Topic 31 of 54: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Wed, Feb 2, 2000 (20:06) |
Paul Terry Walhus (terry)
I hear the requirements have been loosened and there may be a lot more extras and advanced licensees next month. Is this true? When will the question pool be out? And do you think this is fair?
16 responses total.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 1 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Thu, Feb 3, 2000 (16:20) * 44 lines
This is the latest information I have received:
ARRL Seeks Partial Reconsideration of Restructuring R&O
The ARRL will seek partial reconsideration on two points in the
Amateur Radio license restructuring plan announced by the FCC
December 30. Both points involve the way the plan deals with
Technician-class licensees. The new FCC rules go into effect April
15.
The League will ask the FCC to continue to maintain records that
indicate whether a Technician licensee has passed a Morse code exam
to earn Novice/Tech Plus HF privileges. Under the current system,
the license class of Technicians is designated by a ''T'' in the FCC's
amateur database, and of Tech Plus licensees by a ''P.'' Under the
FCC's restructuring plan, Technician and Tech Plus licensees will
all be known simply as ''Technician.'' The ARRL asserts the change
will eliminate any easy way to tell which licensees have passed the
Morse code exam and which have not.
''We're going to try to persuade the FCC that it made a drastic error
in deciding to change all those Ps back to Ts in the database,'' said
ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ.
The FCC has said that it would be up to Technician licensees, if
asked, to prove that they have successfully passed the 5 WPM code
test. The ARRL plans to ask the FCC to stipulate that any amateur
who provides proof of having passed an FCC-recognized Morse code
exam prior to April 15 would be entitled to receive credit for the
Morse code exam element when applying for future upgrades. The FCC
has indicated to the ARRL that after April 15, code credit for
Technician applicants passing the 5 WPM test would not survive
beyond the 365-day term of a Certificate of Successful Completion of
Examination--or CSCE.
Under both the present and new rules, anyone who held a Technician
license before February 14, 1991, has permanent credit for the Morse
code element, but others do not.
The ARRL Board of Directors approved a motion to file the Petition
for Partial Reconsideration at its January 22 meeting in Memphis.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 2 of 16: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Thu, Feb 3, 2000 (19:16) * 1 lines
This is interesting Marci, I was wondering about the new rules governing upgrades from General to Advanced or Extra. Have the code requirements been waived in favor of a question pool?
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 3 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Thu, Feb 3, 2000 (19:41) * 2 lines
Not sure. Let me check into that. I recall hearing something about it.
Your cw question is regarding upgrades? Rather than novice class? I have heard most unhappily that cw requirements are down to 5 words/mminute. Be prepared for some serious QLF...!
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 4 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Thu, Feb 3, 2000 (19:44) * 34 lines
Question Pool Committee Eyes February 1 Release Date
A revised Amateur Radio question pool that reflects the April 15,
2000, restructuring rules could be out by February 1. Chairman Ray
Adams, W4CPA, of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators' Question Pool Committee says workable question pools
for the new Technician, General and Amateur Extra written exams will
be made public by February 1 or ''very shortly thereafter.''
Adams says that a Technician class syllabus already has been drafted
and approved. The various QPC members have been keeping in touch by
telephone and e-mail since the FCC announced the restructuring rules
December 30.
Adams says that the QPC plans to further refine and update the newly
configured pools in the future, after it has an opportunity to meet
and formulate a plan. He said the revised question pools will follow
the established format.
After April 15, 2000, the FCC will only issue Technician, General,
and Amateur Extra class licenses. Novice and Advanced licensees will
retain current operating privileges and may renew indefinitely.
Applicants desiring HF privileges will only have to pass a 5 WPM
Morse code test. Current Amateur Radio study materials remain valid
at least until the new rules become effective in April.
There are four examination elements in the new licensing system.
Element 1 is the 5 WPM Morse code test; Element 2 is a 35-question
Technician test; Element 3 is a 35-question General test, and
Element 4 is a 50-question Amateur Extra test.
Frequently Asked Questions and other information on restructuring is
available on the ARRL Web site.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 5 of 16: (sprin5) * Fri, Feb 4, 2000 (06:37) * 3 lines
I read this on http://www.qrz.com/callsign.html?inc=column_000117b
On December 30, 1999 the FCC announced the new 5 WPM for everybody rule. Coincidentally, the QRZ web server is experiencing record traffic loads in its online exam testing section from people who are eager to upgrade. This will no doubt result in a surge of HF activity later this summer, just in time to catch the peak of the rest of the current sunspot cycle. I'm loathe to predict however, that this will be the last big surge in ham radio popularity. I say this because after this sunspot cycle fades and until it returns 11 years from now, the internet, satellite communications, cell phones and wireless handheld networking devices will have captured every last young, bright and hip person on the planet. To them, analog ham radio will have the high-tech sex appeal of a rotary dial telephone.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 6 of 16: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Fri, Feb 4, 2000 (07:20) * 1 lines
This is interesting Marci, I was wondering about the new rules governing upgrades from General to Advanced or Extra. Have the code requirements been waived in favor of a question pool?
