to print your address, but in fact, charge you to obscure it. They may even offset their own costs by reselling the information to others.
+Your address information may sit in databases connected to tax records, property records, mortgage houses, voting records, DMV, financial institutions, court records, employers, cell phone providers, and other commercial entities. All making your address, email, and phone number available without your permission. (especially property records and court documents), utility companies, and credit card companies. There are no laws prohibiting these data collectors from publishing this information about you without your permission.
+Many people misunderstand what their "right to privacy" really is. While companies may be required to safeguard Personal Identifiable Information (PII) to protect your identity, your home address is not protected. Though many companies maintain privacy policies as a service to their customers, they are not legally required to do so. There are many laws restricting the government from indiscriminately collecting data about you, but not private individuals or companies. For more information about US Privacy laws, try http://www.rbs2.com/privacy.htm.
+How does this apply to a repeater? A repeater is not a person and has no privacy rights at all. Where it is, the mode it is using, frequency and PL tones used, call sign, DTMF commands etc, are not protected under any law. The FCC even prohibits amateur radio operators from using any sort of encryption to hide this information. Asserting privacy concerns to request the removal of a repeater entry is without merit and we are not required to act on it on that basis. The repeater is either transmitting or receiving information on the publicly available radio spectrum. The only spectrum with any type of protection is cellular.
+Copyright and Permission Required Argument
+Most websites put Copyright notices on the footers of their pages. What is the legal effect of doing so?
+As far as copyright law and a database like this, many people believe incorrectly that they have some protection from their repeater's information from being published on Repeaterbook. Please take a moment to study Copyright protections on the US Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/ website.
+Specifically not protected is fact. Repeater data on this site is comprised of facts. The operating frequency, PL, offset, location, call sign, etc, is all fact. We do not violate copyright by copying or displaying elements of design that can be copyrighted. We don't reuse maps, charts, or images from a site without permission. Our formatting of the information is not borrowed from another site and is unique to our style.  A book that is a collection of facts can still be copyrighted. However, the facts contained within are not protected and can be re-published elsewhere. The protection is the book's format and the method for expressing the facts. Sentence structure, for example.
+A specific example would be data published on a website controlled by the operator of a repeater. There is no legal protection of the information posted on the repeater that is factual in nature. Permission is not required to copy this data and enter into the Repeaterbook database. There is no set of words that could be placed on the website, or on printed material, to prevent factual information from being recorded and republished elsewhere. Period. If you are still confused about this, please return to the US Copyright Office link above.
+We would rather work with you and not against you. We just want you to get over the idea that you have legal leverage when approaching us to remove information. We have no legal requirement to remove a repeater listing. Yelling, screaming, or threatening anything (including lawsuits) in an attempt to remove your repeater listing will be ignored. We prefer pleasant conversations with grown-ups who are able to discourse in a friendly manner.
+We would like to point out that we would like to represent everything that is good about amateur radio. We do not wish to be argumentative about these points or debate them with you. We would prefer to embrace you as a fellow ham and work together in a spirit of cooperation to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement. While other repeater listing repositories attempt to make money on their products, there is no requirement on this site to pay money to receive any information. We are simply a collection point for publicly available information. We believe because of our operating practices, you may be most willing to share your information.
+We should also note that requests to remove data outside of PL tones, locations, and coordinates from the site are actually pretty rare.
+Case law can be found on this in regards to Web sites that publish the home addresses of police officers and abortion doctors. Recently, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously said the activists could be held liable only if the material authorized or directly threatened violence. A Supreme Court ruling that said a threat must be explicit and likely to cause "imminent lawless action." Their right to publish this information is protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Even when common sense tells you that the posting of the information is to allow for the information to get to someone who would do harm to the individual, it is still protected. The poster of the information is not responsible for the actions of another individual. This all changes, however, if the poster encourages others to inflict harm upon the individual.
+Since the operators of this site do not wish harm to come to any repeater, in fact, the opposite, the site and its operators cannot be held liable for any actions taken by a third party with information gleaned from the site.
+==== Do you obtain the permission of a repeater owner before publishing the information? ====
+We have over 30,000 repeaters in the database and that would be quite the chore. Considering the options, we thought it would be much too cumbersome and expensive to get consent from a repeater owner before posting any data about a repeater. It would be a non-starter.
+As many of us are repeater owners or board members of large clubs with repeaters, we decided that such a mailing would be expensive, overwhelming, difficult, and likely fruitless. If every administrator of a Web site attempted to gain the permission of the owner of a repeater, repeater owners would be so tired of receiving requests that they would likely ignore them.
+Cost is also a major factor. We figured the cost would be about $1.00 per mailing. Currently, we service more than 21,000 repeaters. For a free site, that cost is overwhelming.
+Finally, there are no legal or moral requirements to request permission to publish facts, especially when they are generally available from other sources. So for now, we will continue to gather information as we do and pledge to work with the concerns of repeater owners as they arise.
+===== Media =====
+==== Do you have additional information for the media? ====
+Yes, we do. You can obtain it at Press Kit [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LE3ex1ASszKkPUsP9CupxrppcU06hydU0S9xqvsJYdQ/edit|here]].
+==== Do you do interviews? ====
+Yes, interviews can be arranged. Please use the contact form to reach the site admin/owner.
+==== Has Repeaterbook ever been showcased in the media before ====
+Repeaterbook has been reviewed and showcased in 73 magazine.

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