ENTERPRISE AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY PO BOX 310034 ENTERPRISE, AL 36331-0034 Pres - WA4YQT barefeet@alaweb.com VPres - KF4JTF rbmesser@snowhill.com Sec/Treas - N4JAG rickpal@snowhill.com PIO - KD4KT none Newsletter - N4RYC geleam@snowhill.com JANUARY 2000 NEWSLETTER The January meeting will be held at 7:00 PM, Thursday, 20 January, in Room S-100 at ESJC. DUES REMINDER The following members annual dues of $20 ($5 Associate) are due: November - KF4EHL, KU4BF. December - KK4HC, KU4B, N4SJN. January - N4RYC, WA4AKG/KF4NNM, KD4IDG/IDK (Assoc), KC4CYA (Assoc). Please remember that after you are three months overdue, you will be dropped from the club roster. If you can't attend a meeting, please mail your check, payable to EARS, to the club address. Thank you for your support. ROSTER UPDATE Please add KE4AYL back to your roster: Horace Likely, Route 1, Box 185, Daleville. EVENT CALENDAR EARS Meeting - 20 January Hamfest - Pensacola, FL - 22 January Hamfest - Greenville, AL - 29 January Hamfest - Orlando, FL - 11-13 February EARS Meeting - 17 February EARS Meeting - 16 March Boll Weevil Net on 147.24+ each Tuesday at 7 PM. Saturday morning breakfasts at Dottie's in Enterprise at 7 AM and at Ann's in Ozark at 8 AM. Wednesday lunches at the Deli in Daleville around 11:00. Amateur Exams following EARS meetings. Contact Tom, WA4YQT, at 464-0532 at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a test. EARS meeting location - Room S-100 at ESJC. BREAKFAST Each Saturday morning, a group of area HAMS meet at Dotties' Country Kitchen on North Main Street in Enterprise, for breakfast and fellowship about 7AM. Come by and have some good food, or just coffee, and a good time. If that is too early, try Ann's in Ozark around 8AM. A large group meets there also. NEW LICENSE RULES QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 96 ARLB096 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT December 30, 1999 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB096 ARLB096 FCC restructures: Three license classes, one code speed The FCC has issued its long-awaited Report and Order on amateur licensing restructuring. The bottom line is that starting April 15, 2000, there will be three license classes--Technician, General, and Amateur Extra--and a single Morse code requirement--5 WPM. "We believe that an individual's ability to demonstrate increased Morse code proficiency is not necessarily indicative of that individual's ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art," the FCC said. Besides drastically streamlining the Amateur Radio licensing process, the FCC said its actions would "eliminate unnecessary requirements that may discourage or limit individuals from becoming trained operators, technicians, and electronic experts." Although no new Novice and Advanced licenses will be issued after the effective date of the Report and Order, the FCC does not plan to automatically upgrade any existing license privileges. The ARRL had proposed a one-time, across-the-board upgrading of current Novice and Tech Plus licensees to General class, but the FCC declined to adopt the idea. This means that current licensees will retain their current operating privileges, including access to various modes and subbands, and will be able to renew their licenses indefinitely. Starting April 15, 2000, individuals who qualified for the Technician class license prior to March 21, 1987, will be able to upgrade to General class by providing documentary proof to a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, paying an application fee, and completing FCC Form 605. The FCC's decision not to automatically upgrade Novice and Tech Plus licensees means the current Novice/Tech Plus HF subbands will remain and not be "refarmed" to higher class licensees as the ARRL had proposed. The FCC said it did not refarm these subbands because there was "no consensus" within the amateur community as to what to do with them. The FCC decided to lump Technician and Tech Plus licensees into a single licensee database, all designated as "Technician" licensees. Those who can document having passed the 5 WPM Morse code examination will continue to have the current Tech Plus HF privileges. The FCC said it may request documentation from a licensee or VEC to verify whether a licensee has passed a telegraphy examination. The FCC action also authorizes Advanced Class hams to prepare and administer General class examinations, and eliminates Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) station licenses. RACES will remain, however. Under the new licensing scheme, there will be four examination elements. Element 1 will be the 5 WPM Morse code exam. Element 2 will be a 35-question Technician exam; Element 3 will be a 35-question General exam; and Element 4 will be a 50-question Amateur Extra exam. The FCC has left it in the hands