FCC Dimissess Petitions For Rulemaking

[W3WN]

In today's FCC digest, the FCC dismisses (by letter) petitions for rulemaking from a James Whedbee KKØB of Gladstone MO and Jeffrey Siegell WB2YRL of Burke VA.

Whedbee wanted the number of license classes reduced. Filed in March 2016.
Siegell wanted Advanced Class licenses to have the same CW privileges as Amateur Extra Class. Filed in July 2016

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0105/DA-17-11A1.pdf

[N8YX]

Given the fact that the current tests are almost a "gimme" to begin with, what did these gentlemen hope to achieve with their respective filings?

[WZ7U]

There is a certain yahoo over on a certain other board advocating for the same sort of nonsense. I noticed 'that' thread seems to have disappeared without an f bomb from my arsenal; hmmm.

I think the little snowflakes just don't want to have to work for anything anymore when it comes to amateur radio and I bet they couldn't solder a pl-259 to save their lives either.

[W3WN]

Given the fact that the current tests are almost a "gimme" to begin with, what did these gentlemen hope to achieve with their respective filings?
Their ultimate goal? Eliminate all but one license class, and eliminate all testing. Oh, and eliminate the rules, too. So that anyone can get on Amateur Radio frequencies and do whatever they want to their hearts content!

This is not a knock: They want Amateur Radio to become CB. They don't appreciate why there is a difference between the two services. They place no value in their licenses. All they know is that their buddies can't (or won't) do it, so that means the big bad guv'mint is picking on them.

[W3WN]

There is a certain yahoo over on a certain other board advocating for the same sort of nonsense. I noticed 'that' thread seems to have disappeared without an f bomb from my arsenal; hmmm.

I think the little snowflakes just don't want to have to work for anything anymore when it comes to amateur radio and I bet they couldn't solder a pl-259 to save their lives either.Well, use your arsenal wisely and sparingly. They ain't worth it, not even if it's a short tripi to the corn field.

[WZ7U]

True that. I already went down that rabbit hole once with that clown, that was enough.

Besides, King TUT showed grasshopper the error of my ways with that clown and I have to respect that.

Although I did slip a little today...:spin:

[KJ3N]

In today's FCC digest, the FCC dismisses (by letter) petitions for rulemaking from a James Whedbee KKØB of Gladstone MO and Jeffrey Siegell WB2YRL of Burke VA.

Whedbee wanted the number of license classes reduced. Filed in March 2016.
Siegell wanted Advanced Class licenses to have the same CW privileges as Amateur Extra Class. Filed in July 2016

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0105/DA-17-11A1.pdf

It's a simple answer for both of these morons: Upgrade or STFU.

[KG4NEL]

I understand why they did it, but I almost think 3 license divisions is too few.

[W3WN]

Personally, I'd bring back the Novice license (with the idea that it is marketed towards youth, not that the FCC cares about that), adding a limited access to 2 meters (repeater & FM simplex sub bands, FM only, 5 W max -- in other words, HT's and low power mobiles). Most areas of the country these days have seen a real drop-off in 2 meter activity, this would encourage it.

It won't happen, of course.

No, 3 is what we have left for new licensees. So I'd instead, today, look into ways of making Tech a touch more attractive. With 10 meters on life support until the sun acne or pox starts up again, I'd suggest giving Tech's limited access to, say, 3900 to 4000 kHz, where most of the late afternoon/early evening traffic and public service nets hang out. 100 W max, SSB only. There are a lot of good reasons for this, but let's be real... it ain't gonna happen either.

[N8YX]

... Most areas of the country these days have seen a real drop-off in 2 meter activity...


Ask yourself why.

Around these parts, a large percentage of the VHF Gang became fed up with the closed/private/club/good-ol'-boys repeater network (along with the antics of their owners) and either left for FM simplex or left for HF. A few of us stood up our own systems, or got into weak-signal (SSB/CW) modes.

If you don't want me or my group of compadres using your system, fine. Just don't come begging for donations, parts, materials, what have you when your existing userbase can't or won't contribute any longer.

And that's what will keep the youth off of VHF. Most don't have the scratch for anything past an HT, and those who do certainly aren't going to be propping up (to use a Kelli term) the local silverbacks.

Either open it up for everyone - with no imposed conditions except for adherence to Part 97 - or shut the thing off and turn your pair back into the Coordination Committee for reassignment.

[NQ6U]

There are very few closed repeaters here in San Diego County but most of them are still silent the majority of the time. Of course, there are also a shit-ton of them (as in, good luck trying to get a frequency pair for a new coordinated 2m repeater) so it just may be that the traffic is spread thinly.

[KG4NEL]

Closed repeaters were never really a thing here. There are a few, but I think they're literally on a pole in someone's backyard.

We did lose a terrific linked system about 10 years ago, and I don't think it's been the same since.

SERA can go choke, though.

[KG4CGC]

Their ultimate goal? Eliminate all but one license class, and eliminate all testing. Oh, and eliminate the rules, too. So that anyone can get on Amateur Radio frequencies and do whatever they want to their hearts content!

This is not a knock: They want Amateur Radio to become CB. They don't appreciate why there is a difference between the two services. They place no value in their licenses. All they know is that their buddies can't (or won't) do it, so that means the big bad guv'mint is picking on them.

