[SFDXA] From the ARRL Letter - Volunteer Monitor Program Cautions against Operating Beyond License Privileges

[Bill]

Volunteer Monitor Program Cautions against Operating Beyond License 
Privileges

Many of the Advisory Notices sent out each month by the ARRL Volunteer 
Monitor Program <https://www.arrl.org/volunteer-monitor-program> go to 
stations heard operating outside the operator's license privileges. 
While some may be doing so deliberately, it seems clear that many of 
these reports reflect a lack of clarity regarding the Part 97 -- Amateur 
Radio Service rules.

Typical cases often involve operators holding Technician- or 
General-class amateur licenses being heard on a frequency or band not 
permitted by their license privileges. Most recent incidents have 
frequently entailed FT8 digital mode operation by Technician licensees 
on 20 and 40 meters. Technician licensees do not have any operating 
privileges on 20 meters, let alone digital privileges, and FT8 is a 
digital protocol.

Technicians (and Novices) may operate CW between 21.025 and 21.200 MHz 
on 15 meters, from 7.025 and 7.125 MHz on 40 meters, and from 3.525 to 
3.600 MHz on 80 meters, but they do not have /any/ digital (data) mode 
privileges on these bands.

ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program Administrator Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, 
said licensees who need a refresher course regarding their operating 
privileges may refer to Section 97.301 of the rules. ARRL also has a 
convenient chart on its website 
<http://www.arrl.org/graphical-frequency-allocations> that details 
privileges available to all license classes, from Novice to Amateur Extra.

As monthly Volunteer Monitor reports indicate, some General-class 
operators have lost their way on some bands too, and Advisory Notices 
have gone out to those operating outside of the General-class phone 
subbands. For example, on 20 meters, Generals may operate phone from 
14.225 to 14.350 MHz, but occasionally, General-class operators are 
heard outside of that subband. On 40 meters, the phone and image subband 
open to General licensees is 7.175 to 7.300 MHz. Of course, Technician- 
and General-class licensees may operate CW on any subband on which they 
have operating privileges, although operation within the CW subbands is 
preferred by band plan.

On 10 meters, Technicians have RTTY and data privileges -- including FT8 
-- from 28.000 to 28.300 MHz, and SSB phone privileges from 28.300 to 
28.500 MHz, and may operate on CW over the entire 28.0000 - 28.500 MHz 
segment. Technicians may enjoy all operating privileges at 50 MHz and above.

The ARRL Volunteer Monitor program is a formal agreement between the FCC 
and ARRL. Volunteers trained and vetted by ARRL monitor the airwaves and 
report evidence that may be used to correct errant operation or to 
recognize exemplary on-air operation.
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