Comm Site Fees to Significantly Increase for Ham Radio Repeaters

WHOM do you think is GETTING rich off of your dues? Or are you even a member? No member with the most rudimentary involvement, would make such a ludicrous assertion. It doesn't even merit refutation.

 

In this case the ARRL is not he. He's not an ARRL member. He's what the league has referred to as "freeloaders" since the early 1960's. Because he's licensed, he gets all the benefits the league provides in representing his radio related interests locally, and globally. And, instead of being supportive, he criticizes things he clearly knows little about. Most ARRL bashers are non-members. Strange, isn't it? There are some exceptions, even the venerated W2NSD was a Life Member. His example was a good one. Support, and seek to make improvements appropriately.

 

Actually it’s already law, in the farm bill of 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, section 8705(c)(3)(b). Now the FS is wanting comment on their regulations to implement it.

As I read that section of the law there does not seem to be any discretion for the FS to reduce or eliminate fees for favored entities. The language seems clear that all must be treated equally. We can always try via the public comments of course, but I fear the only way to change it would be for Congress to revise the law.

 

This really isn't about the ARRL. I'm sure they will do what they can to influence the decision, but in the long run it might not make much difference.

This fee would drastically affect any club or ham that had their own building and tower on FS property. Right now, if you have a site that only has ham equipment in it, the fee is fixed at $133.38 for 2022 for a year lease. That fee will change with COLA, so it goes up a little every year. And that fee is nationwide, and independent of the size of your site, so a ham with a 6'x6' building and 40' of Rohn 25G pays the same as a ham group that has a 25'x25' building and a 180' freestanding tower. This all assumes that there are no other users than hams occupying the premises.

If this fee had been instituted at the beginning of this year, instead of $133 for the year the hams would have had to pay $1533 for the year, which is a huge change. For a small rural ham club with 30 members, this would probably force them to shut down, or seek a new site with other users, to reduce the overall effect. I don't think this will much bother ham groups that are receiving free sites from other owners (at commercial sites), since the fees will be absorbed and passed on to the bigger users. This really amounts to around $120 a month in additional site fees for the owners, and if you have a cellular company or a WISP or a broadcaster at your site (or multiple paying entities) to split that new fee, it becomes somewhat minimal.

I own 4 comm sites that are on FS land, so this will affect me directly. 3 of those sites have commercial users as well as ham equipment, but one of the sites is ham only, so that one will be a bigger financial issue. The biggest problem is that the $1400 fee is not realistic, based on what the FS says it is going to pay for. In my calculations, it is off by at least double, should be $700 or less, which is still a lot, but more reasonable. In the Federal Register they account for how this fee is derived, and the number of hours they have calculated to perform the tasks is way off.

 

Of course the underlying law is in place. This proposal is how the FS is suggesting they comply with it. Making the FS aware of our collective opposition is really all that can be done to directly influence this proposal. Should we reach out to our congressional representatives? Of course; we're always free to do so. Just at this time, there's no legislation for them to vote for or against to impact this discussion. It is quite clear that no one involved in either the underlying law or at the USFS has considered amateur radio and the negative impact this would have.

 

Wow...that must be some really good Kool-aid.

Actually, I WAS a member of the ARRL, but because I have a problem with the ARRL turning a blind eye to a person who is listed on the sex offender registry in two states for CONVICTIONS ON TWO COUNTS OF A SEX CRIME INVOLVING A 14 YEAR OLD CHILD, being appointed to an ARES position...I felt the need to separate myself from them. I just can't be part of an organization that the preaches moral character of Amateur Operators, and claims to support youth organizations, that would put a child predator in ANY position with in their organization where they would have even the slightest opportunity to interact with kids....and anyone who would, has absolutely ZERO moral character of any kind.

As for he rest of your comment...you have yet to show anything that the ARRL has done for the betterment of Amateur Radio in the recent past. EVERYTHING they have claimed to lobby for, has ended in compromise that was completely non-beneficial.

