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ARLB007 ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees
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ARRL Bulletin 7 ARLB007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT March 1, 2018
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB007
ARLB007 ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees
ARRL has asked the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. The FCC has not yet invited public comment on the proposals, which stem from recommendations put forth by the ARRL Board of Directors’ Entry-Level License Committee, which explored various initiatives and gauged member opinions in 2016 and 2017.
“This action will enhance the available license operating privileges in what has become the principal entry-level license class in the Amateur Service,” ARRL said in its Petition. “It will attract more newcomers to Amateur Radio, it will result in increased retention of licensees who hold Technician Class licenses, and it will provide an improved incentive for entry-level licensees to increase technical self-training and pursue higher license class achievement and development of communications skills.”
Specifically, ARRL proposes to provide Technician licensees, present and future, with phone privileges at 3.900 to 4.000 MHz, 7.225 to 7.300 MHz, and 21.350 to 21.450 MHz, plus RTTY and digital privileges in current Technician allocations on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. The ARRL petition points out the explosion in popularity of various digital modes over the past 2 decades. Under the ARRL plan, the maximum HF power level for Technician operators would remain at 200 W PEP. The few remaining Novice licensees would gain no new privileges under the League’s proposal.
ARRL’s petition points to the need for compelling incentives not only to become a radio amateur in the first place, but then to upgrade and further develop skills. Demographic and technological changes call for a “periodic rebalancing” between those two objectives, the League maintains.
“There has not been such a rebalancing in many years,” ARRL said in its petition. “It is time to do that now.” The FCC has not assessed entry-level operating privileges since 2005.
The Entry-Level License Committee offered very specific data and survey-supported findings about growth in Amateur Radio and its place in the advanced technological demographic that includes individuals younger than 30. It received significant input from ARRL members via more than 8,000 survey responses.
“The Committee’s analysis noted that today, Amateur Radio exists among many more modes of communication than it did half a century ago, or even 20 years ago,” ARRL said in its petition.
Now numbering some 378,000, Technician licensees comprise more than half of the US Amateur Radio population. ARRL said that after 17 years of experience with the current Technician license as the gateway to Amateur Radio, it’s urgent to make it more attractive to newcomers, in part to improve upon science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education “that inescapably accompanies a healthy, growing Amateur Radio Service,” ARRL asserted.
ARRL said its proposal is critical to developing improved operating skills, increasing emergency communication participation, improving technical self-training, and boosting overall growth in the Amateur Service, which has remained nearly inert at about 1% per year.
The Entry-Level License Committee determined that the current Technician class question pool already covers far more material than necessary for an entry-level exam to validate expanded privileges. ARRL told the FCC that it would continue to refine examination preparation and training materials aimed at STEM topics, increase outreach and recruitment, work with Amateur Radio clubs, and encourage educational institutions to utilize Amateur Radio in STEM and other experiential learning programs.
“ARRL requests that the Commission become a partner in this effort to promote Amateur Radio as a public benefit by making the very nominal changes proposed herein in the Technician class license operating privileges,” the petition concluded.
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Dan KB6NU says
This sentence kind of caught my eye:
I’m not saying that I am against this proposal, but I’m not sure how giving more privileges to Techs gives them an incentive to upgrade. It seems more like a disincentive to me. And, as has been discussed ad infinitum, it’s arguable as to whether HF privileges—at least HF phone priveleges—are all that much of an incentive anyway.
Thomas Smith says
I agree if they are granted any privileges it should be at some cost. Add questions to pool to show they understand contesting and networking , such as message nets and emergency nets, OSO and club networking on HF. We do not need more knuckleheads on 40 or 80 or even 20 meters who do not know or do not listen to see if someone is on a frequency before calling CQ and such. We have enough of that going on now please don’t add to it.
Tom KI4IG
Dan KB6NU says
Actually, there are questions currently in the question pool that ask those questions already.
