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Jul

QRZ_EDITOR a Fraud?

By Hamsexy Management 16 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

The story behind the infamous QRZ_EDITOR (otherwise known as Michael Jacobus N4DIA ,also called “Secret Squirrel” and “Psycho”) seems to have taken a strange, new twist.

Those of you who read Hamsexy on a semi-regular basis know that we’ve been at odds with N4DIA (a.k.a. QRZ_EDITOR), who was the driving force behind QRZ’s authoritarian regime (especially against this site). People incorrectly assumed QRZ.com’s founder Fred AA7BQ was behind it, but it turns out it was actually Jacobus.

Communicating to the outside world using the anonymous alias QRZ_EDITOR, he layed a smackdown of unfair and irrational policy on QRZ.com members, as well as never-ending stream of vitriol against others via e-mail.

He refused to reveal his true identity to others, preferring to speak on behalf of QRZ.com as an anonymous phantom, responding to requests to reveal himself with sarcasm and strange stories regarding September 11th. He claimed to work for various branches of the military (specifically the US Navy) and claimed that his work at The Pentagon negated his need to remain anonymous (I guess Osama bin Laden reads QRZ.COM…?)

Well, if recent accounts of various people are correct, it would appear that the famous QRZ_EDITOR is a convicted fraud artist, a felon and a liar. AL2N on the Hamsexy Forums posted a news story from the Cleaveland Plain Dealer from 1994, showing that Jacobus was convicted of Grand Theft after stealing $50,000 from his ex-girlfriend. This is AFTER he was charged with impersonating a Naval Officer in 1993.

Over the past few days, it’s been obvious that something is up at QRZ, despite the lack of any official release or statement from Fred. N4DIA’s status has been reduced from Super Administrator to Subscriber, and QRZ management have been pretty mum on the situation.

Here is a small digest of what went down (courtesy of the Plain Dealer news archives and the Cleaveland Public Library):

December 1993: Michael Jacobus faces trial for impersonation of Naval Officer and theft of identification cards. He was accused of posing as a Naval F-14 pilot and graduate of the TOPGUN Navy Fighter Weapons School, including possessing a stolen phony uniform and credentials. He also lives in Pensacola, Florida – the birthplace of our Navy’s Aviation program. A few weeks later he admits to this, and gets six months in prison and a fine. The judge in this case is a former Naval Aviator.

March 1994: Jacobus is charged in a 1987 theft of $50,000 from a former girlfriend. They met in 1987 on an ‘on-line computer service’ (BBS maybe?), and they eventually met. After their visit, her house burned down and she got a $50,000 insurance settlement. Jacobus offered to invest it for her, and she agreed. After he fucked off with the money, she filed charges. Apparantly, the impersonation case put the spotlight on Jacobus, and he was quicky arrested for the theft.

He was found guilty of Grand Theft, and was sentenced to two years in prison.

There are a few coincidences that lead us to believe that N4DIA and the person in the articles are one of the same:

a) N4DIA‘s FCC records show his name as Michael J. Jacobus of Pensacola, Florida
b) N4DIA (as QRZ_EDITOR) claimed to be in the military, specifically in the navy.
c) N4DIA, despite his claim he is a Naval Officer, has shown himself to be unfamiliar with naval terms use by QRZ members who actually are in the Navy. Ronnie WA4MJF related a story where QRZ_EDITOR had never heard of the term “Chink” being used to refer to the US military acronym CHICOM (Chinese Communist Party). WA4MJF, who is a retired Army officer from a Naval family (oh the shame!) writes: “How many of all y’all that were in the service never heard a CHICOM called a Chink? When he told me he had to check with some contacts at the puzzle palace to see if that was true, I knew he was never a Naval Officer.” (The Puzzle Palace is the National Security Agency). N4DIA‘s status on QRZ was, over the past few days, reduced from “Super Administrator” to “Subscriber”.

QRZ_EDITOR likes to squeeze his alleged military service in at any chance. In a letter around the beginning of January of this year to KC2KIT, QRZ_EDITOR says “As a 30 year retired military officer I am amazed at your tirades given your professional background.”

