The release of smoke blown up my butt. Why Your Local Radio Repeater Might Be Breaking FCC Rules?

[kf4eok]

One of our local repeaters has a wide area coverage crossband receiver on a DOT bridge Dames Point bridge that receives the repeater input frequency on 146.100 with a tone of 127.3 and retransmits the received signal out on 438.200 with a digital DCS code of 351. This one way crossband repeater doesn't ID when in use. The equipement is a Kenwood TM-V71a mobile radio and it has the capacity to ID every 10 minutes if menu item 406 is set to ID.tx and 405 is set to the repeater call. I have tried to work with the repeater owner to get them to be compliant with the FCC rule 97.119 with just a reply that they had special permission and that the link repeater did not have to ID when in use. I was told by one of the repeater owners to report this to the FCC, so I did just that. The repeater trustee received a letter from the FCC and are now asking anyone that uses the w4iz link receiver to id for the repeater at least every 10 minutes while using the link receiver. I have been called the crazy old local ham that wants to be the repeater police. I am ok with that. Why do I have to id every 10 minutes, this is inconvenient at times but I try to do it because I know it is the law. I have donated money to this repeater and I have also helped to replace antenna at the downtown site and I have climbed the Dames Point bridge several times helping with the maintenance of the equipment and antenna replacement for this very repeater. I have been told that I am a bad person for reporting this to the FCC and not taking care of this locally. I tried the locally thing with no results. Is it because I have donatinated and helped to keep the repeater on the air that I am a bad person because I am part of the wrongdoing of the repeater owner by not ideing their link repeater because I have helped them? I have not heard of anybody or any club make a statement of WOW what the repeater owners did is wrong and until the become compliant with the law I am not going to use that repeater. Or I haven't heard anyone say well then I guess that this means that I don't have to ID every 10 minutes when using this repeater. I haven't done anything wrong but I am labeled as the crazy old local ham while the law breakers get hi fives for getting away with not being compliant with the law. Post your thoughts below.