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 Previous: Public Service and a Lot of Fun: A Day at the Oldest Bike Race in the USA |  Next: ARRL Seeks Business Services Advertising Sales Specialist |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 22, 2007 -- A new Amateur Radio Service regime goes into effect at one minute past midnight Eastern Time. That's when the requirement to demonstrate Morse code proficiency to gain HF privileges officially disappears from the FCC's Part 97 rules. In addition, some 200,000 Technician licensees who have not passed a Morse code exam will acquire HF privileges equivalent to those now available to Novice licensees. The League will mark the occasion with a W1AW special event aimed at welcoming newcomers to the HF bands. The "W1AW HF Open House" will include exam sessions under both the current and the new rules. ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, points to the huge and still burgeoning number of exam sessions now on the schedule across the US as evidence that the rule changes will provide a shot in the arm to Amateur Radio.
"ARRL VEC has been extremely busy scheduling new exam sessions," Kramer said. "We normally coordinate about 5500 sessions per year, but we've already scheduled close to 5000 sessions and it's only the end of February." He said ARRL VEC anticipates demand will surge further after February 23.
Kramer notes that not only has the number of test sessions increased dramatically, the number of applicants at each session is up as well. To keep up with demand, ARRL VEC has hired additional help. Staffers from other HQ departments also have been lending a hand.
Special Section in March QST
March QST includes an eight-page "tearout" section "Now, New Opportunities for Every Ham!" (it appears between pages 48 and 49). It focuses on various topics of interest to those gaining new HF privileges through upgrading or owing to the new rules as well as to veteran licensees. Among other things, it covers mentoring -- or Elmering -- newcomers, "The Top 10 Reasons to Try Morse Code," earning ham radio operating awards by using Logbook of the World (LoTW) and a "Welcome to the fascinating world of high frequency (HF) radio!" by ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ.
"The FCC's decision to eliminate the Morse code examination as a licensing requirement opens the door to HF for all amateur licensees," Sumner points out in his remarks. Sumner also addresses the topic in his "It Seems to Us" editorial in March QST (page 9).
"As these new HF operators join us on our favorite bands, we old timers need to set a good example and to be patient, welcoming and positive," he writes. "Let's all remember how little we knew when we got started, and honor those who helped us along the way by doing the same for others."
The March QST special section includes a new ARRL band chart created by ARRL Senior Technical Illustrator Dave Pingree, N1NAS. The band chart is available for downloading from the ARRL Web site in black and white or in color.
Interest, Membership Up
Kramer cited the FCC rule changes, new ARRL membership materials and increased interest in Amateur Radio overall as some of the factors driving a rise in ARRL membership. The League's ranks increased in January and have continued to grow in February, he said.
There's also been an uptick in ARRL publication sales, particularly in licensing manuals and licensing guides, and enrollment in the online ARRL Ham Radio License Course (EC-010) is at an all-time high. Additionally, Kramer noted, DXCC applications are up by 350 from last year, while LoTW has exceeded 121 million QSO records.
"W1AW HF Open House"
ARRL staffers and volunteers from the local ham radio community plan to kick off the "W1AW HF Open House" on Friday, February 23, at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Operation will continue through the February 24-25 weekend, with primary activity from 10 AM until 5 PM Eastern Time (1500 until 2200 UTC) or later, depending on interest, propagation and participation.
Operation will be on both SSB and CW. W1AW will concentrate activity on the Technician and General class HF subbands, using its normal frequencies on most bands. On SSB: 1.855, 3.990, 7.290, 14.290, 18.160, 21.390 and 28.480 MHz. On CW: 1.8175, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675 and 28.0675 MHz. W1AW also will be on the air during the North American QSO Party (RTTY) on Saturday. Teleprinter (RTTY) frequencies are 3597.5, 7.095, 14.095, 21.095 and 28.095 MHz.
ARRL Membership Manager Katie Breen, W1KRB, will be tracking events in near-real time on a blog on the ARRL Web site. She also plans to post videos to the YouTube.com Web site.
Exam Sessions Set
An Amateur Radio exam session under the current FCC rules will take place at ARRL Headquarters starting at 11 PM. One of the first sessions in the US under the new rules will begin at 12:01 AM, Friday, February 23 as the new rules take effect. Other exam sessions are set for Saturday and Sunday at ARRL HQ.
A Long Tradition
A Morse code requirement for Amateur Radio licensing has been on the books in the US in one form or another since 1912, and CW continues to be a favorite mode, especially in the contesting, DXing and QRP communities. The transition to a Morse code-free licensing system in the US has not been without controversy, however, and the issue has been a divisive one within the Amateur Radio community since the FCC eliminated the 13 and 20 WPM Morse code exam elements in 2000.
In eliminating the code requirement altogether in the Report and Order in WT Docket 05-235, the FCC said the change "eliminates an unnecessary regulatory burden that may discourage current Amateur Radio operators from advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of Amateur Radio."
More than two dozen countries around the globe already have dropped their Morse code licensing requirements in the wake of World Radiocommunication Conference 2003. WRC-03 delegates agreed to let individual national administrations decide whether or not they wanted to retain a Morse code test for HF access. Cyprus appears to be the latest country to have eliminated its Morse code requirement. Others already on the list include the United Kingdom/Great Britain, Canada, and Germany.
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