ARRL Proposal to Give Technicians More Operating Privileges

The FCC needs to enforce stuff.

Many lids out there that get away with too much stuff, and the FCC doesn't do anything about it at all.

So to put a long story short: Do you really think if a tech license op wants to use general privileges, that is going to stop them since they don't have a general license?

I abide the laws and only operate within my privileges. Spent to much money and effort into the hobby, to lose my license.
But I constantly hear people talking out of theirs. And the FCC doesn't do anything about it.

So I think this topic is irrelevant until the FCC decides to actually crack down and enforce stuff.

I am a general, and I am for the tech. to use some of the general areas. Maybe it will bring LEGAL op's to the airwaves.

 

This comment is akin to someone saying, "the Government should do something about this or that."

At what point did new hams begin to expect the FCC to come around and rout out the bad actors on the ham bands? The ham bands have been, as long as I can remember, self policed. That means that the FCC does not police the ham bands. It means that hams are the primary police on the ham bands. It means that hams are responsible for reporting the bad actors by lodging complaints with the FCC. It means that hams are responsible for collecting and reporting the who, what, when, where, and how to the FCC. The FCC does not go looking for bad actors on the ham bands. They expect us (hams) to report (lodge complaints) the offenders. Once the report has been made to the FCC it then is on THEM to apply the enforcement.

If you don't report the offenders to the FCC you are not doing your part. You are, in essence, saying you do not care what the bad actors do.

And, if you do not think the FCC enforces the rules I suggest you follow the link below:

https://www.fcc.gov/general/amateur-radio-service-enforcement-actions

Dan KI4AX

 

The most recent Action listed there being two years ago, and it was for operating a pirate FM station, not for any misbehavior on the ham bands.

The most recent Warnings from almost a year ago.

 

Wow. Just wow.

How about making Technicians and Generals "a little less comfortable", or are you only targetting Advanced Class licensees?

 

What happened to the League's "Incentive Licensing" concept of the 1960's where earned privileges got yanked away from us as an "Incentive" to upgrade to get them back ? I guess that logic no longer prevails.

 

The ARRL has no clue as to what Ham radio is about; only an interest in selling a high cost membership which buys a low quality magazine. They cheated to get rid of Code, now they wan to give away the license in return for NO effort. There are 'nuf lousy hams out there and thank you ARRL.

 

So did you look at the FO for David J. Tolassi? He was fined $1000 for failing to ID his station while transmitting on 14.313....

Yes, they put a lot of 'boot leg' FM Broadcast Stations out of business. But, the link is to the page for 'Amateur Radio Service Enforcement.' Every listing on the page has something to do with Amateur Radio be it interference to or interference from said station.

The key to getting the FCC to enforce the rules is making a complaint. If you don't make the complaint how are they supposed to know what's going on? Hams are 'self policing.' Which means that the FCC does not prowl around looking for violators. They wait for YOU to make a complaint. Then they will investigate your complaint and enforce the rules if necessary.

What everyone must understand is that hams today are nothing like the hams of days gone by. Back in the day hams would not have hesitated turning in another ham who was causing problems. If someone was jamming, cursing OTA, operating illegally, etc. they would have turned them in forthright no questions asked. Today's hams don't want to be the party pooper or the squealer. They want the FCC to do something, but they don't want to be the guy making the complaint.

Hams are supposed to be 'self policing.' That means turning the other guy in if he is operating outside of the rules. And, if you don't it basically means you are condoning the behavior.

Dan KI4AX

 

I wouldn't mind a little mercy toward the old Advanced license holders too. At least cut loose with the bottom 25khz for those awesome CW dx opportunities. My test taking days are about over.... just saying...

 

Perhaps you are right. There was a time when Amateur Radio needed a big infusion of new hobbyists, and I may not have all the facts, but that was when the classes of licensing began in full force. Keeping a carrot in front of folks to inspire achievement. Personally, I find that more farm animalish than inspiring.

 

I'm all about making all license holders a little less comfortable if incentive licensing is going to hold any incentive. I'm just tired of all the Technician bashing on QRZ when that's, by definition, where everyone must start out. Painting with such a large brush is not helpful when this is the very pool of people from which we MUST draw the next generation of people with Extra and General. I "target" the Advanced class license holders because it is quite apparent that all of them have held the same license for 20 years. The people that saw an incentive to upgrade are now Extra. The people that dropped out aren't licensed any more. So what remains is a very narrow set of people. A set of people that are making incentive licensing look like a failure. If I am to believe that incentive licensing still holds any kind of incentive then these people should have upgraded by now.

If we can't get Advanced license holders to upgrade to get more access to HF then I suspect we can't get those with Technician or General to upgrade either. Again, I "target" Advanced only because they've been highlighted by the series of events that left this license class in the unique position it is in right now.

 

There are no more current, unexpired Technician Pluses. There haven't been any for over 9 years.

Back in April 2000, FCC began changing all Technician Pluses to Technician upon renewal. By mid April 2010 there weren't any more Technician Pluses left.

All a Novice or Advanced proves, by itself, is that the licensee passed 5 wpm code at one time - and has been licensed at least 19 years and change. That's all.

"Don't tell me what you did, decades ago. Show me what you are doing NOW."

 

So?

You lost some privileges in November 1968, nearly 10 years after 1959.

Did you think that having passed the General tests in 1959 entitled you to full privileges for as long as you kept renewing your license?

How was it "a RAW DEAL"?

I was a Novice in 1967, a Technician in early 1968 and Advanced in summer 1968. Summer 1968 was the summer between 8th and 9th grade for me.

I took all the exams except the Novice at the FCC office. I had full privileges for a few weeks in the fall of 1968 and then lost them. Boo-freakin'-hoo, I just studied and got the Extra as soon as the two-year wait was over. No big deal.

The old tests weren't really difficult if someone knew a little radio - and the regulations.

"True trial by fire"? Nope. Just a bit of a sporting course. And if you wanted to use a bug or a keyer, all you had to do was bring it to the exam session and hook it across the straight key.

 

Seem to me ARRL needs the perspective and should think about what they are doing and have done in the past !!!

 

Not a just a gruge but over 60 years of experience and seniority as a ham. And still a sense of what is a fair practice of policy and procedures when moving forward.....