FCC Report and Order Posted on New Rules

Interesting comments. Techs will have CW privleges on several bands and it appears phone on a segment of 10 meters. Check out the bandplan on the FCC site for more info.

And while you're at it, before you crank up on HF, take the time to familiarize yourself with the various "calling frequencies" like SSTV and the AM window on 75M and other bands. For AM on 75M, pretty much 3880 to 3890 is used in the mornings, evenings and into the night. Remember if you start up next to an AM QSO, you should allow 4kHz instead of the normal 3 kHZ for SSB. This is but one example of things like QRP calling frequencies, RTTY/PSK suggested operating areas, etc. Don't be offended if you don't and you get called on it.

Try http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/bandplan.html for info.

For Technicians, you gain the Tech Plus phone privleges between 28.3 and 28.5 if I read the R&O correctly and you're limited to 200W. This is by virtue of the FCC making NCTs and Tech Plus equal in allocations. Novice OPs do not get Tech privleges. Someone feel free to correct me if this is wrong.

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/Hambands_color.pdf

has all the details. Just remember that if you're an NCT to look at Tech Plus privleges because you will have them when the R&O takes effect.

 

I hope it puts a lot more people on the air for me to contact and more money for Radio Manufacturers so I Can have Better Cheaper Radio's and more money for the FCC so they can police the bands better . I can spin my dial now and not hear a sole sometimes. I think that is what this change is about.

 

100% correct Charlie.

 

Except for assuming 3 or 4 kHz sidebands. Some folks run wider than 3k on SSB and 8k on AM. Rule of thumb is that if you hear QRM, then they're probably able to hear your QRM, so please keep turning the VFO until you don't hear any...

 

The FCC's rules change is essentially meaningless to me as I have an interest CW, so, learning code for me is essential. Sure, phone is fun, I enjoy rag chewing, but, my long term HAM interests are in CW on HF. There's just way too much to be had from CW and a satisfaction that awaits me in doing so.

Folks can go bat-chit about this or can get over it and Elmer a new HAM. The way I see it, what happens to HAM is up to HAMs, Elmer or don't Elmer, teach the newer HAMs right lest you lose the right to piss and moan about it. We can continue to crap all over eachother as the past dozen or so threads exemplify and walk away pissed off, or, we can go back to the good will of HAMs, perpetuate the hobby properly through peer guidance.

The FCC hasn't ruined HAM radio, HAMs will be responcible for that should such an event occur. As far as Amature Radio turning into duplicity with CB, all I can say to those doomsayers is "Have you even listened CB lately"? They are destroying themselves, crack pipe in one hand and mic in the other. They don't want to study for ANY exam, much less get a license, they buy a radio, often second hand, hook it up and giddy-up go Daddy! Fortunate are we that HAM requires some "Geek-a-ry" and "Nerd-dom", something that is beyond all the "Good Buddies" and the "Breaker breakers".

Rant over, 73..

 

I manage a web site called  SanAntonioHams.org where I track the activities of about 21 local ham clubs / groups who use ham radio support.  I noted the three largest clubs had about a 50% overlap of members, but none of them had more than a couple of hundred listed. Just for grins and giggles, I ran a search of the FCC.gov database for licensed ham radio operators in my local area (San Antonio, TX) and found nearly 2,200 hams.  Wow!  But where are they I asked?   So I pulled out the club rosters for all the local ham clubs and was not surprised to find out that most of them were not listed.

Our local ARES group has less than 100 hams registered, and the most we've been able to call out for our larger public service events has been about 60.  In a metro area the size of San Antonio, that's not too impressive in my book when you remember the 2200 hams licensed in the area.

Apparently to some hams, their license means different things to them.  Some use it to do CW, some do HF, others simply do local VHF/UHF, some do Microwave, some add in public service and others like to get trained for emergency response.  Not all hams like to do the same thing.  And some <gasp> haven't even been on the air since they got their license.  I met a guy at the local ham store last week, a technician license who held his license for 12 years, but hadn't been on the air for the past 10.  When the FCC announced the changes, he came in to the store, bought one of the last remaining General Class license books, and told me he was going to upgrade and get back active in our hobby.

Everybody with an FCC issued ham license is a ham, and it doesn't matter to me if you did, or didn't, pass a code test to get on HF (unless you are trying horribly to send me CW).

I didn't have to take a test to demonstrate proficiency in voice operations (i.e. keying a mike to transmit voice, releasing to listen, or monitoring before transmitting). I learned that listening to others on the air.  

I didn't take a test to demonstrate proficiency in using PSK31 before using.  Some kind hams were nice enough to give me constructive on-the-air feedback when I was learning, so that now I can easily turn on my rig and my laptop to be on PSK31 in a matter of minutes.

So why was I required to demonstrate proficiency in CW before using it?  I learned it long enough to pass my tests and get my license.  I let those who like CW in my area use CW and knowing them, CW is in NO danger of becoming extinct very soon.

73 de Lee N5NTG
San Antonio, TX

 

Talk about cry babies and immature behavior I found where some group called "Federation for uncompromised proficiency" aka FED-UP put up a website calling for all hams that passed the code test to light up the "new" phone bands they claim were "stolen from them" with as much CW as possible in protest.

What does this reflect to new hams just coming into the hobby that hear then kind of tripe?

Change is inevitable and failure to adapt to change can often be much more dangerous and hazardous than the change itself.


Eric Kc5Fog

 

I was actually surprised about the ARRL wanting a new entry-level license. From the document, it looks like they were wanting a Jr.-ultra-intro license. I thought the No-code Tech was created in the early 90s for this reason. Now they want a super-novice license that kids can get. I guess hadn't ever heard of that proposal.

I was also unaware the ARRL wanted to give Technicians so much HF operating ability.

*disclaimer: this post is neither pro/con the whole "ba-humbug" feel of the FCC's new order.
I just find the whole thing interesting. Like it or not, it's definitely a major turning point for amateur radio and it will be interesting to see what comes of the change.
I wasn't in the hobby, but I'm guessing there was a lot of similar attitudes for the creation of the No-Code Tech and the change from faster speeds down to 5wpm for General and Extra. (although, maybe to a lesser extent.)

 

Think of all that equipment they can export now

 

here we go again... enough already! It's over and done with.

 

J.F.C.

Not again...


Must be a conspriacy to let the world see how well HAMS do not get along on the internet..


73 jerry

 

How true!!!

 

Integral calculus isn't really all that hard.

It's DE that will get you though.

 

The ARRL has wanted this for a long time. After all, in theory it would help boost membership, and they're pushing amateur radio to kids a lot now. Nothing is wrong with getting kids interested, but to me it seems as though the ARRL is concentrating way too much on getting kids into the hobby.

 

First of all, those "stolen bands" of which you speak were part of the Nov. 15 R&O, not the Dec. 19 one.

And those operating CW in the phone portion of the band wouldn't be in the wrong. You can operate CW virtually anywhere.

It's phone that's restricted, and rightfully so.

And would you blame them? They've been squeezed lower down into the band with more room made for an inefficient analog mode.

Is this really the 21st century? If anything, we should be making more room for DIGITAL modes such as CW, PSK, RTTY etc instead of taking away room from it.