Please stand by. We are experiencing some technical computer difficulties. Be assured, these difficulties are only temporary and we should be able to return to normal soon. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you due to lack of sleep, stress, anxiety, or news deprivation.
Technical Difficulties!!!
June 9th, 2009FCC Looks to Raise Vanity Call Sign Fee
May 19th, 2009The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (NPRM) on May 14 seeking to raise fees for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. Currently, a vanity call sign costs $12.30 and is good for 10 years; the new fee, if the FCC plan goes through, will go up to $13.40 for 10 years, an increase of $1.10.
The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. Instructions on how to comment on this NPRM are available on the FCC Web site.
The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 12 years of the current program — from a low of $11.70 in 2007 to a high of $70 (as first proposed in the FCC’s 1994 Report and Order). In 2007, the Commission lowered the fee from $20.80 to $11.70. The FCC said it anticipates some 15,000 Amateur Radio vanity call sign “payment units” or applications during the next fiscal year, collecting $201,000 in fees from the program.
The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity
call sign for a new term. The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the current Amateur Radio vanity call sign program that began in 1996 came up for renewal three years ago.Those holding vanity call signs issued prior to 1996 are exempt from having to pay the vanity call sign regulatory fee at renewal,
however. That’s because Congress did not authorize the FCC to collect regulatory fees until 1993. Such “heritage” vanity call sign
holders do not appear as vanity licensees in the FCC Amateur Radio database.Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of their license expiration date. All radio amateurs must have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) before filing any application with the Commission. Applicants can obtain an FRN by going to the ULS and clicking on the “New Users Register” link. You must supply your Social Security Number to obtain an FRN.
The ARRL VEC will process license renewals for vanity call sign holders for a modest fee. The service is available to ARRL members and nonmembers, although League members pay less. Routine, non-vanity renewals continue to be free for ARRL members. Trustees of club stations with vanity call signs may renew either via the ULS or through a Club Station Call Sign Administrator, such as ARRL VEC.
League members should visit the “ARRL Member Instructions for License Renewals or Changes” page, while the “Instructions for
License Renewals or Changes” page covers general renewal procedures for nonmembers. There is additional information on the ARRL VEC’s “FCC License Renewals and ARRL License Expiration Notices” page.License application and renewal information and links to the required forms are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing
FAQ Web page. The FCC’s forms page also offers the required forms.
(SOURCE: ARRL News Bulletin, May 18, 2009)
The Monkey Cage
May 11th, 2009I am posting a story that came from my boss at work a few weeks back. I am sure this is available out in cyberspace someplace but for your entertainment and perusal here is “The Monkey Cage”. Read the rest of this entry »
Baby, If You Ever Wondered… Whatever Became of WKRP?
May 9th, 2009In my laziness on Sunday evenings I have happened across WGN out of Chicago running reruns of the old sitcom “WKRP in Cincinatti.” An inquisitive mind like mine wanted to know why WKRP was chosen and if stations had used the call sign previously or since the series led me to several articles on the call sign. It turns out that it was used both before and after the series by various broadcast stations. Here is a link to some information on the history of the show as well as what stations have used WKRP as their call. There’s even some other trivia information for all those trivia heads that read my blog. Enjoy!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKRP_in_Cincinnati#The_.22real.22_WKRP_stations
Hurricane Names Retired from Rotational List
May 9th, 2009Three hurricane names in the Atlantic and one in the eastern North Pacific were retired from the official name rotation by the World Meteorological Organization’s hurricane committee because of the deaths and damage they caused in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
President Obama Nominates New FCC Commissioner
May 8th, 2009On Wednesday, April 29, President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Mignon L. Clyburn of South Carolina as an FCC Commissioner http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-More-Key-Administration-Posts-4-29-09/. If her nomination is approved by Congress, Clyburn will fill the seat of Democrat Jonathan Adelstein. Adelstein is leaving the FCC to head up the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/03/23/10716/?nc=1. Read the rest of this entry »
Growing Season Begins May 1
May 1st, 2009The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids has began issuing frost advisories and freeze watches and warnings as of May 1st across all of Southwest and West Central Lower Michigan. The growing season begins on May 1st and continues into October or after the first killing freeze in the fall. Read the rest of this entry »
Record Daily Maximum Rainfall Set At Grand Rapids, MI
May 1st, 2009A record rainfall of 1.40 inches was set at Grand Rapids, MI yesterday. This breaks the old record of 1.02 set in 1950.
(SOURCE: Record Event Report 4/26/2009. National Weather Service Forecast Office, Grand Rapids, MI)
EMCOMM Workshops At 2009 National Hurricane Conference Focus On Amateur Radio
May 1st, 2009On April 6-10, Amateur Radio had its largest presence ever at the 2009 National Hurricane Conference in Austin, Texas http://www.hurricanemeeting.com/. Representatives from the ARRL, WX4NHC http://www.wx4nhc.org/, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) http://www.hwn.org/ and VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIPWXNet) http://www.voipwx.net/ completed several presentations at the conference as well as a presentation at the local Austin Amateur Radio Club. According to ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, the workshops were very well attended with more than triple the participation of prior conferences. Read the rest of this entry »