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 7 of 16: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Fri, Feb 4, 2000 (07:22) * 1 lines
Response 6 was not reposted intentionally, it was caused when I left my browser window open and refreshed the page a day later.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 8 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Feb 4, 2000 (12:31) * 1 lines
Amazing how that can happen, no? We all seem to have it happen from time to time if we post enough times!
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 9 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Wed, Feb 9, 2000 (16:33) * 22 lines
Revised question pools now available
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators Question
Pool Committee has released revised Amateur Radio examination
question pools into the public domain. The revised questions,
covering the new Elements 2, 3 and 4 that become effective April 15,
2000, now are available on the ARRL web site at http://www.arrl.org.
The QPC anticipates that the Element 4 question pool will remain
valid until June 30, 2002, the Element 3 question pool until June
30, 2003, and the Element 3 question pool until June 30, 2004.
QPC Chairman Ray Adams, W4CPA, says the five-digit numbering system
used in past question pools continues to be used in the new question
pools. Graphics have been integrated. Minor revisions still are
possible.
Current Novice, Technician, Advanced and Amateur Extra graphic
sheets remain available and valid. Examinations for the new Elements
2 and 3 will contain 35 questions; examinations for the new Element
4 contain 50 questions.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 10 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Wed, Mar 8, 2000 (14:52) * 30 lines
Amateur Radio Spectrum Bill Introduced in Senate
The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act bill now has supporting
legislation in the US Senate. Idaho Sen Michael Crapo has introduced
a bill that mirrors the house bill, HR 783. The Senate measure has
been designated S 2183.
''In introducing this bill, we want to do something for Amateur Radio
in return for all the good it has done the people of Idaho and
elsewhere in the US by providing a reliable means of backup
communication in times of emergency,'' Crapo said. He also pledged to
promote the bill in the Senate.
Like the House version, the Senate bill, if enacted, would require
the FCC to provide equivalent replacement spectrum should it ever be
necessary to reallocate Amateur Radio frequencies for some other
purpose.
The new Senate legislation was introduced with bipartisan
co-sponsorship from Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Susan Collins
(R-ME), Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR), Bob Smith (R-NH) and Olympia
Snowe (R-ME).
The bill's introduction comes on the heels of a visit to Capitol
Hill by the recently elected ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and
First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN.
So far, the House version of the spectrum bill has drawn bipartisan
support, with 140 cosponsors to date, and has met with no
opposition. However, Congress, and the all-important House and
Senate Commerce committees, have been preoccupied with
non-telecommunications matters and the Amateur Spectrum Protection
Act has not yet moved out of committee. The new Senate bill provides
additional motivation for the Congress to consider the legislation.
NNNN
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 11 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Thu, Mar 9, 2000 (20:30) * 49 lines
US Appeals Court Upholds RF Exposure Regulations
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has upheld the FCC's
1996 RF exposure guidelines. The court also turned away a challenge
to the FCC's exclusive ability to regulate relevant radio facility
operations. The wide-ranging challenge was brought by the Cellular
Phone Taskforce joined by other petitioners including the
Communications Workers of America.
In an opinion released February 18, the three-judge panel upheld the
FCC against the challenges on all points.
The petitioners, in part, had claimed the FCC failed to account for
non-thermal effects of RF radiation, didn't evaluate new evidence,
failed to get expert testimony, and failed to account for
''scientific uncertainty'' about RF exposure in deciding to not lower
the maximum permissible exposure levels below the maximum permitted
thermal levels. The petitioners also faulted the FCC for adopting a
two-tiered MPE level system that allows for higher exposure in
''occupational/controlled'' situations than in ''general
population/uncontrolled'' situations.
Additionally, the Appeals Court:
* said the FCC was not irrational, arbitrary or capricious in its
decision and that it did not ignore ''substantial comments'' from
experts.
* noted that licensees are still responsible for compliance ''and an
interested person can petition the FCC for review of a site believed
to violate the MPE levels.''
* disagreed that an environmental impact statement was required from
the FCC.
* rejected the petitioners' arguments that by not considering RF
interference with medical devices, the FCC failed to take a hard
look at the environmental consequences of its actions.
* rejected arguments that the FCC did not enjoy broad preemption
authority over state or local government under the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 to regulate wireless service
facilities.