 

You know.... it seems to me that whoever owns the tower and/or land that a repeater is located upon has the right to charge whatever they want for that bit of real-estate, or to deny it's use if they want to. In this case, the Forrest Service has been put in place by the owner (the Federal Government), and it's up to Congress to change things.

However.... given the current state of Congress, and the entrenched beaurocracy of the government that does not appear to give a rat's ass about the general public, I don't see them budging off their current position. I think we as a group would be better off finding alternative sites for our repeaters, and simply stop being dependent on the FS. Remember: the more dependent you are on the Government, the less free you are. "Independence" in this case is a very apt term!

 

Congress obviously considered the possibility of different fees for different users and decided against it, specifically stating in so many words that all users must be treated equally. Clearly that includes ham radio. They don’t need to consider individually every possible user under the sun.

 

All organizations have to deal with things like you allege from time to time. People who get appointed to the various volunteer positions are appointed by local volunteers - not by anyone at HQ. If there's anyone who is a child predator currently serving, please speak up. Who turned a "blind eye" to what you allege? Back it up, if you can.

As for the rest of your comment, your suggestion that I begin to list "anything" the ARRL has done, is just ridiculous. Everything anyone who works at the league does on any given day is for amateur radio. It literally is all we do. You, on the other hand would have a very difficult time proving your false assertion that we've done absolutely nothing.

 

If we oppose it well enough, they will have to consider how this action is making a good portion of their electorate unhappy. There is sufficient reason for amateurs to be considered differently from large corporations making billions of dollars. We have no budget to speak of, and make no profit. We're not allowed to by law! Clearly, no profit vs. for profit is different and should be treated differently. The truth is that there was no consideration of the impact to amateurs. It can be, and will be fixed.

 

As far as I know, any upkeep is done by Amateur Operators. So, there is no cost for any Forestry/Park personnel to look after the Repeaters.

 

Let me start with just one area. Here are the pieces of equipment of interest to amateurs that, over the past 5 years, ARRL purchased and usually tested, then paid someone to review and put into printed form and made available in electronic form:

