[Packet] Re[2]: OT: Ham rules

[Kenneth Stringham]

Hi Miro,

I will attempt clear things up for you. The responses
will be included with you text:

--- Miroslav Skoric <skoric@ptt.yu> wrote:
> Hello Rolly,
> 
> Sunday, April 20, 2003, 12:00:02 AM, you wrote:
> 
> RWSG> FEES
> 
> RWSG> The FCC has a fee of around $12 for both the
> initial and renewal of the license.
> RWSG> The license is good for 10 years. The VE�s are
> allowed to charge a fee for
> RWSG> expenses also. I believe that fee is around
> $10.00 also.

To my knowledge, the license and subsequent renewals
are FREE from our Federal authority.

The $12.00 that I mentioned in my e-mail is the fee
charged by the VE for the examination and yes, they do
handle all the subsequent paperwork for obtaining the
initial license or a subsequent upgrade. The upgrade
can be used immediately. The new priviledges can be
used by appending a slash and the new class
abbreviation.

> 
> If I understood you properly, You have some initial
> fees (FCC and VE)
> and every 10 years FCC for renewing the license. Is
> it matter of how
> many radios do you have (ex. what if you have 5
> radios or not at all)?

The license you receive is a combination
station/operator license with the assigned call sign.
You can have as many or as few radioes as your needs
and interests dictate here. Personally I have 11
different radioes here at the moment.

If you purchase commerical equipment, the commerial
organization is required to gain certification of the
equipment for sale. Any equipment that I design,
build, and operate is only required to meet the
standard of not causing harmful interference to other
services or users and that they meet the definition of
operating within the norm for good amateur practice.

> 
> RWSG> The qualification requirements are being able
> to pass the exam, be a United
> RWSG> States citizen, or a qualified foreign
> national. NO MEMBERSHIP IN ANY
> RWSG> ORGANIZATION IS REQUIRED.
> 
> So, membership in the national amateur radio union
> is NOT needed.

U.S. Radio Amateurs are not required to belong to any
radio organization to be qualified for a license.

> 
> RWSG> Proof of citizenship for the most part is
> assumed. However go get into the
> RWSG> system, a U.S. Social Security number and a
> valid mailing address are required.
> RWSG> You may be asked for your driver�s license
> (especially if you pay the fees by
> RWSG> check or credit card), which has a picture of
> you, thus providing photographic
> RWSG> identification and mailing address
> verification.

I was never asked for proof of citizenship. I was only
required to check a box indicating I was a U.S. having
good character and not having been convicted of a
felony.

Foreign nations may receive a license of an equivalent
class provided the two Governments involved have
appropriate agreements in place. The foreign national
would then be required to provide a photocopy of
his/her license issued by the proper authority in the
issuing country. A non-resident foreign national would
have to acquire a license from his authority to
receive operating priviledges in this country.
Resident aliens are required to follow the same rules
as citizens.
> 
> Do you have to submit the Proof of citizenship or
> U.S. Social Security
> number or anything else when your license void, i.e.
> when it comes to
> renew it every ten years?
> 
> RWSG> The VE�s collect the exam, and grade the exam
> immediately.
> RWSG> The person taking the exam is notified of his
> pass or fail status.
> RWSG> If the person passed the exam, the VE�s mails
> the exam answer sheet, and the
> RWSG> license application form to the FCC.

YES!

> 
> So, does it mean that a candidate has nothing to do
> with both the FCC
> and the ham union, after successfully passed the
> exam? The VE�s -
> examiners do the paper work for the first time for
> the candidate?

That is correct. Once at test has been taken a passed,
the VE sends the required paper work to Gettysburg, VA
and a license is issued by the FCC. No further contact
is required with the VE or the Governing body unless
there is a violation of regulations. The ARRL does
provide advisory information through a volunteer
program called the Official Observer that reports
apparent problems to affect HAMS at no cost in a
purely advisory capacity. The intent being to promote
self-regulation where possible. In fact,
self-regulation has been an issue that has been taken
seriously by all U.S. Radio Amateurs since the
earliest times.

> 
> RWSG> ===================================
> RWSG> EQUIPMENT
> 
> Do you get any type of a 'radio station license'
> (don't mix with a ham
> personal license)? Here we have a station license
> for any particular
> radio station, ex. 5 radios = 5 separate licenses
> for each of them.

Our license is a combination station/operator license.
The license issued permits an Amateur to establish a
fixed station at the license indicated on the document
and it permits operation from any legal location away
from the established fixed location. It further
permits mobile operations as well. We are not
permitted to hold multiple licenses except in rare
instances and we are strongly discouraged from
acquiring more than one ticket.

> 
> RWSG> You may build any receiver or transmitter for
> personal use without any agency
> RWSG> approval. There are plenty of articles
> available here (especially in the ARRL
> RWSG> archives and publications) on how to build
> transmitters that meet good
> RWSG> requirements.
> 
> So, the US law says there is no need to carry
> home-built radio to an
> approval at all? Here we must bring our radios to be
> checked.

This is true.

> 
> RWSG> Commercially built equipment must have FCC
> type approval. That is not just
> RWSG> limited to transmitters, but to any device
> that might radiate radio frequency
> RWSG> signals.

True.

> 
> So, the US law says there is no need to carry
> factory-built radio to an
> approval at all? Here we must bring our radios to be
> checked.

True.

> 
> RWSG> Any radio frequency signal not up to standards
> may result in complaints by fellow
> RWSG> amateurs and / or citations by the FCC.
> Usually the fellow hams will let you know
> RWSG> of problems and in many cases provide advice
> and other help to fix the problem.
> 
> That's ok.
> 
> RWSG> The FCC is lenient toward one-time infractions
> of rules and equipment
> RWSG> malfunctions, providing they were not
> deliberate and did not interfere with
> RWSG> emergency communications. Major monetary fines
> and imprisonment can occur for
> RWSG> repeated and / or malicious infractions.

Yes and this has been inflicted on many wayward HAMS

> 
> That's ok. But, prior to any transmission you don't
> have to carry your
> radio(s) to be officially checked by a special
> service in order to get
> a 'radio-license'

This is true.

> 
> RWSG> I wish you good luck in your endeavors to
> provide a fair adequate amateur radio
> RWSG> rules.
> 
> Thanks for help!
> 
> RWSG> I might point out that many national
> governments support and encourage amateur
> RWSG> radio. The some of the reasons are stated in
> the first section of the FCC Part 97
> RWSG> rules.
> RWSG> (c) Encouragement and improvement of the
> amateur service through rules which
> RWSG> provide for advancing skills in both the
> communications and technical phases of
> RWSG> the art.
> RWSG> (d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within
> the amateur radio service of
> RWSG> trained operators, technicians, and
> electronics experts.
> 
> May  I  suggest that modern ham radio include not
> only the "classical"
> wireless  radio  modes,  but  the  modern computer
> communications like
> packet,  pactor,  PSK and others that advance
> computer and informatics
> -related  sciences  too.  In  the  time  of  the
> Internet and the cell
> telephony,  the  digital ham radio is one of the
> great ways to explore
> computer  related  activities.  Seems  that  ham 
> radio  is          a
> multidimensional   activity.  That's  why  I 
> suppose  that  not  only
> 'wireless  parts'  of  the  government are supposed
> to support amateur
> radio.
> 
> Rolly, hope you will be able to add some more
> explanations.
> 
> -- 
> Best regards,
>  Misko YT7MPB                          
> mailto:skoric@ptt.yu
> 
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