of the National Conference of VECs Question Pool Committee to determine the specific mix and makeup of written examination questions. Elimination of the 13 and 20 WPM Morse requirements means an end to physician certification waivers for applicants claiming an inability to pass the Morse code examination due to physical handicap. The FCC disagreed with the League's suggestion that it undertake a restructuring of operating privileges along with licensing restructuring. The Commission said it wanted to give the amateur community a chance to ''reach a consensus'' regarding new technologies before it tried to restructure amateur operating privileges and frequencies. A copy of the entire Report and Order (FCC 99-412) is available at http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/wt98-143ro.pdf or at http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/1999/db991230/fcc99412.txt -------End of ARLB096---------- QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONFUSION FOLLOW IN FCC's WAKE Questions, comments, and some confusion have been the order of the day since the FCC finally dropped the other shoe on Amateur Radio restructuring on December 30. The FCC's momentous action--reducing the number of license classes to three and establishing 5 WPM as the sole Morse code examination element--has, at least for now, polarized the Amateur Radio community. It also promises to change the complexion of Amateur Radio as it enters the new millennium. More than half of those responding to an informal poll on the ARRL Web site indicate they plan to upgrade during 2000. Demand for study materials in the past week suggests many amateurs will be hitting the books in the coming weeks. After April 15, 2000, the FCC will only issue Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class licenses. Novice and Advanced licensees will retain current operating privileges and may renew indefinitely. The FCC's new licensing scheme simplifies and shortens the upgrade path from the ground floor through Amateur Extra. Applicants will only have to pass one Morse code test, and there are fewer written examinations and total questions. "This is the best news I have heard since bread and butter!" exclaimed Jimmy Stewart, WD9FHY, who said he's been trying unsuccessfully for years to boost his code proficiency. On the other side were some who asserted that the revised requirements would contribute to a further decline of Amateur Radio and open the doors to "riff-raff." The ARRL Board of Directors is expected to review the FCC Report and Order and discuss its implications when it meets January 21-22 in Memphis. In a significant step, the FCC has left it in the hands of the National Conference of VECs Question Pool Committee to determine the specific mix and makeup of written examination questions. Current Amateur Radio study materials remain valid at least until the new rules become effective in April. The nation's Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, including the ARRL-VEC, now are under the gun to meet the plan's April 15 implementation date. "The Question Pool Committee has been meeting by telephone and e-mail to get the updating process under way," said ARRL-VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. "It's anticipated that the QPC will put out a news release soon that indicates when the updated question pools will be available to the public." Jahnke said the revised question pools will be out "well in advance" of April 15. No one loses any privileges under the FCC's new plan, and, with one limited exception, no licensee is in a position to automatically gain any privileges when April 15 rolls around. The FCC's action establishes the Technician license--with or without Morse code credit--as the entry-level ticket to Amateur Radio. Technician applicants passing the 5 WPM Morse code exam will gain current Tech Plus HF privileges. The current "no-code" Tech license will continue to be available. Technician applicants opting to not take the code test will gain current Technician VHF/UHF privileges. After April 15, 2000, the FCC will lump Technician and Technician Plus licensees into a single "Technician" database. Despite the name change, current Tech Plus licensees won't lose any privileges. Similarly, current General and Amateur Extra class holders will continue to enjoy their current privileges. The FCC took no action to reallocate any amateur bands. The new licensing regime has four examination elements: Element 1, the 5 WPM Morse code test; Element 2, a 35-question Technician test; Element 3, a 35-question General test, and Element 4, a 50-question Amateur Extra test. The new Amateur Extra test is expected to combine the important elements of the current Advanced and Amateur Extra examinations. Only minor changes are anticipated in the new General class examination. The new Technician exam