[IRCA] Please accept my resignation.

["Les Rayburn" <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To Officers of the NRC and IRCA,

It is with much regreat that I must tender my resignation as Broadcast Test 
Coordinator, effective as soon as you can appoint a replacement. The job has 
simply become untenable, and I cannot continue.

While it is prompted by the latest incident with an IRCA member, "Willis" of 
Old Fort, TN, it is not just this one incident or member who have brought me 
to this decision. Rather, it is the totality of similar events over the past 
three years with bad apples from both the NRC and IRCA acting in this 
manner.

It is my belief that the leadership of both clubs have done precious little 
to address this growning and serious problem of membership's behavoir 
towards broadcasters, conduct towards fellow members on lists and forums, 
and over zealous attempts to obtain QSL cards. This general decline in the 
behavoir of members, especially as it relates to broadcasters, threatens the 
hobby in general. In paricular, it makes the task of arranging for DX tests 
more difficult.

Just as DX'ers have joined e-mail lists and discussion forums, so have 
broadcasters. If we offend an engineeer at a Clear Channel station, we can 
anticipate that he'll relay that situation to other engineers on an e-mail 
list. If we accuse a station of "cheating" in one of our forums, it's likely 
to find it's way back to that station or at the least, to other stations who 
will take offense. There is no such thing as a "private" e-mail list. Just 
as members should expect remarks published in our print publications to make 
their way back to broadcasters, the same is now true of electronic messages.

I've written many, many e-mail messages and articles attempting to make this 
clear to members. In one exterme case, I appealed to the leadership of the 
NRC and had one member removed from the club. But my voice has been a lone 
one. The leaders of both clubs have stood silent and done little to stem 
this tide of behavoir. There is little to no moderation of the e-mail lists. 
There is no formal process for complaints to be lodged by broadcasters. 
There isn't even a set of rules or guidelines that a member agree to before 
being accepted into membership.

The lastest incident is simply the last straw. A civilized discourse and 
word of caution to an IRCA member results in a response that questions my 
relationship with God, my political beliefs, and my intergrity. Such 
behavoir cannot be allowed to stand.

Playing a role in arranging tests for the past four years has been very 
rewarding at times. We've accomplished some things that I've very proud of 
including the new "inventory insert" DX tests, the Flash Card Alert system, 
trying new modes like QRSS, international DX tests, and the "Big Sky" 
coordinated test event from Montana.

But I simply cannot continue to devoted so much time when others can wreck 
all my efforts with careless words, unprovoked attacks and rude behavoir.

I'll work closely to help make the transition to a new BTC go smoothly and 
support the effort in any way that I can. I include "Willis's" most recent 
letter below. While this letter was sent to me personally, and "off list" it 
was sent in response to our discussion on the IRCA list. It is 
unfortunately, typical of the kind of personal attacks that I've heard over 
the past four years.

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF


========================================================

Les-
At 0030 EDT they are still in their at S7 to S9 with QSB.
This is NOT transmitter work, this is not just a mistake from someone not
doing their job by turning the transmitter off (which is a form of
CHEATING.) What this station is doing is against the rules. But, what do
Americans do today?, "To hell with the rules, if I want to do it, I will."
You have done the same thing in your own life, and I know you have.

"day time power past their appointed time to power down" the correct term
for this is "CHEATING." By any other name it's still CHEATING!! The FCC
calls it "CHEATING."

I am almost sure you have studied Psychology, right?

Les, I am writing to you off the list. I have keep fairly quite about this
topic, but I will no long keep quite. I have really grown tired of this
topic, of this 'new age' thinking, and a total lack of moralty towards your
fellow man. I know that you left a good conservative church to join a overly
liberal riligious group that has women and queer leaders. (Episcopal). I
know your thinking, "What the hell has this got to do with the topic?" A
persons religious background will show how they will think and react to a
given topic or situation.

With NO Bible backgroung to base truth upon, a person will turm to humanism,
socialism and who knows what. God says when go against the rules your
"CHEATING." I will follow that thinking and continue to call it "CHEATING"

There is so much more to topic, I am not going try and explain every aspect
in detail.

All I ask is, Stop hiting me with your "new age" slogan! It's to bad you
turn your back on Christ.

Cheating by any other name is still cheating!



> Willis,
>
> About twice per year, KNX in LA will blast in here, sometimes making it
> difficult to hear our local on the same frequency. It doesn't happen very
> often, but it does happen. I just wish folks would refrain from using the
> word, "cheating". They could be having an automation malfunction (much
more
> likely) or it could be unusual propagation. Cheating implies that they're
> doing something illegal or at least deliberate.
>
> As the broadcast test coordinator, I hate DX'ers using the word
"cheating".
> At best it's imprecise. What they mean is running "day time power past
their
> appointed time to power down". 


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