[LeArc] ARLB025 Comments invited on Novice Band, field-reparable gear petitions

[Joseph L. Rossmiller]

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ARLB025 Comments invited on Novice Band, field-repairable gear petitions

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ARRL Bulletin 25  ARLB025
>From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  April 18, 2002
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB025
ARLB025 Comments invited on Novice Band, field-repairable gear petitions

Comments are due by May 16 on two Amateur Radio-related Petitions for
Rule Making put on public notice this week by the FCC. The ARRL
petition, designated RM-10413, would eliminate the 80, 40 and 15-meter
Novice/Technician Plus CW subbands and reuse the spectrum in part to
expand the 80 and 40-meter phone allocations. Another Petition for Rule
Making filed by Nick Leggett, N3NL, designated RM-10412, would require
most commercially manufactured Amateur Radio transmitters and
transceivers to be field-repairable ''in some manner.''

Amateurs may view and comment on these proposals via the FCC's
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS),
http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html. (Click on ''Search for Filed
Comments.'' In the ''Proceeding'' field enter the rulemaking number,
with ''RM'' in upper-case and the hyphen included.)

The ARRL's petition, filed in March, asks the FCC to eliminate the
Novice and Technician-Plus CW bands and reapportion these
''inefficiently deployed segments'' to alleviate overcrowding elsewhere.
If the FCC goes along, current Novice and Technician Plus (ie,
Technician with Element 1 credit) licensees would be permitted to
operate on the 80, 40, 15 and 10-meter General-class CW allocations at
up to 200-W output. For General and higher class operators, the ARRL
plan would implement changes in the 80, 40 and 15-meter phone bands,
expanding phone segments for many amateurs.

The League's petition also seeks FCC permission to use spread spectrum
on 222-225 MHz; to expand the pool of special event call signs beyond
the 1x1 format to include identifiers for US territories and possessions
that do not provide for mailing addresses; to clarify rules to indicate
that modulated CW (MCW) is permitted for repeater station
identification; and to incorporate into the rules a 1990 FCC waiver
authorizing amateurs in certain areas of Colorado and Wyoming to operate
on certain segments of the 33-cm band.

The Leggett petition was filed in February. ''Field repair is important
to the Amateur Radio Service because it enhances emergency
communications preparedness and the growth of technical knowledge in the
Amateur Radio Service,'' Leggett said in his petition.

Leggett suggests that the FCC consider mandating easily replaceable
modules or circuit boards, minimum component spacings on circuit boards,
removable integrated circuits mounted in sockets and other requirements
for commercially made amateur transmitters and transceivers. He would
exempt ham radio receivers.

Leggett concedes that some manufacturers may drop out of the amateur
market if the FCC were to adopt his recommendations, but he suggests
that they would be replaced by other manufacturers, such as those making
QRP equipment.

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