We are not accusing anyone of anything, just pointing out the facts. If this is true, we would hope that N4DIA’s removal as Administrator would herald a new day for QRZ, one in which the forum’s members aren’t ruled by a convicted criminal and fraud artist – someone who doesn’t urinate on our country’s proud military heritige for his own selfish and psychotic needs. The ball is in Fred AA7BQ’s court – we would like him to do the right thing and let everyone know the truth behind N4DIA’s demotion. None of this is Fred’s fault – if the claims are true then he was duped along with the rest of us.

Apr

Congrats to Tom KC9ECI

By VE3HBD 4 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

Our many and amazing congratulations to our own Tom KC9ECI for winning QRZ IDOL 2006 – their first ever new-moderator elections. Tom won the popular vote, easily sliding past his other contenders. The management of QRZ are to be congratulated – Tom’s a great guy with a very fair sense of management sense, and will make a fine addition. He was one of the original moderators we recruited when the Hamsexy Forums launched, and he’s done wonders keeping our goons in line.

Congrats Tom!

Jan

QRZ.com and Hamsexy

By VE3HBD 13 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

Good day all… This is my first post from the glorious Republic of China… The Portugese called it “Ilha Formosa” (The Beautiful Island)…. but it’s normally known as Taiwan…. It’s a beautiful 80 degrees here in January and I think I’m finally over the 13 hour time difference from Toronto.

Well folks – I’ve got an announcement to make. We here at Hamsexy are well known for our collective dislike of QRZ.com. Some of it was well founded, a lot of it was… well.. material for the site. However, a lot of people are getting tired of the whole deal, myself included. We run the risk of being made as a “one trick pony”, in that we are only known as a ‘QRZ-bashing’ site when Hamsexy is much more.

So, effective immediatley, myself and our front page staff are stopping our ‘assault’ on QRZ.com. Although we do not agree with a lot of what has been done on QRZ on behalf of it’s moderation team, we are teetering dangerously close to the idea that this site serves but one purpose – to call out the shortcomings of QRZ, which simply is not the case.

Running a site such as QRZ.com, the largest, oldest and most popular ham radio site on the internet, cannot be an easy task. First of all, sheer numbers make this a daunting task. Mix that in with the twisted mentality that a lot of hams seem to possess, and you’ve got a recipie for a thankless job moderating.

Hamsexy is *not* family friendly. While we aren’t nearly as filthy as some think we are (we are not a porn site, nor are we dedicated to filthing up the hobby), we do use some language and subject matter that some might find offensive. Granted, we post what’s on our minds – it’s a very real site. Some might not find it acceptable, and some might not agree with our viewpoints. That’s fine, it’s a free country. The management of QRZ is free to decide what they deem acceptable for their audience, and they are free to determine that Hamsexy isn’t something they want to be associated with. As I said, their methods leave some to be desired, but it’s their site.

I have been in contact with Fred AA7BQ (founder of QRZ) and we’ve had a very positive dialog. I think we both see eye to eye on certain issues, and have come to a mutual understanding. This impasse on QRZ bashing on this site is *NOT* a concession by any means, nor was any deal struck between us. It was just two grown, mature men coming to an understanding. It’s not a detente, more Hamsexy “moving on”.

Besides, I’m sure I’m not the only one who was getting a little tired of it all.

While I cannot change the minds of those who have been wronged by QRZ’s moderation team, nor would I endeavour to, I just wanted to let you, kind reader, know what’s been going on here. We will not be forbidding discussion either on here or the Hamsexy Forums of any sort of discussions about QRZ (QRZ bashing or otherwise). You just don’t see it here on the front page.

Thanks all – and thanks for making Hamsexy a great enough site to actually show up on QRZ’s radar screen!!!

Bryan VE3HBD/BV

Jan

More QRZ letters

By Clyde McPhail 15 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

JohnnyGalaga, a friend from Batlabs, posted a SINGLE LETTER on the thread on QRZ in support of Hamsexy, and has been banned. A single letter… Not offensive at all… I’ve seen it.

