In article , Alun
writes:

(N2EY) wrote in
:

No, I think the rules need to be changed. Specifically, someone who is
neither a US citizen nor a resident of US territory should not be
allowed to hold a permanent US ham license, nor to function as a VE.
IMHO.

That specific change would probably get through the lawyers. I can see a
couple of downsides to it, FWIW. Firstly, VE teams serving Americans
overseas could no longer make use of any locals as VEs.

I don't see that as a downside; it's one of the main components of the idea!

Maybe they don't
anyway? Secondly, foreign-based DXpeditions to rare US islands would have
to recite a portable call.

Add a provision for temporary licenses to aliens if they don't want to do the /
thing. They pay a fee, get a special event callsign for the particular
possession, and when it's done the callsign goes back into the pool right away.
Similar to what you described for your Irish license.

A foreigner who holds dual licenses is not in the same situation.

Granted. But he CAN be made to suffer the same penalty that US
citizens have been

How you gonna collect the NAL?

As I said before, unless he has assets in the US, you're not.

Point is, there was enough complaining to FCC about multiple choice
code tests that they were eliminated. If there's enough complaining
about nonresident aliens being VEs and holding permanent US licenses,
those rules can change too.


AFAIK, the NCVEC eliminated those tests, not the FCC

Unless I misunderstood the Report and Order, FCC removed them.

Consider what most countries outside the US do when an American wants
to operate. They issue a license good for a specific short time, based
on the valid US license. There's usually a fee in good old US dollars.
American gets to operate from Lower Podunkia and everyone has a good
time.

Why can't we do the same thing?

There are almost as many ways of doing this as there are countries.

The UK has no reciprocal licences per se, only permanent or temporary
licences. If you give a UK address you can get a permanent licence, which
is the same licence you get for passing a test. If not, you get a temporary
licence with a portable call. Either way there is a fee, and for the
temporary licence you pay the regular annual fee for only six months.

So if I ever get to the UK for a vacation, I can get a distinctive UK license
based on my US license (no test)?

For a while I held a second UK call (G0VUK) based on my US licence.
However, since the code test was abolished my original call (G8VUK) has
full operating privileges.

Some countries issue visitor's licences with a distinctive call. For
example, my Irish call is EI4VXI. The V is for visitor. It is free for upto
a month, and costs progressively more for longer periods, and I can get the
same call back on subsequent visits.

So why can't the USA do something similar for legitimate visitors?

I beleive that the latest ITU conference authorised calls with four call
letters. That would make possible a visitor's call like, say, KH2VXYZ! I
doubt that the FCC would be interested in administering this or collecting
the money, so if it were done it would have to be done through the VE
system. I can even envision that the FCC wouldn't have any record of these
calls atall. They probably wouldn't fit in their database.

Naw, just lump them in with special event callsigns.

Perhaps the
NCVEC could keep track of them? Just a thought.

Amateurs getting licnesed today do not face the same conditions
you and I faced 20-30 years ago, Jim.

37 years ago in my case. The new conditions are much easier.

And nothing prevents us from making the process more challenging
in order to meet the needs of Part 97.

Sure it does. All the screaming that would result. Also FCC's
reluctance to take back certain functions.

Like collecting fees.

Yup.

New licensees would not face any revocation of service they
previously enjoyed. Old licensees would keep their old calls.

Big deal.

It's a big deal if you're on the other side of that fence.

Enough that the FCC has, on several occassions, demanded to know
why a particular licensee made several license changes within
specific time frames.

How often has that happened?

It's been in QST, Jim...I am sorry I don't recall teh specific
circumstances, but a fellow made several changes under the SEQUENTIAL
system and was called on the carpet for it.

Who and when? How many changes?

Hmm?

Are you sure FCC didn't have anither reason, such as someone trying to
evade detection? Example: Someone gets booted off the local repeaters
for acting inappropriately, then goes and gets a new callsign to hide
his identity.

Obviously not. He used the same name and addresses the FCC was
obviously able to get ahold of him at.

??

I meant detection by other hams. Most hams just use their first name on
the air - but I know a few who use their middle name. There's no rule
that sez you have to use either.

Suppose KC3@#$, "Bill" gets booted off the repeaters. Couple weeks go
by, then KD3!$^, "Tom", shows up. Who is to know they are the same
person without looking them up in the database, and discovering that
they're both William Thomas Bfztsplk?

Obviously Polish, ROTFL

No, it's an old pop culture reference. Al Capp's "Li'l Abner"

Some have residences both places. Others visit with friends or
relatives up here in summer, then go south during the cold. Under your
plan, they'd be forced to lose their call, or lie to the FCC.

I don't think much of that either. There's a possibility of me moving to
Michigan. I wouldn't want to give up N3KIP for some KI8@& call. I prefer a
1x3 to a 2x2, and I don't want to pay for a vanity call.

Well, there you have it. I consider myself lucky to have gotten a 1x2; 2x1s
sound backwards to me. As in "where's the rest of it?"

All this concern about callsigns isn't limited to hams. The BC folks have been
at it for years, since certain callsigns are considered much more desirable
than others in that service. Calls like KISS, WARM, WOW, WHY, WHAT, WHEN, etc.

I recall reading that the original allocations of
all-letters-begins-with-W-or-K callsigns were to ships. When a ship sank, its
"unlucky" callsign would often not be reassigned to a new ship, and often wound
up assigned to a shore or BC station. Anybody confirm this story?

Personally, if radio saved a ship's crew, I'd consider that ship's callsign
lucky!

Oddly enough, I don't think any real BC station has ever held WKRP.



73 de Jim, N2EY