[BCVHFA] FCC "Omnibus" Amateur Radio R&O

[K8CM]

If this is a duplication, please handle in a 
manner appropriate for you.  I believe its 
dissemination to be important enough to all 
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73  <>  Carl

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FCC "Omnibus" Amateur Radio R&O Published in 
Federal Register, Takes Effect December 15

NEWINGTON, CT (November 15, 2006) -- Just a 
little over a month after the Federal 
Communications Commission 
(<http://www.fcc.gov>FCC) released the Report and 
Order 
(<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-149A1.pdf>R&O), 
the so-called "omnibus" Amateur Radio proceeding, 
WT Docket 04-140 (FCC 06-149) to the public, 
appeared today in the 
<http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-19189.pdf>Federal 
Register. It will take effect on Friday, December 
15 at 12:01 EST, 30 days after its publication.

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, expressed the 
League's gratitude to the FCC for acting in the 
wide-ranging proceeding. "On behalf of the ARRL 
and the Commission's licensees in the Amateur 
Radio Service I want to express appreciation for 
[the] release of the Report and Order in WT 
Docket 04-140 (FCC 06-149) amending Part 97 of 
the Commission's Rules," Harrison wrote October 
11. "The Commission's action in clearing this 
pending proceeding will assist the Amateur Radio 
Service in meeting its objectives, particularly 
with regard to providing emergency and public service communications."

The Highlights

The FCC has:

• expanded the phone subbands in the 75 and 40 meter bands;

• agreed to allow Novice and Tech Plus 
(Technician with Element 1 credit) licensees to 
operate in the General class CW subbands on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters;

• implemented rules to discourage multiple vanity 
call sign filings on the same day from the same applicant;

• permitted auxiliary stations to transmit on portions of the 2 meter band;

• permitted the use of spread spectrum on 222-225 MHz;

• permitted amateurs to retransmit communications 
from the International Space Station;

• permitted amateur licensees to designate a 
specific Amateur Radio club to receive their call sign in memoriam;

• eliminated certain restrictions governing the 
manufacture, marketing and sale of external RF 
power amplifiers intended for Amateur Radio use;

• clarified that "amateur stations may, at all 
times and on all frequencies authorized to the 
control operator, make transmissions necessary to 
meet essential communication needs and to facilitate relief actions";

• deleted the frequency bands and segments 
specified for Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) stations;

• deleted the requirement to publicly announce 
Amateur Radio examination locations and times, and

• permitted Amateur Radio stations in Alaska and 
surrounding waters more flexibility in providing emergency communications.

The FCC also took several other miscellaneous actions.

"Novice Band Refarming"

In response to an ARRL Petition for Rule Making, 
the Commission agreed to "refarm" the HF segments 
currently authorized to Novice and Technician 
Plus licensees. The reallocation will expand the 
phone subbands for General, Advanced and Amateur 
Extra licensees, although not all commenters agreed with the idea.

"We are persuaded, however, by ARRL's contention 
that increasing the amount of spectrum for voice 
communications will reduce interference among 
stations using voice communications," the FCC 
said in its R&O, "thereby benefiting all 
licensees, and that authorizing more spectrum for 
voice communications will more closely reflect 
licensees' operating preferences, thereby 
resulting in more efficient use of amateur service spectrum."

On 75 meters, Generals will be able to operate on 
phone from 3800-4000 kHz, an increase of 50 kHz. 
Advanced class licensees will be able to use 
voice from 3700-4000, an increase of 75 kHz, and 
Amateur Extras will be able to use voice from 
3600 to 4000 kHz -- a generous increase of 150 
kHz and substantially more spectrum than the 
League had requested for phone operation on 75. 
The ARRL had sought an additional 25 kHz. The FCC provided 150 kHz.

"Indeed, a number of commenters argue that the 
NPRM proposal to increase the amount of spectrum 
permitted for voice communications would still 
not meet the demand for voice communication 
spectrum in the HF bands, particularly in the 80 
meter band," the FCC noted in the R&O.

On 40 meters, Advanced and Extra Class licensees 
will be able to use voice from 7125-7300 kHz, an 
increase of 25 kHz. General class licensees will 
be able to use voice on 7175-7300 kHz, an increase of 50 kHz.

On 15 meters, General class operators will have 
phone privileges on 21275-21450 kHz, an increase of 25 kHz.