Just for fun (and because he threatened us not to), here are some letters between KC2KIT (James Vooght) and our favourite secret squirrel, QRZ_EDITOR (the guy who claims to both work for the Pentagon and also claims to be a retired Naval officer, who says he is in hiding because of the 9/11 attacks). For your enjoyment, the Kinder, Gentler side of QRZ management. (These letters posted with the express permission of KC2KIT. As for QRZ_EDITOR… well…. he can go back to the world of pretend and continue to act tough behind his anonymous keyboard). Your threats mean about as nothing to us as your so-called authority.

From: QRZ_EDITOR
To: KC2KIT

Mr Vooght,

1st and foremost, QRZ is a private site and you are a guest here. Act like
you would expect someone visiting in your home to act.

What is and isn’t QRZ’s problem with Hamsexy is none of your business.
Simple.

“Or how about I call my lawyer for character defamation from you?”

If you can find a lawyer who will take your money and case, go for it, but
as someone that has been on the Internet as long as you are old, you do not
have a snow balls on a hot asphalt parking lot’s chance. Save your money.

I have reread the thread 4 times and can find no where that WX7B is
attacking anyone, in fact, I found his post to be civil. His posts to you
do nothing more than telling you that his business is his, not yours.

If you have a problem with QRZ, we will be more than happy to solve it for
you.

ADMIN

And KC2KIT’s repsonse:

Dear Nameless Admin,

1st and foremost, I understand that I am a guest in your home. But I don’t expect to be treated like a junkyard dog by another one of the houseguests while I am visiting your house. I feel as though your moderation staff and methods leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. The fact that someone can jump in my case for me voicing my opinion (this is America correct?) when I feel there have been injustices done on part of your staff. Secondly, why are we hiding behind a name? You know who I am, you have my address and if you were creative enough you could even get my telephone number and place of employment? It does not instill confidence in the fact that you are performing your duties efficiently and equally amongst all the members of your forums.

And it is my business what QRZ’s problem is with Hamsexy. As a member of both forums, I don’t want to feel as though I will be persecuted (Historically as other Hamsexy members have on QRZ) for my other memberships in other sites. If you think being a member of a site that is non-wholesome, I also subscribe to a porn site, and I’m sure 90% of the men on the internet do as well.

Another thing� “Or how about I call my lawyer for character defamation from you?” If you read properly, I said that it was a ridiculous statement. I don’t have the time nor the patience to sue a website because one of your people pissed me off. I said it to illustrate a point.

Lastly I am glad that your perception’s of people’s comments overrides my feelings on their comments. Sorry if that bother’s you but I feel that WX7B has an axe to grind and wants to sharpen his blade on anyone that disagrees with him. I found his statements to be aggressive and retaliatory towards anyone who is a member of Hamsexy. Makes me wonder if he hates himself for being a member of Hamsexy as well. My problem with QRZ is the fact that there is a supposed list of rules that no one that has requested to see them has ever seen. Then the rules as they are quoted are not applied and enforced equally amongst the general membership. Then once someone raises that question, and presses the issue, they are banned. Swept under the carpet so no one has to deal with them. That is my problem, if you feel you need to ban me over, so be it. I will move on with my life.

James S. Vooght
KC2KIT

And Secret Squirrel’s response:

Sir,

You have been removed from the membership of QRZ. If you can’t figure out
why, please don’t lose too much sleep over it. I have neither the time nor
the patience to deal with 14 year old mentalities who have no idea what it
takes to babysit people of your caliber.

As this is a private email and you being a 911 dispatcher, you should know
that a private email is the property of the person who sent it. It is also
our opinion.

As a 30 year retired military officer I am amazed at your tirades given
your professional background.

This is our last email to you.

QRZ

Once again, another insult to James based on the fact he’s in the emergency services. QRZ_EDITOR has a small penis that’s bothering him too, methinks. It wouldn’t surprise us – most of the chest-beaters with a Hamsexy chip on their shoulder usually have reasons to feel insecure – we’re easy targets. QRZ_EDITOR also banned James based on this e-mail exchange. How’s that for leadership? KC2KIT responds:

Nameless Admin,

I saw that I was “Banned” from your site. Sir, I will tell you that this will only perpetuate the cycle to which you and your “team” are trying to sweep under the carpet. I have it figured why I was banned. I have an opinion and I felt the need to share it, regardless of the fact that it is against what you and your “team” holds as ideals. Therefore, I must be silenced.