RigExpert AA-2000 ZOOM 0.1 - 2000 MHz Antenna and Cable Analyzer'
CSN Technologies S.A.T. Satellite Tracker/Controller
Geochron Digital Atlas 2 4K World Clock
Par EdnFedz EFT-10/20/40 Trail Friendly EFHW Antenna
Baofeng GT-5R Dual-Band Handheld Transceiver
West Mountain Radio CBA V Battery Analyzer
Wire Strippers for the Amateur Workshop
Irwin Vise-Grip 2078300)
SOTABEAMS ContestConsole for Icom Transceivers
WA3RNC TR-25 40/20-Meter CW Transceiver Kit
Eton Elite Executive Portable Receiver
MFJ-9232 Mini Loop Tuner
Win4IcomSuite Software
QRP Labs QCX-mini CW Transceiver Kit
SOTABEAMS External DSP Audio Filter
RigExpert Stick Pro 0.1 - 600 MHz Antenna and Cable Analyzer
Digirig Mobile Digital Mode Interface
MFJ-9219 QRP Tuner, Wattmeter, and Dummy Load
HYS TC-YG08UV Dual-Band VHF/UHF Yagi Antenna
Portable Pro2 Equipment Rack System 6UM
SIGLENT SDG1062X Waveform Signal Generator
Pacific Antenna 20/40-Meter Trap Dipole Kit
Alinco DJ-VX50T VHF/UHF Handheld Transceiver
Two Autotuners for the Icom IC-705; The Icom AH-705 and the MAT-TUNER mAT-705Plus
MFJ-261 Dry Dummy Load
HAMRS Logging App for iOS
Pacific Antenna Wall Wart Tamer 2.0 Kit
Lab599 Discovery TX-500 160-6 Meter Portable Transceiver
BridgeCom Systems SkyBridge Plus Dual-Band Digital Hotspot
Intuitive Circuits DTMF-8 Decoder Board
Icom IC-R30 Portable Communications Receiver
HecKit QRP Wattmeter Kit
K1EL Systems WKmini USB CW Keyer
Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Communications Device
Yaesu FTDX10 MF/HF and 6-Meter Transceiver
Ciro Mazzoni 40-10 Meter Baby Loop Antenna
Mobilinkd TNC3 for APRS, aprs.fi App for iOS
Four State QRP Group Nouveau 75A QRP AM Transceiver Kit
Yaesu SCU-LAN10 Remote Control Unit
bhi NES 10-2 MK4 DSP Noise Cancelling Speaker
Yaesu FTM-300DR Dual-Band FM/Digital Mobile Transceiver
SharkRF openSPOT3 Multimode Digital Hotspot
Etón Elite 750 Portable Receiver
Apache Labs ANAN-7000DLE MKII HF and 6-Meter SDR Transceiver with i7 CPU
Hugen tinySA a Small Spectrum Analyzer
MFJ-2010 Off-Center-Fed Dipole Antenna
Icom IC-705 HF/VHF/UHF Multimode Portable Transceiver
Ameritron ADL-2500 Dry Dummy Load
MFJ-246 Dry Dummy Load
Palstar DL1500 Dry Dummy Load
FlexRadio Systems Power Genius XL Amplifier
PreciseRF HG3 Stepper Magnetic Loop Antenna
DrDuino Explorer Edition Arduino Project Kit
Pacific Antenna Tracer Injector Kit
Yaesu FTdx101MP MF, HF, and 6-Meter Transceiver
Radioddity GA-510 Dual-Band Handheld Transceiver
Four State QRP Group Cric-Key Kit
Yost Tools V-275 Portable Vacuum Base Vice
MYTEC Home Clamp-On Vise, 2.5 inch
2-Color Mini Flat Clamp Vise
RFinder B1 Dual-Band DMR/FM Transceiver with Android Smart Phone
Koolertron Dual-Channel DDS Signal Generator
Dr. Duino Pioneer Edition Arduino Project Kit
Alinco DM-430T DC Power Supply
Kenwood PS-60 DC Power Supply
MFJ-4230MV DC Power Supply
Yaesu FP-1030A DC Power Supply
Heckits 62 dB Step Attenuator Kit
Pacific Antenna 41 dB Step RF Attenuator
HybridDX Antenna for 160-6 Meters
Cushcraft AR-270 Dual-Band Antenna
SDRplay RSPdx Software-Defined Receiver
FUNKAMATEUR/SDR-Kits FA-VA5 Vector Antenna Analyzer
Cushcraft AR-2 "Ringo" 2-Meter Antenna
EAntenna DUOSAT Dual-Band Satellite Antenna
Weller PSI100K Butane Soldering Iron Kit
Dremel 2000-01 Versa Flame Butane Torch
