FCC fees for amateur radio - updates on implementation

Isn't a lot of the renewal stuff done online now through CORES?
Yes, there is the admin part of getting your CORES password sent by regular mail (postage etc.)
but can't you just log in and renew your license online?
I remember when my Dad got his CB license (KYH-0398) and the fee was $20.00 back in I believe 1975
if I remember correctly. All that did was clutter the band with so many non-licensed users, the fee
was dropped to $4.00. Still, the band had people who wouldn't even pay that until the CB radio license
fee went away altogether. Will they be bringing back the CB radio license fee as well?
Don't get me wrong, suddenly paying for something that you got for free isn't exactly a favorable thing
to me, but in the end, we pay for it one way or another. How many people pay for an ARRL membership?
Costco membership? Have you also looked at your cable bill? How about that Starbucks coffee?
The difference is, you see what you're getting when you pay those fees. You're getting a magazine from
the ARRL, stuff you need from Costco, trash television and stuff you've seen a billion times before
via cable, and a nice hot steaming cup of coffee. With this fee, you don't see what you're getting.
As far as the "when all else fails", the city of Kirkland no longer wanted me as a volunteer because
I moved to a different city. In fact, I don't think the local ARES group has been activated by the
city even once in the last decade. Do they still hold nets? Yep, every week. Do I check in?
Once in a while if I remember and have the time. The cold hard reality is, when something happens,
hams either are not included in a city's disaster plan, or they'll be the last on the list to be
called, and even then, it will be an afterthought. (Oh wait, better call the hams.)
Is my station ready to serve? Why yes, yes it is. Will it ever be called? If I were a betting man,
I'd bet no and probably win. I figure if I can be prepared for myself and my family and help out
a neighbor along the way, that's good enough for me. Some people use cash, and whenever they get
change back, throw it in a coffee can and by the end of the year, they have a nice chunk of
money. Some use a swear jar, others, put away a little bit each payday.
I tend to do all 3, so when they finally bury me, it can be paid for.
Until then, I'm just going to sit back, relax with a nice cup of coffee and enjoy the hobby.

 

@KD7YVV: great post!

Though seldom talked about, there's tremendous value in physically seeing, touching, retrieving, and handing over hard cash to someone else when making a purchase - and seeing what's left in the wallet afterwards. That up close and personal awareness value cannot be matched using plastic money, e-money, or other cleverly disguised money.

I've been doing this for years - the impetus of which being when gas prices dramatically spiked just before vacation one year. I exchange the coinage for paper money once a year, and use it primarily for gas money for vacation. And there's always a lot left over that gets deposited in my savings account.

That's a terrible idea. *&$@%$ THAT!

"Saving for a rainy day." An excellent discipline to faithfully practice. 5% is a good start that rarely hurts. 10% is better. 20% is awesome. I heard a money manager type suggest starting at 5%, then at regular intervals (I forget the exact interval) increase the amount by 1%. These small, incremental steps painlessly bring the percentage up to a very healthy savings amount.

Good for you! Your survivors will be grateful you don't dump that expense in their laps.

...doing that right now - though not some expensive exotic coffee, it's far better than some bargain basement coffee swept up off the floor of the bean grinding department. It's one of my very few luxuries.

 

So you will buy an antenna for $140 and not make same thing at home for about 40 bucks, but complain about paying $3.50 a year for a license fee? Hummmmm

 

I’ll have. A beer please

 

As I have said before, if the FCC is going to charge these ridiculous fees, how about bring back the paper licenses on FCC watermarked paper. I think doing away with that was one of the dumbest things they have done in a while.

 

??

What good does a paper license do for anyone?

 

I have to disagree that the NTIA would prevent a military takeover of spectrum. NTIA is under Commerce which under the executive branch, same as the military. FCC was setup as quasi-independent agency under Roosevelt. It answers to Congress.

https://www.ntia.doc.gov/book-page/federal-communications-commission-fcc

 

I just saw this thread this evening. I filed to renew my license at the end of June, I was in the 90 day window. I was too quick to hit accepting the 605 form, it was filled automatically with information I entered but I missed entering my email and phone number. A few days later I realized my mistake and I tried to fix my account. It was more complicated because at one time I had setup an account with a user name that had a 12 character password--must have been under my FRN, and a separate Cores account that had a six character password. Needless to say the renewal wanted the 12 character password. I ended up creating a new password when I when I tried to add my email and phone number -- I had forgotten about the other account.

Needless to say, my point is, make sure you have all your information you need on the 605 form when you renew online.

 

Be Happy!

 

For all the enjoyment I get from Ham Radio, $3.50 a year is certainly nothing to complain about. I'm not following how $35 for 10 years is excessive. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

All they have to do is just give up their Starbucks or Dunkin for a few weeks. Stop playing stupid lottery games for a few weeks. Get a cheaper smartphone next time. $35 is not a lot of money for 10 years. Work for it. Mow a lawn or 2, rake someone's leaves, shovel a driveway or two. They can come up with $35 easily if they wanted to. Give me break with this nonsense. People bitch about gas prices for example then immediately turn around and throw their money away on stupid lottery games. Or casinos. Idiots.

 

One source might be called existing income tax. Just a thought.

 

Two things:

1) In at least one state, the license plate folks want to see a copy of your FCC license. An "official" copy would be best....

2) A considerable number of amateurs like to display various certificates of achievements they've earned. Heck, even I have my WAS and DXCC certificates on the wall. Having an official license document that actually looks like a license would make a lot of amateurs happy.

IMHO, the FCC is missing out on a serious revenue stream. All they need is a nice license certificate design, like the old Commercial licenses and the only-by-request Extra of the past, and a nice printing and mailing setup.

They could charge $10 or $15 for an OPTIONAL FCC-printed certificate, and a lot of hams would pay it gladly.

$35 for new or renewed license, and vanity callsign

$50 with paper license certificate.

If just 100,000 hams went for the paper, that's $1.5 million in added FCC revenue.

 

While I agree with this, paper licenses are just not needed by 99.9% of hams, at least licenses that are printed by the government. It is totally possible to print your own "Official Copy" on your own printer. The post I was responding to seemed to indicate that a watermarked license somehow has some value to anyone, other than some sort of sentimental reason.

 

Agreed...but still, FCC is missing out on an easy way to bring in $$$ for almost no cost.