An Oklahoma Amateur Extra class licensee is facing a $12,000 fine for operating his Citizens Band radio to “interfere with the communications of other CB stations,” the FCC said in a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) released March 21. In May 2013 an FCC agent used mobile direction-finding techniques to positively identify the source of a continuous carier of CB channel 19 (27.1850 MHz) to the residence of Orloff Haines, KF5IXX, in Enid, Oklahoma. Haines was not at home, but his wife showed the agent her husband’s CB station, which was transmitting on channel 19.

“Mrs Haines stated that Mr Haines was ‘keyed on,’ or continuously transmitting on channel 19, because other CB operators in the area were harassing her,” the FCC reported in the NAL. The agent telephoned Orloff Haines during the station inspection, and, the FCC said, he admitted that he was transmitting a continuous carrier on channel 19. Mrs Haines “voluntarily turned off” the CB transmitter at the end of the inspection. The FCC said the carrier was interfering with CB communication within an approximately 2 mile radius.

Prior to last May, Haines had received two written warnings from the Dallas FCC office, advising him of the consequences of intentionally interfering with other CB communications. “The fact that Mr Haines interfered with other CB communications despite being twice warned in writing that such actions violated [the Communications Act] and FCC rules demonstrates a deliberate disregard for the Commission’s requirements and authority,” the FCC said, in justifying an upward adjustment of $5000 in the proposed forfeiture.

The FCC gave Haines 30 days to pay the fine or file in writing for reduction or cancellation of the proposed fine.