Iso-Tip SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron
Bernz-O-Matic ST2200T Micro Flame Butane Torch Kit
Hy Power Antenna Company TRI1020 Triband Dipole Antenna
AlexLoop Premier 40-10 Meter Magnetic Loop Antenna With AlexTune
ACOM 1200S 160-6 Meter Linear Amplifier
Midnight Design Solutions Phaser Digital Mode Transceiver Kit
Palstar DL2K High-Power Dummy Load
AlexTune Visual Tuning Indicator for Mag-Loop Antennas
Anytone AT-D578UVIIIPRO Triband DMR/FM Transceiver
RigExpert Stick 230 Antenna and Cable Analyzer
Elecraft AX1 Dual-band Whip Antenna and Accessories.
Icom IC-V86 2-Meter FM Handheld Transceiver
Nano VNA Vector Network Analyzer
mAT-Tuner mAT-10 Automatic Antenna Tuner
Pacific Antenna Volt Tattler 2 Voltage Monitoring Kit, K1EL Systems Morse Tutor Kit
Yaesu FT3DR Dual-Band Analog and Digital Handheld Transceiver, MFJ-1234 RigPi Station Server, Phase Dock Workbench Project Development Kit, DX Engineering Ultra-Grip 2 Crimp Connector Hand Tool Kit
Xiegu G90 HF Transceiver
SOTABEAMS Wolfwave Audio Processor
QRPGuys LED Tuning Indicator
HecKits 50 Ohm Bridge/Frequency Counter
Pacific Antenna TennaDipper II
FlexRadio Systems FLEX-6600M HF and 6-Meter SDR Transceiver
SmartSDR Software Version 3
DX Engineering RX Share Audio Switch
Workbench "Third Hand" Circuit Board Holders
Icom IC-9700 VHF/UHF Multimode Transceiver
N6BT V-8 Vertical Dipole Antenna
mAT-Tuner mAT-125E Automatic Antenna Tuner
Alinco DJ-MD5TGP DMR and Analog FM Handheld Transceiver
Diamond X6000A VHF/UHF Triband Antenna and MX3000N Triplexer
bhi Ltd ParaPro EQ20B-DSP
WA3RNC 40-Meter CW Transceiver Quick Kit
Yaesu FTdx101D HF and 6-Meter Transceiver
SPE Expert 1.5K-FA Solid-State Linear Amplifier
Monitor Sensors TVTR2 2200-Meter Transverter
Argent Data Systems Tracker 4 APRS Tracker/TNC/Gateway
Dr.Duino Arduino Uno Starter Kit
Diamond X50A Dual-Band Base Station Antenna
Weller D650 and 9400 Soldering Gun
MFJ-849 HF/VHF/UHF SWR/Wattmeter
HF Signals uBITX 80-10 Meter RP Transceiver Kit
QRP Labs QCX Accessory Kits
QRPGuys K7QO Noise Bridge
AliExpress Mini-SWR Indicator
Tekpower TP3016M Portable Power Supply
QRP Labs QCX CW Transceiver Kit
NEX-GEN XD4 Portable Spot II
Hec Kits LC Meter Kit
PCBgogo Prototype Printed Circuit Boards
CommRadio CTX-10 80-10 Meter QRP Transceiver
AnyTone AT-D878UV Dual-Band DMR/FM Handheld Transceiver
SainSmart DS212 Handheld Mini Oscilloscope
MFJ-566M Micro Key by CW Morse
Kenwood TS-890S HF and 6-Meter Transceiver
SharkRF openSPOT2 Multimode Digital Hotspot
Precise HG-1 Magnetic Loop Antenna
Yaesu FT-4XR Dual-Band Handheld Transceiver
Buddipole POWERPlus and POWERmini DC Power Management System
MFJ-1780 Box Fan Loop Antenna
INRAD W1 Headset
QRPGuys Digital Field Strength Meter Kit
Xiegu Communications X5105 HF/6-Meter QRP Transceiver
Antenna Disconnetors from Paradan and INRAD
Heil Parametric Receive Audio System (PRAS) and Powered Speaker
Mortty Morse Code and RTTY Keying Interface Kit
Elecraft KPA1500 Legal-Limit HF and 6-Meter Linear Amplifier
Harger Uni-Shot Exothermic Ground Connection Welding Kits
W4OP Magnetic Loop Antenna with Remote Tuning
MFJ-1708SDR and MFJ-1708B-SDR TR Switches
Pacific Antenna Low Pass Filter Kit
FlexRadio Systems FLEX-6400M HF and 6-Meter SDR Transceiver
HecKits FET DIP Meter Kit