Brandon says
You have good hams, and have bad hams.. doesn’t matter their license class, I’ve heard extra class cursing quite a bit on 40m and 10m, I’ve heard literally battles going on between extras and generals on 40m, and I’ve heard same cursing and battles on 2m repeaters. I’ve even heard people on 40m and 2m that you wouldn’t think are even licensed.. never hear a call sign.. some of the battles are hilarious.. fighting for the freq, I was here first, you are bleeding over onto our freq, we’ve been using this freq for 7 years! This is my call, AANAA get my address and come visit me! Idiots are about 1,000 miles apart talking crap.. some just injecting BS noise and tones to interfere, etc..
Todd KD0TLS says
There are two unsupported premises here. First, that HF is some kind of Promised Land that keeps people in the hobby who would otherwise abandon it. Second, that it’s the Technician’s JOB to upgrade ASAP.
When I got my driver’s licence at 16, there was no implicit assumption that I would work my way up to Class A and drive a semi tractor-trailer. No one ever conveyed the impression that I was “missing out” because I couldn’t drive a vehicle weighing more than 26k pounds. There was no ‘understanding’ that the world would be a better place if everyone could drive a semi with hazmat certifications.
Maybe one of the things that drives people away early in is this relentless pressure to upgrade — expressed in a kindly, but deeply condescending, manner. I’ve seen a lot of intelligent, responsible people get treated like morons by ‘helpful’ Generals who ‘know’ what the putative moron “really wants”. Oddly, passing the General exam seems to be some kind of mystical transformation that turns morons into geniuses. The person walks into the exam as a known moron, and emerges with no more knowledge than they went in with — but they are now changed in some way that makes them a non-moron peer. Weird.
Maybe intelligent adults don’t like being treated like retarded children? Could that be a factor in so many abandoning the hobby at an early stage? Nope. It must be a lack of HF privileges.
The challenges to retaining new hams are *social*, not regulatory. There’s an over-the top social hierarchy that has no rational basis. It’s steeped in arrogance and condescension. HF is not some kind of refuge from it; it’s the very essence of it.
But, I’m just a Tech. Obviously, I’m a moron with no insight as to the challenges a Tech faces. Better to ask someone that can barely remember getting their licence decades ago about what I “really want”.
Dave New, N8SBE says
I was in favor of giving them HF data privileges, as it seems that a lot of Techs are interested in the technical side of things, but giving them the upper half of the General class phone band on 75, 40, and 15 seems going a bit too far. But, who knows?
I found the part about ARRL working with clubs a laugh. It’s not like they have done much with clubs in the past, except visit them round robin to talk up the ARRL and ARRL membership.
Bob, KG6AF says
It’s taken the ARRL only 50 years to live down Incentive Licensing. By suggesting that Techs be granted phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15, they’ve completed the circle by inventing Disincentive Licensing.
Dan KB6NU says
<smiles> I’m going to start calling it “disincentive licensing” from now on.
Joe Sammartino says
I think the ARRL is trying to address the very high rate of membership drop off by new hams after the first year. if they can keep new hams operating, they may renew their membership.
Jeff says
For years the FCC has offered expanded HF privileges to Technician Class Operators, in fact, I availed myself of them many years ago. It’s called an upgrade to General Class. Simple.
Ron says
I think radio manufacturers might be lobbying ARRL as well. Technicians may want to set up base stations rather than using mobile as base or being mobile only and have a little more phone privileges in HF bands. I think, too, that we will see more Generals upgrading to Extra to find safe havens elsewhere.
Brian Knoblauch says
I understand what they are trying to do, but I think it’s based on a false premise. Giving people more options/things to deal with when they are new is not just a disincentive to upgrading, but to learning and experimenting. Having too many options when still new drives people away from hobbies as it’s too hard to decide what to focus on learning.
Gary Robibson says
I see very little downside to the FCC proposed Tech license expansion of privileges. And I see the main advantage being to maybe reverse the low band occupancy rates on many of the ham bands. If we don’t start occupying them soon we may start losing spectrum.
I have been a ham continuously since 1972 and most of the bands activity levels have been dropping for decades – even at sun spot peaks.
— WB8ROL
joseph dotson WI8Y says
i dont really care in fact i think its a great thing to welcome them on the low bands but my god give them some questions on the test that mean something so i dont hear them yelling audio audio test test test in the middle of a conversation. and please do something with the con-testers, take points away from them if multiple people report them for rude behavior. really tired of them moving 500 hz from a on going qso. lids