FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Technician Enhancement Proposal

[w2xq]

"The FCC has invited public comments on ARRL’s 2018 Petition for Rule Making, now designated as RM-11828, which asks the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. Interested parties have 30 days to comment."

FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Technician Enhancement Proposal

Geez... whither the 1-year non-renewable Novice snd Advanced... FCC personnel doing the testing... my perception is the ARRL is being pushed by the big 3 equipment manufacturers to sell product. Money is wagging the tail here.

 

[prcguy]

Why don't they just let the major radio mfrs sell licenses. Yaesu can sell you a tech license, Icom a general and maybe Elecraft the Extra. That's where things are heading.

"The FCC has invited public comments on ARRL’s 2018 Petition for Rule Making, now designated as RM-11828, which asks the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. Interested parties have 30 days to comment."

FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Technician Enhancement Proposal

Geez... whither the 1-year non-renewable Novice snd Advanced... FCC personnel doing the testing... my perception is the ARRL is being pushed by the big 3 equipment manufacturers to sell product. Money is wagging the tail here.

 

[N2AL]

I believe this is a terrible idea! Among many reasons, there is no point to upgrade if Tech’s can get on HF bands. While they may be limited in band, they still can. This diminishes the overwhelming need to upgrade to General or Extra Class licenses. I am a fine example of this. While I could use my Tech privileges in a diminished HF capacity, I upgraded to obtain more privileges on HF, and along the way my knowledge increased too. Just because the Tech license question pool had questions regarding HF, it did not mean I was ready to step up to the plate at 14.070 MHz and 14.150 MHz.

I am looking forward to voicing my opposition with the F.C.C. when they begin taking comments.

 

[SigIntel8600]

This is why I the ARRL will never get a dime from me.

 

[zz0468]

The petition reflects the ARRL opinion that there is no intelligent life above 30 MHz. Rather than give the entry level license excessive privileges on HF, they should be showing new licensees how much much there is to do on the higher frequencies. Even the QST VHF and up column rarely mentions activity above 50 MHz, and that only when it behaves like an HF band.

I know Extra class hams who've never been active below 420 MHz. The ARRL is wearing it's cluelessness on its sleeve.

 

[KK2DOG]

When I was a Tech, I had to do my DX'ing on 6-meters only and that was my incentive to upgrade.
The current license structure is fine.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I need to upgrade to General. It really is not that difficult to do. I just never did because I was primarily working VHF and above, satellites etc. But I can see the need for HF mobile capabilities.

 

[n5ims]

If you like (or hate as the case may be) the RM-11828 changes, you'll love the other ham radio rule change now open for comments, RM-11829, the "TYRO" license proposal. It opens up a special entry level license class that has a user pass a "minimal online examination" "making entry into the hobby nearly as simple as obtaining a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license". "Tyro licensees would earn operating privileges 99 channels in a 70-centimeter 'TyroSubBand.'" "in the exclusive 430 – 440 MHz segment of the band".

“Tyro” License Proposal Now Open for Public Comment

I guess that if both are successful a Tech license will become a slightly limited General and the Tyro will be the new Tech and those Tyro hams won't need to know anything to legally use the $25 handheld they got on Amazon to talk with their buddies over the 70 cm repeaters (that are probably linked around the country or even the world).

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The Tyro concept in part, is intended to enable more emergency communicators at a time of need. Volunteers show up at a hurricane wrecked coastal community like Mexico beach and are given a simple test , and forms to fill out and they are licensed and handed radios . For what its worth, unlike most of the proposals that ARRL writes, this one isn't being lobbied by a manufacturer its by an individual with an interesting idea. The truth of the matter is that the sub band he seeks could be carved out easily. The 70CM band is unused in much of the country, Here in Florida, the SARNET system is operational. It really works and has a lot of repeaters linked to the extent that a good part of the state has coverage. I give thumbs up.

 

[zz0468]

Thumbs down here. In Southern California, 420-440 is full. Lot's of linked systems here, and this "Tyro" idea would wreak havoc. I expect the same is true in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. In the southwest, the band is used by military radar (not just PAVEPAWS) and spread spectrum links of various types. The sharing works because the military knows how to get in touch with system licensees, and sometimes does, and the system owners cooperate.

 

[AK9R]

One of the popular theories as to why the ARRL supports RM-11828 has to do with the amateur sailor community and Winlink.

The theory is that Winlink is being promoted to people who are buying sailboats with the intent of sailing around the world. These sailors want to maintain contact with the rest of the world through email which is a function that Winlink provides. Even though these sailors have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their sailboats, they apparently can't afford a satellite phone, so Winlink over amateur radio is an alternative. But, in order to operate Winlink over HF, you must have a General class or higher license (in the U.S.). Apparently, the General test is just "too hard" for these sailors, so the ARRL idea, if you believe the popular theory, is to give Technician class licensees some HF privileges so they can operate Winlink.

