RadioBanter - View Single Post - Who Can Have A US License? Sequential Calls?

November 28th 04, 02:58 AM

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote in
:

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)?

You can, you just need someone in the UK who will act as a mail drop,
Otherwise you will just get M0/N2EY if you have it mailed to you direct.
Hmmm, that's almost M0NEY, and I don't think that one has been issued
either.

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?

It could, but I can't imagine the FCC wanting to be directly involved

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.

Those are 1x1 calls. How does that work for KH2?

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?"

I couldn't agree more

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