RM Italy BLA600 500 W HF and 6-Meter Linear Amplifier
Yaesu FT-818ND HF/VHF/UHF (QRP) Transceiver
SteppIR UrbanBeam 40 to 6 Meter Antenna
KKmoon 600X Digital Microscope
Four State QRP Group Murania Broadcast Band Receiver Kit
Yaesu FTM-7250DR Analog and System Fusion Dual-Band Transceiver
Four State QRP Group Hilltopper 20 QRP Transceiver Kit
West Mountain Radio Epic PWRgate DC Power Manager/Charge Controller
SOTABEAMS WSPRlite Antenna and Propagation Tester
Anytone AT-D868UV Dual-Band DMR/FM Handheld Transceiver
Palstar LA-1K 160-6 Meter Amplifier
MFJ-1836H Cobweb Antenna
Clamp-On Ammeters/Multifunction Meters
RigExpert AA-35 Zoom 0.06-35 MHz Antenna Analyzer
QRPme X-Checker Kit for Grinding Crystals
Evans Engineering EE-3Y Triband Portable VHF/UHF Antenna, UPDATE
Apache Labs ANAN-8000DLE PureSignal Operation
Icom IC-7610 HF and 6-Meter Transceiver
SteppIR SDA 2000 OptimizIR Controller
IkaScope WS200 Wireless Oscilloscope
Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium Portable Power Station
WiMo PicoAPRS Transmitter Tracker
Geochron Digital 4K UHD World Time Clock
QRPGuys Lidia 40-Meter Receiver Kit
Cushcraft A270-6S VHF/UHF Yagi Antenna
HF Signals BITX40 40-Meter SSB Transceiver Kit
RigExpert AA-30.ZERO Antenna Analyzer Board
NTE Electronics Heat-Shrink Self-Solder Butt Splice Connectors
Monitor Sensors TVTR1 630-Meter Transverter
BridgeCom Systems BCM-144 2-Meter Mobile Transceiver
Rainbowkits EBTS-10 Touch Switch Kit, MFJ-828 Digital SWR/Wattmeter
Expert Electronics ColibriNANO SDR Receiver
Heil PR781 Microphone
Pacific Antenna KD1JV Survivor 75-Meter SSB Transceiver Kit
Elenco Capacitor Substitution Box Kit
N1KDO's LoTW Look App for Android Devices
Yaesu FT-991A HF, VHF, and UHF Transceiver
Depstech Wireless Endoscope
Yaesu M-100 Dual-Element Microphone
Apache Labs ANAN-8000DLE HF and 6-Meter SDR Transceiver
K1EL Systems PaddleStick CW Keyer with Base Kit
MFJ-1886 Receive Loop Antenna
Elenco XP-720K Workbench Power Supply Kit
Yaesu FT-70DR Analog and System Fusion Dual-Band Handheld Transceiver
M-Squared 6-Meter HO Loop Antennas
Telepost LP-500 Digital Station Monitor, QRPme PocketPal Hamfest Component Tester Kit
TYT MD-2017 Dual-Band Analog and DMR Handheld Transceiver
Heil PR 10 Home-Station Microphone Package
Elenco DT-100 Diode/Transistor Tester Kit
HamGadgets Universal Keying Adapter 3 + Kit
AlexMic Speaker/Microphone for the Elecraft KX2 and KX3
SOTABEAMS Click2Tune Accessory for Icom Transceivers
Breadboard Radio Splinter II QRP Receiver/Transmitter Kit
INRAD M628 and M629 Desk Microphones
Elenco SP-1A Practical Soldering Project Kit
Pacific Antenna Easy Field Strength Indicator
QRPme Rexwood 1000W Receiver Kit
Hayseed Hamfest Re-Cap Kit
Aven Adjustable Circuit Board Holder
Icom ID-4100A VHF/UHF Dual Band FM/D-Star Transceiver
Yaesu FT-25R 2 Meter Handheld Transceiver
Sawdust Regenerative Receiver Kit
Wolphi-Link Interface and Droid PSC App of Android Devices
Four State QRP Group Cricket Transceiver Kit
Icom IC-R8600 Communications Receiver
Tytera MD-380 Analog and DMR Handheld Transceiver
LNR Precision Mountain Topper MTR-5B Multiband QRP Transceiver
RigExpert AA-55 Zoom 0.06 to 55 MHz Antenna Analyzer
QRP Works K-Board and SideKar Accessories for Elecraft Transceivers
MFJ-914 Auto Tuner Extender