likely will include some questions on HF operating from the current Novice test. The new licensing plan created a lone and limited upgrade for those who held a Technician license or a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) before March 21, 1987. Those individuals may claim credit for a new General class license. This is because there was a single Technician-General written test under the old system; only the code tests differed. The upgrade is not automatic, however. Affected individuals will have to apply through a Volunteer Examiner test session, complete Form 605, attach documentary proof of having completed the requirements for a Technician license prior to March 21, 1987, and pay an application fee, if any, to the VEC. Judging from the questions coming into ARRL HQ, many hams want to know whether to upgrade now or wait for the new system. If you're either a Tech Plus or an Advanced licensee, there might be an advantage to taking an exam now. The FCC has told the League that current Tech Plus licensees holding a valid CSCE for Element 3B may apply for a General class upgrade when the new rules become effective. Likewise, current Advanced licensees holding a valid CSCE for Element 4B may apply for an Amateur Extra class upgrade under the new system. To be valid on April 15, 2000, any such CSCE will have to be dated on or after April 17, 1999. A CSCE is only good for 365 days. CSCE holders must attend a Volunteer Examiner session, complete Form 605, attach a valid CSCE, and pay any required application fee ($6.65 for the ARRL-VEC). The reduced Morse code requirement hit a nerve with some hams who felt it "devalued" their upper-class licenses. Others, however, felt it minimized an unnecessary obstacle. The FCC said it believes a demonstration of Morse proficiency does not necessarily indicate an individual's "ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art," as the FCC put it. The Commission also said it was not convinced that Morse proficiency had any particular value to emergency preparedness. The reduction in the Morse code requirement was not entirely unexpected. Several other countries already have lowered their Morse code examination requirements, and some observers believe the Morse requirement will disappear altogether once it's eliminated in the international Radio Regulations. The FCC said it opted for the "least burdensome requirement" as its sole Morse standard. While the 13 and 20 WPM code tests soon will be history, the FCC said that "provisions must remain in place for accommodating individuals with severe disabilities." The Morse code issue is expected to be on the agenda of a future World Radiocommunication Conference. The FCC said it would not automatically "sunset" the Morse code requirement even if Morse code is eliminated from the international radio regulations. Frequently Asked Questions on restructuring are available at http://www.arrl.org/news/restructuring/faq.html/. A copy of the entire Report and Order (FCC 99-412) is available at http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/wt98-143ro.pdf or at http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/1999/db991230/fcc99412.txt. PICTURES NEEDED From: N4JAG - Rick Palsulich I am in the process of making new Coffee County ARES cards which will expire in the year 2004. If you can e-mail me a digital photo of yourself, I'll print it on the card and return the whole thing to you. If you don't have one, but you can attend the January meeting, I will take a photo of you then. If you're not a member of ARES, just drop me a note and I'll take care of it. You don't need to be a member of ARRL, just have a willingness to help if needed. de N4JAG ----------------------- Electronic Edition: Welcome to the last year of this millenium. I hope everyone had a good holiday season. Considering it has been in the mid (sometimes upper) 70's, I'm wondering exactly what holiday season it was. Independence Day? Oh well, it's gonna get colder tonight, they say. Probably no snow, though. If you missed the Christmas Dinner, slap yourself on the wrist three times. Everyone I talked to enjoyed it very much. Good food and good friends - what else can you ask for? KA4MHQ has had a change in his e-mail address. Please change it to dneagley@snowhill.com. If anyone needs me to send them the complete list as I have it, just send me a note. Yes, you can get them from the header on this message, but one nice text list might be something you'd like to have. I've been asked to remind everyone not to pass out EARS e-mail addresses to anyone and not to subscribe anyone to any lists or send any unsolicited junk mail (spam) to anyone either. (Not that anyone is. At least, not that I know of.) If managed to read all the way down to here without falling asleep, you deserve a gold star. See you at the meeting or on the radio. 73 N4JAG Rick