As a private e-mail, in my inbox, it is not only your property, but my own as well. And I will do with it as I please. Don’t think for a second that telling me that these communications are your property is going to make me think that I cannot share them with my friends. Nice try at a cover-up, it was a valiant attempt, but an attempt in vain on your part. Being a 911 dispatcher has nothing to do with that fact at all. And the fact that you call my thoughts, and writings “tirades” is just another small-minded jab at me. You wonder why you have the problem you do.

I express my opinion as I do many places on the internet and in my personal life, and you have banned me for it. All because of another website, Hamsexy. You are cleansing your site of anyone related to Hamsexy, just like another man in the history of our world. He tried ridding the world of a people that did not take with his ideals. If I recall correctly, Adolf Hitler killed himself in a moment of cowardess at the end of World War 2. As a retired military officer you should appreciate that reference.

Whether it was your last message to me, I will continue to voice my opinions against the methods that you and your “team” utilize in “controlling” your internet populace. With that, take this as official notification that I want all of my personal information REMOVED from your servers without delay. I will check, and if it isn’t I will contact legal advice, because I do not beleive your site has permission to publish my personal information any longer.

Sleep well, I know I will.

James S. Vooght
KC2KIT

Ah… as VE3HBD says, we so get a kick out of shaking the hornet’s nest. Carry on, Commander QRZ_EDITOR – you are such a source of mirth and amusement. I think you’re break’s over and you’re needed back down in the galley peeling potatoes. And your check’s in the mail.

Jan

Don’t understand the rules on QRZ? Then you will be banned

By Clyde McPhail 19 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

More QRZ Comedic Gold.

A pretty funny posting near the bottom. Glen K9STH, one of the moderators on QRZ, has been seemingly randomly deleting posts from this thread with zero explaination or justificaiton except for a vague “look at our terms of use” (personal attacks, huh. It seems that the only personal attacks that have been deleted were ones that seemed to go against the QRZ management and friends). Then, suddenly, K9STH breaks into another post and informs user K8TKK that his questioning of the applcation of the policy is grounds for banning.

Wow – I didn’t see “question the moderators” included in their terms of service as grounds of dismissal.The moderators, for their credit, are trying pretty hard to keep reigns on this thread – invoking their unwritten anti-Hamsexy policies without actually making it look like they are (citing “copyright infringement” and “harassment” as reasons to delete messages they really should not have).

I kinda like threads like this. One by one, people realize what kind of ulterior motives QRZ has in protecting their market share in advertising on Ham Radio sites (their words, not mine… their original justification for banning VE3HBD (in letters from QRZ management published on this site) was that the link to Hamsexy.com he had in his signature line was taking advertising dollars out of their pockets. (Hamsexy is an advertising-free site that’s not even a FRACTION as large, popular or valuable to the Ham Radio community as QRZ is) . If QRZ is that protective of their huge clot of annoying, flashing and animated ads forced on you on every page, so be it.

We also like how Glen K9STH insults K8TEK for being a law enforcement officer and being a fan of Hamsexy. That should prove insulting to every public safety officer that we hold as friends of Hamsexy (and there are a lot of them) – including firefighters and EMS Paramedics – all of which we consider heros and public workers, and we choose to judge based on their actions and deeds rather than the websites they choose to visit. Shame on you, Glen. Maybe you should quesiton the web surfing habits of the officer that responds the next time you call 911 if it’s that important to you)

People say that we’re dumb and stupid for our ‘whining’ about QRZ. Hah. Call us whiners all you like, we’re not going to turn down such grade-A comedic gold that the QRZ management continues to deliver us.

*** UPDATE BY VE3HBD ***

I’m guessing, once again, the normally level-headed Fred AA7BQ reigned in his sometimes out-of-control moderator team and ordered the removal of certain moderator comments from this thread (Remember the “Ham who denied military access to SATERN net” thread during Hurricane Katrina?). Most significantly, the comment where Glen K9STH insulted Tim K8TEK for being both a law enforcement officer and a fan of Hamsexy has mysterously vanished. If anyone’s got a screencap or something of the comment so we don’t end up looking like total idiots, please send it to us so we can preserve K9STH‘s disturbing comment as a reminder.