Satellite Ham Radio (HamSat) App for iOS Devices
Borden One-Tube AM Broadcast Band Radio Kit
Yaesu FT-65R Dual-Band Handheld Transceiver
SharkRF openSPOT Hotspot
SDRplay Radio Spectrum Processor 2 Pro
W4OP Magnetic Loop Antenna
Pro Audio Engineering Kx33 Power Supply
EZ Hang Square Shot Kit
K7DYY Super Senior 80- and 40-Meter Legal-Limit AM Transmitter
Radio Engineering Associates AMM-SD1 Series Amplitude Modulation Monitor
GOCHANGE Function Generator Kit
Bioenno Power 12V LiFePO4 Batteries
WEN Rotary Tool Kit with Flex Shaft
OCI VHF and UHF Band-pass Filters
HamGadgets Ultra PicoKeyer Kit
QRPme Rockmite II QRP Transceiver Kit
Micro-Node International Nano-DV Digital Voice Node
JYE Teck FG085 Function Generator Kit
Cushcraft R9 80-6 Meter Vertical Antenna
MFJ-17758 40 and 80 Meter Dipole Antenna
KIO Technology Broadband Hexagonal Beam Antenna
Rigol Technologies DSA705 Spectrum Analyzer
RigExpert AA-30 0.1 to 30 MHz Antenna Analyzer
Elenco XK-150 Digital/Analog Trainer
TKEY-1 CW Touch Key Paddle Kit
Wolf River Coils Silver Bullet 1000 and Silver Bullet Mini Antennas
Rainbow Kits TT-16 DTMF Decoder and Relay-5 Kits
Yaesu FT-891 HF and 6 Meter Transceiver
Apache Labs PiHPSDR Controller for ANAN SDRs
Micro-Node International Nano-AE AllStar Nano-Node
Efactor Dual-Band 144/432 MHz Antenna
Xuron TK3500 Home Electronics Tool Kit
Elecraft KX2 HF QRP Transceiver
LNR Precision MTR-3B QRP CW Transceiver
Alpha Antenna 10-40 Meter Magnetic Loop Antenna
Mastrant Antenna Guy Rope and Accessories
FlexRadio Smart SDR for iOS
Kenwood TH-D74A Analog and D-STAR VHF/UHF Transceiver
Eoncore USB Digital Microscope
Peak Atlas LCR 45 LCR and Impedance Meter
Tac-Comm TRC-1 Tactical Radio Carrier
Pacific Antenna 10 Watt Single Band Amplifier Kit
BridgeCom Systems D-500 70 Centimeter DMR and Analog Handheld Transceiver
MFJ-269C HF/VHF/UHF SWR Analyzer
Low Band Systems HF Triplexer and Band-pass Filters
Array Solutions RA-S1 Rotator Controller
Pro'sKit Electronics Master Kit Tool Set.
FlexRadio Systems FLEX-6500 SDR Transceiver and Updated Smart SDR for Windows Software
SDRplay RSP1 Radio Spectrum Processor
Pacific Antenna Easy TR Switch
Hamcrafters K16 Keyer Kit
Elecraft PX3 Panadapter for the KX3 Tranceiver
Excelvan M6013 Capacitance Meter
Pacific Antenna Easy Audio Bandpass Filter Kit
Carson Optical Pro Series Magnifying Visor with LED Light
DX Engineering Coaxial Cable Preparation Tools
Ham Log Logging App for iOS

 

That's partly true, but the FS still has to maintain roads and other facilities. There are site inspections and other things involved, too.

 

Never been in a hobby with some many know it all's and god forbid if you don't agree with someone else's assertion of the rules or support the so called leadership organization.......the good thing about his hobby is that WE all can do whatever we want to do, there is nothing mandating that anyone person support the so called rights.......not one person is mandated to follow what another person does......and as far as being as freeloader......since they have been around since the 60's...it appears that you and other have done nothing to get rid of the freeloaders.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with your assertion about the ARRL........the holier than thou league