ARRL RF Safety Committee Chairman Greg Lapin, N9GL, credits the FCC
with being comprehensive in developing its RF safety regulations and
thinks the Appeals Court did the right thing. ''The FCC is not a
health and safety organization, and the Commission never intended
the rules to serve as a standard,'' Lapin said.
Lapin pointed out that the FCC's rules are based on accepted
American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers and National Council on Radiation Protection
and Measurements standards, ''which, in turn, are based on mountains
of research and the opinions of lots of experts,'' he said.
The resulting rules take into account a consensus of expert opinion
on the topic of RF safety. ''The appeals court recognized this in its
decision,'' Lapin said.
NNNN
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 12 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Thu, Mar 16, 2000 (14:58) * 37 lines
League Files Partial Reconsideration Petition on Restructuring
The ARRL has formally asked the FCC to reconsider and modify two
aspects of its December 30, 1999, Report and Order that restructured
the Amateur Radio rules. The League wants the FCC to continue to
maintain records that indicate whether a Technician licensee has
Morse code element credit. It also seeks permanent Morse element
credit for any Amateur Radio applicant who has ever passed an
FCC-recognized Morse exam of at least 5 WPM.
The League filed a Petition for Partial Reconsideration in the WT
Docket 98-143 proceeding on March 13.
The League suggested that it would be less of an administrative
burden for the FCC to maintain the Technician database as it has
been doing. The database now identifies Technician and Tech Plus
licensees by encoding the records with a ''T'' or a ''P'' respectively.
The ARRL also said the inability to identify those Technicians that
have HF privileges and those who do not could hamper voluntary
enforcement efforts. It further suggested it would be wrong to put
the burden of proof of having passed the Morse examination on
licensees.
The League cited the demands of fairness in asking the FCC to afford
Morse element credit to all applicants who have ever passed an
FCC-recognized 5 WPM code exam. The rules already grant Element 1
credit to those holding an expired or unexpired FCC-issued Novice
license or an expired or unexpired Technician Class operator license
document granted before February 14, 1991. It also grants Element 1
credit to applicants possessing an FCC-issued commercial
radiotelegraph operator license or permit that's valid or expired
less than 5 years.
The League has asked the FCC to ''conform the rules'' to give similar
credit to those who once held General, Advanced or Amateur Extra
class licenses.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 13 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (16:59) * 38 lines
ARRL Bulletin 18: PRB-1 Bill Introduced in New York
A bill has been introduced in the New York State Assembly to codify
the essence of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 in New
York State law. Assembly bill A. 9947 would require localities to
''reasonably accommodate'' Amateur Radio antennas and would prevent
localities from restricting antenna structures to less than 95 feet
above ground level or from restricting the number of support
structures.
ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, says the bill
represents two years of work by his Hudson Division PRB-1 Task
Force, which spearheaded the bill's development as well as a
strategy to get it enacted. The Task Force used other successful
state PRB-1 bills as models and had assistance from ARRL
Headquarters. Fallon said the bill has the support of his staff and
all three Hudson Division ARRL section managers. Support also has
been obtained from Atlantic Division section managers in New York,
and plans are under way for a statewide promotional effort.
The bill, introduced March 7, is in the Committee on Local
Governments, which must vote on the measure before it goes to the
full Assembly. Assuming the measure makes it past both chambers, it
would go to Gov George Pataki--a former amateur--for his signature.
Echoing the PRB-1 language, it would provide that any ordinance
impacting the placement, screening or height of antennas ''must
reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio antennas and shall impose the
minimum regulation necessary to accomplish the political
subdivision's legitimate purpose.'' The bill also would prohibit any
local ordinance, by-law, rule or regulation, or other local law from
restricting Amateur Radio support structure height to less than 95
feet above ground level or from restricting the number of antenna
support structures.
Fallon is urging clubs and individuals to contact their New York
State lawmakers--Assembly and Senate--to cosponsor or support A.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 14 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Mar 24, 2000 (17:30) * 24 lines
FCC Puts CORES and FRN on Hold
The FCC has delayed the implementation of the FCC's agency-wide
Commission Registration System (CORES) and the issuance of an FCC
Registration Number (FRN) to each licensee. The new system, which
would supplant Universal Licensing System (ULS) registration for
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau-administered licensees, was to
have gone into effect next Monday, March 27.
The FCC said it plans to soon issue a new Public Notice ''clarifying
certain issues about the new program and providing a new effective
date for implementation.''
CORES registration is expected to replace ULS registration within a
year. Information provided to the ARRL by FCC officials indicates
that a new CORES registration form will take the place of the ULS
Registration Form 606 when the new system goes on-line. Once in
place, CORES will assign a new 10-digit FCC Registration Number, or
FRN, which will replace the Licensee ID Numbers now issued by ULS
for WTB licensees.
