Subj : Other Ham Radio News
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Mon Dec 24 2018 10:04 am
I've been running ham radio nets since I was first licensed in 1991,
so I ought to know what I'm doing (hi hi). But, with the logs now, I
check the callsign databases, as I'm just entering the callsigns in
a textfile, then I add info for the logs after the nets.
But, the main reasons I check the database are to get name and location
information...but more importantly, to check if the license is expired.
Several months ago, on a net that I ran, I asked "Without looking at
your ham radio license, do you know when it expires??". Except for one
other person besides myself, everyone else said "No"...I was shocked!!
Anyway, in prepping the logs for a net last night, I discovered that
one ham's license was due to expire within the next 3 weeks. However,
with the U.S. Government in "partial shutdown", that includes the FCC,
which grants ham radio licenses (new, renewal, upgrade), and callsigns
(sequential and vanity)...for both ham radio and other services. There
is no indication on how long the shutdown will last...and there'll be a
huge backlog of callsigns to process, once the government shutdown ends.
The ham radio licenses are good for 10 years, with a 2 year grace
period after expiration to renew without loss of callsign or privileges.
However, both of those are LOST if the license is more than 2 years
being expired. At minimum, the individual has to take the Technician
Class exam to get back into ham radio...but it's not like "the old days",
where if you were formerly a 20 wpm Amateur Extra Class ham...you had
to take the Novice, Technician, General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra
Class exams again, plus a 20 wpm Morse Code test (they figured if you
could copy 20 wpm, you could copy 5 wpm and 13 wpm).
Nowadays, if you were a former Novice or Technician Class licensee,
you're "starting over", as if you had never taken a ham radio license
exam. But, if you were previously a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra
Class licensee, partial credit is available...yet you still have to
take and pass the Technician written exam.
General and Advanced Class hams get credit only for Element 3, the
General Class license. Former Advanced Class hams are DOWNGRADED to
General, since both the Novice and Advanced Class licenses were ended
in 2000...but holders of those two can renew them at the appropriate
time. Former Amateur Extra Class hams get credit for Elements 3 and 4.
But, both of these still ahve to take and pass the Technician exam.
With the lapsing of their license, their callsign is also forfeited.
So, if they had a 1x2 or 2x1 callsign as an Extra Class ham, it's very
likely they won't get it back...even though the Vanity Callsign system.
Besides, even if one applies, there's still a 21 day waiting period, and
if someone else has applied for that callsign before the original holder
does, the original holder likely won't get it. However, I know many
Extra Class hams who still have their 2x3 Novice type callsign...and
my callsign is a vanity type Novice Callsign...even though I'm an Amateur
Extra Class ham.
In short, if you're in the final days before license expiration, and
if the government shutdown continues for a good awhile, you're going
to be QRT (off the air) in short order...and will remain such until
the shutdown ends, and your license is renewed. Plus, if you're in the
final days of the "2 year grace period", and if the government shutdown
continues for a good while, you're going to lose your license and
callsign, and have to "start over".
So, before you press <ENTER> to go to the next message, look in your
ham radio shack, or in your wallet...or go to one of the callsign
databases online (QRZ, HamData, etc.), and look it up. If your license
is expired, you can NOT legally check into a net...let alone get on the
air...and Net Controls do NOT have to log you in this case.
Besides, not keeping track of the expiration date of your drivers
license, can end up costing you a huge fine, or sending you to jail.
The same can apply for transmitting on an expired or lapsed ham radio
license.
Daryl Stout, WX1DER, UALR Ham Radio Club VE Team Liaison
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