[BARC-List] ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF Access

[Michael Harmon - KB1FX]

This article is from the ARRL web page


ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF Access

NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 19, 2004--The ARRL will ask the FCC to create a new 
entry-level Amateur Radio license that would include HF phone privileges 
without requiring a Morse code test. The League also will propose 
consolidating all current licensees into three classes, retaining the 
Element 1 Morse requirement--now 5 WPM--only for the highest class. The 
ARRL Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved the plan January 16 
during its Annual Meeting in Windsor, Connecticut. The 
proposals--developed by the ARRL Executive Committee following a Board 
instruction last July--are in response to changes made in Article 25 of 
the international Radio Regulations at World Radiocommunication 
Conference 2003 (WRC-03). They would continue a process of streamlining 
the amateur licensing structure that the FCC began more than five years 
ago but left unfinished in the Amateur Service license restructuring 
Report and Order (WT 98-143) that went into effect April 15, 2000.

"Change in the Amateur Radio Service in the US, especially license 
requirements and even more so when Morse is involved, has always been 
emotional," said ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, in 
presenting the Executive Committee's recommendations. "In fact, without 
a doubt, Morse is Amateur Radio's 'religious debate.'" The plan adopted 
by the Board departs only slightly from the Executive Committee's 
recommendations.

The "New" Novice

The entry-level license class--being called "Novice" for now--would 
require a 25-question written exam. It would offer limited HF CW/data 
and phone/image privileges on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters as well as VHF 
and UHF privileges on 6 and 2 meters and on 222-225 and 430-450 MHz. 
Power output would be restricted to 100 W on 80, 40, and 15 meters and 
to 50 W on 10 meters and up, thus avoiding the need for the more complex 
RF safety questions in the Novice question pool.

"The Board sought to achieve balance in giving new Novice licensees the 
opportunity to sample a wider range of Amateur Radio activity than is 
available to current Technicians while retaining a motivation to 
upgrade," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "It was also seen as 
important to limit the scope of privileges so the exam would not have to 
include material that is inappropriate at the entry level."

As an introduction to Amateur Radio, the Novice license served 
successfully for most of its 50-year history. The FCC has not issued new 
Novice licenses since the 2000 license restructuring, however. Under the 
ARRL plan, current Novice licensees--now the smallest and least active 
group of radio amateurs--would be grandfathered to the new entry-level 
class without further testing.

Anticipating assertions that the new plan would "dumb down" Amateur 
Radio licensing, Harrison said those currently holding a ticket often 
perceive the level of complexity to have been greater when they were 
first licensed than it actually was. "Quite frankly," he said, "if you 
review the questions presented in our license manuals throughout the 
years, you will be surprised how they compare to those of today."

Technicians and Generals

The middle group of licensees--Technician, Tech Plus (Technician with 
Element 1 credit) and General--would be consolidated into a new General 
license that no longer would require a Morse examination. Current 
Technician and Tech Plus license holders automatically would gain 
current General class privileges without additional testing. The current 
Element 3 General examination would remain in place for new applicants. 
ARRL already has proposed additional phone privileges for Generals in 
its "Novice refarming" petition, RM-10413, but the FCC has not yet acted 
on that petition.

Morse Code Testing Retained for Extra

At the top rung, the Board indicated that it saw no compelling reason to 
change the Amateur Extra class license requirements. The ARRL plan calls 
on the FCC to combine the current Advanced and Amateur Extra class 
licensees into Amateur Extra, because the technical level of the exams 
passed by these licensees is very similar. New applicants for Extra 
would have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code examination, but the written exam 
would stay the same. The League's plan calls for current Novice, Tech 
Plus and General class licensees to receive lifetime Element 1 (5 WPM 
Morse) credit.

"This structure provides a true entry-level license with HF privileges 
to promote growth in the Amateur Service," Harrison said. "It also 
simplifies the FCC database by conforming to the current Universal 
Licensing System (ULS) structure and does not mandate any modifications 
to it."

Sumner concurred. "The Board started out by recognizing that three 
license classes was the right number when looking down the road 10 or 15 
years," he said. "We need a new entry-level license."

"On the other hand, there's nothing particularly wrong with the existing 
Extra class license," he continued. "The change in the international 
regulations notwithstanding, the Board felt that the highest level of 
accomplishment in the FCC's amateur licensing structure should include 
basic Morse capability."

Sumner and Harrison say the current Technician entry-level ticket 
provides little opportunity to experience facets of ham radio beyond 
repeater operation. "The quality of that experience," Sumner said, 
"often depends on the operator's location."

Among other advantages, Sumner said the plan would allow new Novices to 
participate in HF SSB emergency nets on 75 and 40 meters as well as on 
the top 100 kHz of 15 meters. The new license also could get another 
name, Sumner said. "We're trying to recapture the magic of the old 
Novice license, but in a manner that's appropriate for the 21st century."

Proposal Includes "Novice Refarming" Band Plan

The overall proposed ARRL license restructuring plan would more smoothly 
integrate HF spectrum privileges across the three license classes and 
would incorporate the "Novice refarming" plan the League put forth 
nearly two years ago in a Petition for Rule Making (RM-10413). The FCC 
has not yet acted on the ARRL plan, which would alter the current HF 
subbands. The Novice refarming proposal would eliminate the 80, 40 and 
15-meter Novice/Technician Plus CW subbands as such and reuse that 
spectrum in part to expand phone/image subbands on 80 and 40 meters.

The ARRL license restructuring design calls for no changes in privileges 
for Extra and General class licensees on 160, 60, 30, 20, 17 or 12 
meters. Novice licensees would have no access to those bands.

Proposed Phone/Image HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal)

80 Meters

      Extra: 3.725-4.000 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
      General: 3.800-4.000 MHz (gain of 50 kHz)
Novice: 3.900-4.000 MHz (new)

40 meters

      Extra: 7.125-7.300 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
      General: 7.175-7.300 MHz (gain of 50 kHz)
Novice: 7.200-7.300 MHz (new)

15 meters

      Extra: 21.200-21.450 MHz (no change)
      General: 21.275-21.450 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
Novice: 21.350-21.450 MHz (new)

10 meters

      Extra and General: 28.300-29.700 MHz (no change)
Novice: 28.300-28.500 MHz (no change)

Proposed CW/Data-Exclusive HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal)

80 meters

      Extra: 3.500-3.725 MHz
      General: 3.525-3.725 MHz
Novice: 3.550-3.700 MHz

40 meters

      Extra: 7.000-7.125 MHz
      General: 7.025-7.125 MHz
Novice: 7.050-7.125 MHz

15 meters

      Extra: 21.000-21.200 MHz
      General: 21.025-21.200 MHz
Novice: 21.050-21.200 MHz

10 meters

      Extra/General: 28.000-28.300 MHz
Novice: 28.050-28.300 MHz