Post by va3css on Feb 14, 2006 18:24:21 GMT -5
Still waiting for any action on the NPRM to remove CW as a requirement for HF bands, but I did read something about the progress of it all from ARRL's website.
Link to story.
A couple of notable things were in the article:
The article goes on to talk about how the FCC is not considering any other changes to the rules along with the dropping of the CW requirement. Many other nations that adopted the ITU's recommendations of 2003 to drop CW also did make other changes to the rules as part of the adoption.
Canada, for example, upped the passing grade level to 70% from 60%, and only grandfathered those licensed before a certain date. Not all entry-level operators were automatically given HF privileges after the change. Some still are not qualified to be on the HF bands.
"Qualified" being a erroneous term. They may indeed be capable, but not allowed under the rules.
But the most interesting part in the article is this:
So, no grandfathering will occur, it appears. Any current "no-code" techs will still have to take and pass the General class exam to gain access to the HF bands.
I found that most interesting, because in Canada, there wasn't really three levels of licensing.
There was Basic, Basic Plus, and Advanced.
Basic did not require CW, and no HF privileges came with it. Transmission on Amateur bands above 30Mhz was all that was allowed. That test was / is 100 questions.
Basic Plus was simply a CW test passed, at the ITU-recommended 5wpm.
Advanced was much more indepth into electronics and electronic theory. Many Advanced class operators are also electrical engineers, since everything you need to know to be an electrical engineer is covered on the Advanced class exam. That test is 50 questions.
Now, given that the Technician class exam is only 35 questions, and not as in-depth as the Basic class exam in Canada, it makes sense to me that the FCC wouldn't just grandfather all Technician class operators should CW be dropped. They want you to take the General class exam, and that would at least bring you up to a similar depth as Canadian Basic operators.
Also noted in the article was that another docket lies in waiting ahead of any CW-related changes. This docket pertains to proposed changes in the bandplan for phone privileges. It's actually a combination of a dozen other proposed bandplan changes, some dating back as far as 2001, and released in it's combined form last April 15.
There are no proposed changes to CW allocations and privileges at this time, according to the article.
Link to story.
A couple of notable things were in the article:
The Amateur Radio community has filed more than 3800 comments on the proceeding, and additional comments continue to show up, even though the formal comment deadline was last October 31 (with reply comments by November 14). The next--and most-anticipated--step for the Commission is to formally adopt any revisions to its rules and conclude the proceeding with a Report and Order (R&O) that spells out the changes and specifies their effective date.
"There really is no news," an FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer told ARRL on background. "We certainly hope to release WT Docket 05-235 sometime this year, but we're not making any predictions at this time. We certainly are not saving up any big announcements for Dayton Hamvention."
"There really is no news," an FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau staffer told ARRL on background. "We certainly hope to release WT Docket 05-235 sometime this year, but we're not making any predictions at this time. We certainly are not saving up any big announcements for Dayton Hamvention."
The article goes on to talk about how the FCC is not considering any other changes to the rules along with the dropping of the CW requirement. Many other nations that adopted the ITU's recommendations of 2003 to drop CW also did make other changes to the rules as part of the adoption.
Canada, for example, upped the passing grade level to 70% from 60%, and only grandfathered those licensed before a certain date. Not all entry-level operators were automatically given HF privileges after the change. Some still are not qualified to be on the HF bands.
"Qualified" being a erroneous term. They may indeed be capable, but not allowed under the rules.
But the most interesting part in the article is this:
Worth noting is that the FCC did not propose in WT 05-235 to extend HF privileges to current Technician licensees who have not passed a Morse code examination. In its NPRM&O the FCC suggested that in a no-Morse-requirement regime, such "codeless Techs" would be able to gain HF access by taking the Element 3 General class written examination.
So, no grandfathering will occur, it appears. Any current "no-code" techs will still have to take and pass the General class exam to gain access to the HF bands.
I found that most interesting, because in Canada, there wasn't really three levels of licensing.
There was Basic, Basic Plus, and Advanced.
Basic did not require CW, and no HF privileges came with it. Transmission on Amateur bands above 30Mhz was all that was allowed. That test was / is 100 questions.
Basic Plus was simply a CW test passed, at the ITU-recommended 5wpm.
Advanced was much more indepth into electronics and electronic theory. Many Advanced class operators are also electrical engineers, since everything you need to know to be an electrical engineer is covered on the Advanced class exam. That test is 50 questions.
Now, given that the Technician class exam is only 35 questions, and not as in-depth as the Basic class exam in Canada, it makes sense to me that the FCC wouldn't just grandfather all Technician class operators should CW be dropped. They want you to take the General class exam, and that would at least bring you up to a similar depth as Canadian Basic operators.
Also noted in the article was that another docket lies in waiting ahead of any CW-related changes. This docket pertains to proposed changes in the bandplan for phone privileges. It's actually a combination of a dozen other proposed bandplan changes, some dating back as far as 2001, and released in it's combined form last April 15.
There are no proposed changes to CW allocations and privileges at this time, according to the article.