I want to echo Clyde’s earlier comments by saying that we love and appreciate all members of Hamsexy, many of whom include members of America’s law enforcement family, firefighters, Paramedics, all branches of the Armed Forces and everyone else on the front lines of world justice and liberty. Unlike others, we don’t judge your morals, character or dedication based on what websites you frequent. We here at Hamsexy think that a better option would have been to apologize and retract the comments, rather than deleting them and pretending they never existed. Groups like ARES and REACT rely on hams who are also in the emergency services to remind those who might not know better of their valuable place in emergency communications.

Tim K8TEK is a Sheriff’s Deputy in Ohio and is also a probationary fire fighter. He’s also a good friend to Hamsexy and exhibits the highest of moral character and integrity becoming of his chosen profession. We take offense to the generalizations made by the QRZ.Com moderation team of his character because he not only visits Hamsexy, he is also a moderator on our message forum. The QRZ moderation team’s comments insult not only Tim, but every public safety worker that calls Hamsexy home. How shameful.

We’ve also preserved a screencap of Tim’s own reply to the QRZ Moderation team’s allegations. We invite you to keep an eye on the thread to see if Tim’s message vanishes like the offending comment.

** UPDATE **

His reaward for challenging the rules, and for calling Glen K9STH out on his anti-law enforcement remarks is bannination. K8TEK has officially been banned from QRZ.com. The wheel turns, and more people are educated about the true nature of QRZ’s management. They are not only anti-Ham, they are also anti-law enforcement is appears (at least Law Enforcement who visits Hamsexy.com or any other site they deem ‘Obscene”).

Oh, and certain bitchy twerp suck-ups apparantly gets to use foul langauge on QRZ and get away with it (along with his abuse of other members while others get away with it). The QRZ double standard arises again.

Jan

Your Hamsexy Avatars have arrived!!

By VE3HBD 14 Comments

Categories: Hamsexyness! and The QRZ Files

As some of you might know, a lot of the ham snobs in QRZ and other sites just LOVE to whip out their immense penises with the word EXTRA tattooed on then. We here at Hamsexy think it’s pretty sad… but so much comedic gold. A lot of the nerds go as far as to put it in their avatars. So, without further ado, we present to you the 2006 HAMSEXY AVATARS! Use them on your favourite message board…. QRZ, The Hamsexy Forums, RadioReference, Batlabs… anywhere where you want to show your superiority over your fellow man. These are guaranteed to either get a laugh or a death threat from your fellow hams. Use them wisely.

Please copy them from our server. Any attempts to hotlink them will result in us changing the image of the avatar to Tubgirl. You have been warned.

NEW! As of January 4th 2005:

And thanks to Tim K8TEK for the inspiration!

Jan

QRZ censorship=what?

By Clyde McPhail 5 Comments

Categories: The QRZ Files

This link once again shows that QRZ is more interested in removing all mentions to Hamsexy rather than maintaining readable threads.

For some reason, one of the QRZ Mods (probably that QRZ_EDITOR guy who pretends he’s in the Navy or something) thought it would be best to delete the very first message in this thread for God knows what reason. What was once an interesting thread is now a meaningless three pages of incoherant responses to a message that no longer exists.

The original message, for those who missed it, was a message by an apparantly disgrunted submitter to Hamsexy, who felt that the title one of our admins (Bryan VE3HBD) gave to his submission made fun of him. The issue was dealt with in private e-mail according to Bryan, and the person who submitted the original message has published a public retraction.

Why the original message was deleted without being edited or amended to – I have no idea. I guess it’s another example of the Sledgehammer Flyswatter approach to moderation that QRZ is so proud of.

Bryan would love a chance to get in there and defend himself, but he’s still banned from QRZ for what I am sure many in that thread will soon find themselves – mentioning Hamsexy in a public forum (in VE3HBD’s case, including the Hamsexy URL in his signature).

And the ball keeps rolling… Happy New Year everyone, by the way!