This line of thinking goes directly to the argument that we've had on here several times that amateur radio should not be your sole means of communications if you think you might get into a "communications emergency". But, the Winlink community has a lot of money behind it and the popular theory is that they are "buying" the ARRL's support for this rule change.

 

[KE0GXN]

I am willing to take a wait and see approach. The ultimate goal in all of this should be to grow the hobby and at least in my opinion grow it with the emphasis of recruiting “active” new operators. Not just someone who is going to get his Tech and never press the PTT until the zombie apocalypse kicks off.

I see lots of conspiracy theories flying around about why the League is proposing these changes, but at the end of the day if we don’t figure out a way to intrest future generations and grow this hobby at a time when my 13 year old can use her cellphone to dial up any DX entity she wants in seconds.....I don’t see how the hobby will sustain itself past my lifetime.

As it stands now the average age of amateur radio operators is somewhere between 60 and 80 years old.....

Times are changing people, we can refuse to adapt and enjoy only talking to each other till the day we die or we can try to adapt and welcome in future generations.........So that maybe me and operator Joe in up in Iowa do not find ourselves 20 to 30 years from now talking about our colonoscopy procedures on 3.843.....because there isn’t really anything else to talk about or to.

 

[n5ims]

The important point on both is to let the FCC know how you feel during the comment period. You like them great. You hate them, that's great too. You think that there should be changes, let the FCC know. That's exactly what the comment period is for (but make sure you follow the correct rules for making your comment so it'll count!) and is how we let the FCC know what we think of the changes since us hams is who will have to live with the results, good, bad, or indifferent.

 

[KE0GXN]

I agree, I have already submitted my comments.

 

[w2xq]

For those intending to file comments, this Formal Comments on Proceedings webpage provides guidance to ensure your submission will be accepted. Hope this helps.

 

[R0am3r]

RM-11828 is a terrible idea. The HF bands are already crowded and we really don't need a sudden influx of additional operators in the same spectrum. The current licensing system with the allocation of spectrum usage works quite well, so why tinker with it. As a life member of the ARRL I disagree with this proposal.

 

[alcahuete]

Instead of just giving them privileges for the sake of giving them, perhaps it's time to just have a major overhaul of the tests. People aren't upgrading to General or Extra, because quite frankly, the information on the tests is completely asinine. That's coming from an Extra. The material is stupid. Nobody really needs to know probably 95% of what's on the test. Change the test to FCC rules and operating practices and I bet we would see a ton of people upgrade. But of course, that will just further infuriate the old crusy hams who still think you should know Morse Code to progress. Too bad. Get over it.

It's time to move on. It's almost 2020, not 1920.

 

[KE0GXN]

But of course, that will just further infuriate the old crusy hams who still think you should know Morse Code to progress. Too bad. Get over it.

It's time to move on. It's almost 2020, not 1920.

And the irony is, it’s mostly 20 wpm Extras who get busted by the FCC for QRMing on the bands.

No code Extra here, who has never intentionally QRMed anyone or hung out on 7.2, however on the contrary..I have faithfully lived by the amateur code of ethics everytime I have powered on my radios...but yet I am supposed to be a product of “The end of ham radio as we knew it.”

Go figure.....

 

[chill30240]

Instead of just giving them privileges for the sake of giving them, perhaps it's time to just have a major overhaul of the tests. People aren't upgrading to General or Extra, because quite frankly, the information on the tests is completely asinine. That's coming from an Extra. The material is stupid. Nobody really needs to know probably 95% of what's on the test. Change the test to FCC rules and operating practices and I bet we would see a ton of people upgrade. But of course, that will just further infuriate the old crusy hams who still think you should know Morse Code to progress. Too bad. Get over it.

It's time to move on. It's almost 2020, not 1920.

I remember back in the middle '70s I heard the FCC was kicking around the idea of doing away with the Morse code requirement anyway. The old HAMs raised all kind of hell over that because they were thinking that if they had to learn Morse to get their license then everyone HAD to learn it. I was friends with a DJ at our local radio station and they had to have Radio Telephone Operator license to work there. He told me it was if the transmitter broke then they were supposed to be qualified to fix it. He told me same thing about HAM radio. I know that there are alot of good people out there that are more than qualified to fix their own sets and have been in it for years. If I had one (I'm still thinking about it) I would be more like what they used to call an appliance user, take it to some one else to fix.

 

[Golay]

This is a link to a blog that a ham from Ann Arbor Michigan runs. Check out the 7th comment made by a guy named Todd. It is so right on, as far as my opinion in this matter:

FCC looking for comments on proposal to enhance Tech priveleges - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog