The FCC says minor amendments to various Amateur Radio (Part 97) rule become effective June 1. The regulatory changes, which the FCC made on its own motion rather than in reaction to any petitions, appeared May 5 in the Federal Register. The most extensive and substantive rule change involves §97.307, Emission standards, where the FCC revised the wording of §97.307(d), which defines spurious emissions. The updated language imposes a slightly higher standard on newer transmitters or amplifiers of any power level. Starting June 1, the rule will provide that:

   * the mean power of any spurious emission from HF transmitters or

external RF power amplifiers installed after January 1, 2003, must be at

least 43 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission.

   * the mean power of any spurious emission from HF transmitters or

external RF power amplifiers installed on or before January 1, 2003, must

not exceed 50 mW and must be at least 40 dB below the mean power of the

fundamental emission. If the mean power output of such as transmitter is

less than 5 W, the attenuation must be at least 30 dB.

Still exempt from the provisions of §97.307(d) are transmitters built

before April 15, 1977, or those first marketed before January 1, 1978.

 

The FCC also has redefined what constitutes an Amateur Radio operator. The change reflects the advent in the late 1990s of the Universal Licensing System electronic licensee database. Under the amended §97.3(a)(1) an amateur operator is "a person named in an

amateur operator/primary license station grant on the ULS consolidated

licensee database to be the control operator of an amateur station." The

current rule defines an amateur operator as "a person holding a written

authorization to be the control operator of an amateur station."

 

Anther change eliminates Technician or Technician with Element 1 credit licensees from the classes of operators permitted to prepare Element 1 (5 WPM Morse) and Element 2 (Technician written) examinations. The Commission ordered the rule changes and additional wording updates within the context of a larger, wide-ranging Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 04-140. That NPRM addresses several Amateur Radio-related petitions and proposes revisions to operating privileges. It also denied several petitions. The FCC continues to seek comments on the various proposals put forth in WT Docket 04-140. Comments are due by Tuesday, June 15, and reply comments by Wednesday, June 30. Among other changes, the FCC has recommended adopting the ARRL's "Novice refarming" plan.

                                                 -ARRL

Radio Association of Erie

W3GV Repeaters

146.610(-)  PL 127.3

146.820 (-)  PL 127.3

 

June 2004

Volume 3, Issue 5

QUARAE