This is a guest post by Dan, W5DNT……Dan, KB6NU
Dear Amateur Radio Friends,
Click here to view comments I have submitted to the FCC with regard to ARRL’s proposed change to give Tech licensees expanded HF privileges, RM-11828. Their real game is HF Digital email and through their actions they seem to believe that will be the secret to attracting new members.
As most of you know, I have been very vocal with regard to past FCC comments STRONGLY AGAINST ARRL’s push for wideband digital on HF, under the guise of “EmComm”. That issue is still very alive at FCC, with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 16-239 ready to be approved at any time. Unfortunately, the comment period is long past on that one, FCC could approve it tomorrow. Sources tell me ARRL leadership believes it will be approved, as do I.
If RM-11828 is approved by FCC, 385,000 existing Techs, and whoever else decides to “study on Sunday and pass Tech on Monday”, will have immediate freely granted access to greatly expanded HF privileges, without going through any steps on their part to advance in the hobby. Should NPRM 16-239 also be approved, as we think it will, a real recipe for disaster will have been put in place. Our CW, RTTY and FT-8 bands will be overrun by boaters and preppers that simply wish to have free or off the grid email, without having to pay an ISP. For those of you that are SSB operators, RM-11828 would freely give 55% of the General Class HF phone bands to existing Techs with the stroke of a pen. RM-11828, a major “dumbing down” of amateur radio licensing, removes incentives for advancement, it does not create them. So much for incentive licensing!
It’s always easier to do nothing and complain after the fact, but here is an opportunity to get involved in the process before a problem is created! I encourage each of you to read my comments and those of others. Consider the importance of this issue. Please consider filing your own comments with FCC. Below is a link that will walk you through the very easy process of an express filing. It will only take a few minutes of your time and the future well being of amateur radio is certainly a worthwhile cause.
The filing deadline is April 13, 2019.
Please help spread the word to your friends and together let’s put a stop to this.
73 & Thanks for your consideration of this important amateur radio issue!
Dan
W5DNT
RM-11828 serves no purpose to improve the operating skills of the US Amateur Radio Service. The bump from Technician Class to General Class is a 35 question exam, of which you only need to get 26 correct in order to upgrade. There are at least a half dozen web sites that offer FREE license exam training including flash cards, and practice exams. This request of the ARRL to the FCC is unnecessary and solves no problems in the service as it stands today.
1. An Amateur Radio exam does not prepare you to be a Radio Amateur. Passing the Extra class exam means you can memorize questions. I know many “weekend extras” that do not have a clue about Amateur Radio.
2. ARRL and THE US AMATEUR community have failed new hams. In the past, hams were ELMERed by clubs and League materials. Though this still happens, it is rare.
3. Technician class Amateurs are allowed CW only and dead-band 10m privs. So essentially, they are VHF and up Amateurs. New hams often enter ham radio through some other form tech hobby — like robotics or other STEM activities, Why become a ham, though? Part 15 devices work fine for most other radio-related hobbies — why go through the trouble of getting a ham license? Why do ham repeaters? You get almost the same thing from a GMRS license — with repeaters. And no test!
4. Ham radio is constantly changing. Why do we have CW subbands for Extras when CW is not even part of the exam anymore? If you are in the “I did it, so they should” camp, well, you are going to end up talking to yourself or nobody someday.
5. Show me spectral analysis od how the bands are overcrowded. 247. You won’t find it.
6. The ARRL Tech spectrum expansion makes perfect sense if we want new hams to be anything other than appliance operators. Like a drivers license, they will learn why they do.
7. In every other change to amateur radio licensing in the US, all those opposed said “It will dumb down Amateur Radio”. The League said this about the original Novice License. However, this was the greatest thing that happened to Amateur Radio ever. Many of you OTs were Novices once!! The “sky is falling” saga is totally false.
de a 44-year lifelong Amateur, extra since 1975.
Dan, W5DNT, unfortunately hurts his case, by filing such a strident posting. I waded through it, but didn’t bother to count the number of exclamation marks used. One gets the feeling of a red-faced person yelling at you. Most folks’ reactions will be to shut down, and try to distance themselves from such vitriol. Shouting the same thing over and over doesn’t persuade, it just tires the listener. If I were an FCC commissioner, I would just file in the ‘just angry’ file and go on from there.
A person who was not a ham on Friday, passes a test on Saturday, is on HF phone in about 3 days? Techs have opportunity to upgrade they just don’t want to make the effort. The General test is relatively easy, we shouldn’t reward those that are lazy with a hand out of new frequencies with no effort involved.
I had to study and for my general. It was because I wanted to get hf communications. I am now studing for my extra. Why bother if you are getting hf with tech. Lets turn 80 40 20 into cb.
I say the FCC should allow for the changes and open up the world for techs. I think it would great and if you dont want to talk to Techs then stay on the higher portion of the bands. It would incentivize more people to join the hobby. Some people dont wont to upgrade their license just to talk on hf and you need to learn a lot of electronics which some dont need or want to know some just want to be able to get on the air. Isn’t the new purpose to get on the air so we dont lose the privileges.