The ULS covers Wireless Telecommunications Bureau licensees and
applicants. It became effective for the Amateur Service last August.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 15 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, May 12, 2000 (17:29) * 41 lines
VECs Struggle with Paperwork Mountain - May 12, 2000
Despite an infusion of temporary help, Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators continue struggling to process the huge influx of exam
session paperwork resulting from Amateur Radio restructuring.
ARRL-VEC and W5YI-VEC continue to estimate that it is taking from
three to four weeks from exam session to license grant.
ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, and his staff have been putting
in a lot of overtime and weekend hours. Fred Maia, W5YI, cites a
similar situation at his W5YI-VEC. ''We've got mail buckets
everywhere,'' he said.
Jahnke and Maia say processing is proceeding as fast as possible.
They urge amateur applicants to refrain from contacting either their
respective VECs or the FCC to inquire as to the progress of
individual applications.
Applicants wishing to file a vanity call sign application or to
upgrade their Volunteer Examiner status cannot do so without a
license grant from the FCC reflecting the applicant's upgraded
class. In a few cases, applicants are awaiting first-time amateur
licenses and do not even have interim operating authority.
Jahnke says the ARRL-VEC has caught up with the paperwork backlog
from pre-April 15 test sessions. The ARRL-VEC served nearly 35,800
applicants between January 1 and April 14. It continues to deal with
the nearly 16,000 applications logged in from April 15 through April
25. Jahnke points out that while VE teams have 10 days to ship
session paperwork, transit times can be as long as a week.
Once keyed in and sent on electronically to the FCC, most
applications are granted overnight. Jahnke says the care ARRL-VEC
takes in checking VE session paperwork and applications for
''completeness, accuracy and integrity'' pays off in avoiding problems
down the road.
Statistics to date suggest a total of more than 13,000 new Generals
and more than 10,000 new Extra class hams as a result of
restructuring.
Topic 31 of 54 [radio]: restructuring: will there be a lot more extras and advanced?
Response 16 of 16: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, May 4, 2001 (10:40) * 54 lines
7 MHz "realignment" among WRC-2003 Advisory Committee preliminary views
The FCC's World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 Advisory
Committee has approved several "preliminary views" --or PVs--on
expected WRC-03 agenda items. Among these is a US preliminary view
supporting a realigned 40-meter amateur allocation at 6900-7200 kHz
on a worldwide primary basis. The FCC is soliciting public comment
on all preliminary views by May 9.
The preliminary view was developed by Informal Working Group 6,
which is dealing with most issues of concern to amateurs. ARRL
Technical Relations Specialist Walt Ireland, WB7CSL, serves as vice
chairman of IWG-6. The PV says that, alternatively, the US could
support a 7000-7300 kHz worldwide primary amateur allocation.
Only amateurs in Region 2, which includes North and South America,
have access to 7000-7300 kHz; the rest of the world has only
7000-7100 kHz, with the upper 200 kHz allocated for broadcasting.
ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, says the ARRL
would prefer going back to the pre-World War II worldwide 7000-7300
kHz scheme. Some broadcasters, on the other hand, would like
amateurs worldwide at 6800-7100 kHz, he said, so they would not have
to move. A Radio Conference Subcommittee backgrounder from the
Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee--which reflects views of
the federal government--said the issue "is liable to be very
controversial."
Further complicating matters, Rinaldo said, is the fact that
international HF broadcasters want to fold the 7 MHz realignment
question into another WRC-03 agenda item examining the adequacy of
HF broadcasting allocations from approximately 4 MHz to 10 MHz.
Broadcasters are expected to seek additional HF elbow room to
accommodate digital transmissions to complement their existing AM
channels.
Another PV with implications for amateurs would oppose the use of
420-470 MHz for use by the Earth Exploration-Satellite Service for
so-called synthetic aperture radars, or SARs unless it can be shown
that the satellites "do not cause harmful interference to amateur
systems and stations." SARs are used to map regions on Earth's
surface and are expected to be deployed primarily over tropical rain
forest areas.
Rinaldo emphasized that the preliminary views do not represent
formal US positions and are subject to change as preparations for
WRC-03 move forward.
Comments on WAC preliminary views may be filed via e-mail to
wrc03@fcc.gov. The FCC's WRC-03 Web site, http://www.fcc.gov/wrc-03,
includes additional information as well as links to related
documents.
WRC-03 is scheduled to begin June 9, 2003, and continue until July
4, 2003. The conference is expected to take place in Venezuela.
radio conference 
Main Menu