To accommodate the remaining Novice and Tech Plus 
(or Technician with Element 1 credit) licensees 
on HF CW, the FCC affirmed its intention to 
permit these licensees to operate CW in the 
current General exclusive-CW allocations on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters.

"In this connection, we note that the comments 
generally support maintaining HF frequency 
allocations for Novice and Technician Plus Class 
licensees stating, for example, that the 
Commission's proposal 'would simplify the band 
plans and ... also provide Novice and Technician 
Class licensees the opportunity to contact a 
greater number of other amateur operators,'" the 
FCC said. "Other commenters support the 
Commission's proposal on the grounds that it 
would 'increase utilization of the three bands 
involved' and 'generate and continue the 
effective and efficient use of valuable and 
priceless spectrum, generate experimentation, and 
further the advance of the industry.'"

Novice/Tech Plus licensees still may only run no 
more than 200 W PEP on those HF CW segments, but 
the Commission has done away with similar power 
limitations on HF segments for higher-class 
licensees, with the exception of the 200 W PEP 
power limitation already in place on 30 meters 
and the 50 W ERP restriction on 60 meters.

Vanity Call Sign Applications

The FCC has revised its vanity call sign rules to 
discourage the filing of multiple applications 
for the same call sign on the same day, and many 
commenters supported this concept. As implemented 
in §97.19(d)(1), if the FCC receives more than 
one application requesting a vanity call sign 
from a single applicant on the same receipt day, 
it will process only the first application 
entered into the Universal Licensing System. 
"Subsequent vanity call sign applications from 
that applicant with the same receipt date will 
not be accepted," the rule concludes.

Current Commission rules and procedures do not 
preclude applicants from filing multiple 
applications on the same day for the same vanity 
call sign, provided that they pay the filing fee for each application.

"We are persuaded that we should adopt rule 
amendments to discourage multiple vanity call 
sign applications," the FCC said in the R&O, "and 
we believe that a 
one-application-per-day-per-applicant rule, as 
requested by ARRL and others, will eliminate 
multiple applications requesting the same 
assignable call sign on the same day."

The FCC concedes that its one-application-per-day 
rule "will not prevent an individual from 
requesting multiple vanity call signs per se," 
because an applicant may request up to 25 call signs at a time.

When the FCC receives multiple valid applications 
from several individuals requesting the same 
vanity call sign as a first choice on the same 
day, it uses a lottery system to decide which application to process first.

RF Power Amplifiers

The R&O also affirms changes to Part 2 and Part 
97 rules the FCC had proposed regarding the 
manufacture, marketing and sale of external RF 
power amplifiers. Current FCC rules prohibit 
commercial manufacturers from marketing RF power 
amplifiers capable of transmitting on the 12 and 
10 meter bands. The rules were put in place as a 
way to prevent use of such amplifiers by CBers.

"We agree with ARRL that the requirements imposed 
on Amateur Radio operators by the current rule 
are unnecessary because, under the present rules, 
'the equipment, once authorized, can be modified 
to transmit on all amateur service frequency 
allocations,' and that revising the rule 'will 
enhance use of the 12 and 10 meter amateur bands,'" the FCC said.

To prevent the use of Amateur Radio amplifiers by 
CBers, the FCC says it's still necessary to 
require manufacturers of Amateur Radio amplifiers 
design their products to avoid operation on the CB frequencies.

"We will, therefore, retain the requirement that 
amplifiers exhibit no amplification capability 
between 26 MHz and 28 MHz and require 
manufacturers to certify that amplifiers are not 
capable of amplification between 26 MHz and 28 
MHz and are not easily modifiable to operate 
between 26 MHz and 28 MHz prior to the grant of 
an equipment certification," the FCC said.

The FCC also concluded that the definition of an 
external RF power amplifier kit is no longer needed in Part 97.

The Commission said it may deny certification of 
external radio frequency power amplifiers to 
prevent their use in services other than the 
Amateur Radio Service. Non-amateur licensees will 
not be permitted to construct or modify an RF 
amplifier capable of operation below 144 MHz 
without a grant of certification from the FCC. 
Radio amateurs may build or modify RF amplifiers 
for use at an Amateur Radio station without a certification grant, however.

Morse Code Requirement

The "omnibus" R&O does not include action on the 
Commission's proposal to eliminate the Morse code 
requirement for all license classes. A Report and 
Order in that proceeding, WT Docket 05-235, is 
still pending, and the ARRL will announce when the Commission releases it.