FCC Seeks Comments on Petition to Grant Lifetime Amateur Radio Licenses

Years ago it was part 97 rules to prove activity when you renewed. Problem was, it was not enforceable and added federal workload.

 

i think it should be good for 15 years that way i don't have to worry about it every FIVE years. but since all the other stuff coming onto ham radio like unauthorized baofeng users then it might help. ive got my dad's call and i think that it should apply to family members only example being i have my dad's call KI4NZJ and then if i became a SK and my kid's did not get it THEN it gose back into the database for a vanity call after 6 months of not being on the air.

 

Sounds like the ULS system could be improved with your suggestions.---Works for me.

 

When the internet crashes just prior to world war 3, chaos will ensue. CW is usable with very narrow bandwidth, I use 30 Hz digital filter, which will be able to cut through QRM, or chaos.
Think back to the David Letterman show, the cocky youngsters who just set a world record with their texting. Two old timers with bug keys beat them with ease.

 

Lifetime licenses are a bad idea. Callsigns of the deceased will not get recycled unless the family notifies the FCC. This is just another step closer to CB.

 

At least contesters use callsigns!

ed

 

I don't see why it needs to change. The UK has lifetime licences but you have to go online and verify your details every few years. We essentially do the same thing (now at no cost) with a renewal via ULS. The only thing they do not do is issue paper documents but we don't either.

 

I think they should never done away with code

 

Hmmm! I'd be lost without CW. It sounds so good coming back off the surface of the moon even with a plus 1 KHz doppler shift at 432 MHz. A 700 thousand + mile round trip on that band is no joke. I find it also a necessary mode of operation on the High bands 144-10 GHz also. It just make more miles per watt. Oh sure I can make contacts with WSJT and JT65, a more modern "Spark gap" digital mode too. Beneficial to me yes, to you maybe not so much. But I support your choice, just not your facts that "CW" is of no benefit to the radio amateur community. And no I don't support bringing it back in the testing scheme!

 

For what it's worth, I support the idea of a lifetime license. Other than filling out that Form 610 every 10 years, our ticket is a lifetime thing already. We only have to take our exams one time. It seems silly to have to basically re-apply for our license every ten years. And you can't possibly make me believe that you enjoy the process. Requiring us to simply re-confirm our address every five years wouldn't be much of an imposition for most of us, especially if it can be done electronically. If you haven't moved, it could be one click of your mouse. If you have moved, you were supposed to have notified the FCC anyway! If the FCC doesn't hear from us when the reconfirmation time comes and goes, they can reach out to us and ask us if we're still interested in maintaining that license. No response to that query after two years? Assume the person is either deceased or not interested any more, cancel the license, send out a cancellation notice just in case, and dump the call sign back into the pool. Hey... instead of us having to wait up to 12 years for a SK's call sign to become available through the license pool, with this system we'd only have to wait up to 7 years!

I keep reading comments about this lifetime license idea being a big step closer to CB. I disagree. When we no longer have to take any kind of exam to become a ham, then we will have taken that step. Here's an idea that's sure to spark some discussion. To keep the downhill slide from happening, why don't we require radio amateurs to periodically re-take our exams? The rules and regulations change from time to time. Let's make sure we keep up! Technology moves forward, and new bands and modes are made available to us. Let's make sure we keep up! We can become complacent about our operating practices. Let's make sure we keep up!

It's just a hobby, folks. Let's not get too wound up over all of this. Happy Friday, y'all!

 

Actually, your license term now is 10 years, and THEN there is a 2 year grace period. Total 12 years. If you're referring to when someone passes away, as soon as someone proves the holder deceased (by providing official obituary notice) the callsign is released and then added to the available pool.

 

Here, people are supposed to update their License data when they move. They don't. At best, they wait until the next time they renew, which could be a number of years after they move.

 

Why are the powers to be wasting their time on these issues when there are more relevant issues that could be addressed ?
I am more interested in eliminating the band spectrum to coincide with the 3 existing license classes. Lets grandfather the advanced class to extra and make the advance spectrum part of the general classification. The idea was to have 3 class of licensing but yet we still have 5 when including the novice!!! ARRL and FCC need to address this issue before looking at creating new controversy.
Just My Opinion

 

Yeah, It was bound to happen. One comment opens the flood gates!

 

What does the FCC do these days? They sell bandwidth to the wireless carriers for big$.

I don't see what is wrong with the way it is now. Every ten years is certainly not a unreasonable burden for anyone. Lifetime grants would result in a very outdated database. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

I do agree that there should be some recognition and possibly some extra privileges for CW operator proficiency. I passed all three test and got my Extra but I do not do CW. I want to learn but cannot get motivated. Perhaps a proficiency certification would be the carrot that would get me started.