Ron. That sounds like it reads straight out of an NRA pamphlet at a gun show.
Just saying, because, well ...

[WZ7U]

Ask yourself why.

Around these parts, a large percentage of the VHF Gang became fed up with the closed/private/club/good-ol'-boys repeater network (along with the antics of their owners) and either left for FM simplex or left for HF. A few of us stood up our own systems, or got into weak-signal (SSB/CW) modes.

If you don't want me or my group of compadres using your system, fine. Just don't come begging for donations, parts, materials, what have you when your existing userbase can't or won't contribute any longer.

And that's what will keep the youth off of VHF. Most don't have the scratch for anything past an HT, and those who do certainly aren't going to be propping up (to use a Kelli term) the local silverbacks.

Either open it up for everyone - with no imposed conditions except for adherence to Part 97 - or shut the thing off and turn your pair back into the Coordination Committee for reassignment.

That, and/or you have these goobers that have a pair assigned but then don't have any equipment running on it, tying the pair up for someone that might actually want to put up a machine. There's a repeater listed for my locality that has that exact scenario. Not that I have anything to put up for it, but you get the point. I don't want to be a control op either. Yeah, I grew out of repeaters quite a while back for the reasons pontificated above so eloquently.

[W3WN]

Ron. That sounds like it reads straight out of an NRA pamphlet at a gun show.
Just saying, because, well ...
Because what, exactly?

I do not own a firearm. I am not and never have been a member of the NRA. I have never seen an NRA pamphlet and I have never gone to a gun show. So I have no idea WTF you are talking about or trying to imply.

[KG4CGC]

Because what, exactly?

I do not own a firearm. I am not and never have been a member of the NRA. I have never seen an NRA pamphlet and I have never gone to a gun show. So I have no idea WTF you are talking about or trying to imply.

OK. Fear mongering. Scare tactics. A false narrative which I've heard for at least 20 years which simply isn't true. That and there simply is no such thing as a "Lid Filter." The code test back in the day didn't stop the bad players. I've heard numerous times of how widespread cronyism is in the VEC. It may have happened in a couple of isolated incidents where people were passed who didn't even take the test etc.

Your ownership or non ownership of a firearm isn't the issue and never was so I'm not even going to address that. I think you know that though. If you want a strongarm faction of the ARRL I would suspect it would only attract a certain type of personality, the type which is prone to fear mongering and scare tactics and constantly giving dire warnings of impending doom.

The only thing AR has to worry about is lack of spectrum usage. The FCC will see this and look for ways to manage that spectrum. That could very well mean selling off spectrum to paying players. Based on that I would suspect AR would want to attract more users. Since AR literally has to compete with the Internet and computers as far as young people go AND cellphones for basic communications as far as everyone else goes, dire warnings about every Tom, Dick and Harry being able to get on the air and treat it as a playground kind of comes off as hyperbole.
It's a hobby which shares something that is considered a national resource, the airwaves. As a national resource which crosses state lines it involves federal government guidelines. We all accept that.

Two guys are jousting at windmills if you really look at it in terms of their fantasy vs everyone else's reality. Unless you're just trying to slam these two as hard as you can to make sure that they never get back up off the ground, then that's one thing. All the old and used up fear mongering scare tactics are just that and won't necessarily attract well adjusted individuals into the hobby. I see it as a way to get the knuckle dragging reactionaries to fight a battle against an unseen and invisible injustice which more than likely simply does not exist. You'll just have more spoon fed people jousting at those metaphorical wind mills.
Just like the NRA does.

Has the NRA been successful? Yes they have. But they have been successful at a very high cost. They bought off a lot of congress critters. They continue to collect money. They continue to make money. They have also changed the psyche of the nation and legitimized those who are just itching to bag them a bad guy. I wouldn't want that vigilantism and everything that goes with it to spill over to AR.

I hope that explains it.

[W3WN]

The question raised was, what was their goal? What was their purpose in submitting these proposals.

I gave an answer based on my reading of the proposals, and what little I knew of the two idjits, er induhviduals making said proposals. I could be wrong, certainly wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

How you got from that to where you are now, I think you're reading WAY too much into it, regarding what I believe. Which I did not bring into the conversation. That is the only interpretation I can make from your inference that I'm somehow being influenced by those right-wing nut jobs who are as bad or worse than the left-wing nut jobs who want... well, the opposite, I'm not getting into THAT right now.

Believe what you want. I'm done with this thread, before I say something that we're both going to end up regretting.

[KG4CGC]

The question raised was, what was their goal? What was their purpose in submitting these proposals.

I gave an answer based on my reading of the proposals, and what little I knew of the two idjits, er induhviduals making said proposals. I could be wrong, certainly wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

How you got from that to where you are now, I think you're reading WAY too much into it, regarding what I believe. Which I did not bring into the conversation. That is the only interpretation I can make from your inference that I'm somehow being influenced by those right-wing nut jobs who are as bad or worse than the left-wing nut jobs who want... well, the opposite, I'm not getting into THAT right now.

Believe what you want. I'm done with this thread, before I say something that we're both going to end up regretting.

Damn. I was just saying. You know, because ...

I don't know what you believe or think at this point. The whole fear and scare thing has been used so much that I guess it has become a daily, normal thing.
You have a couple of guys that want a free ticket. Maybe you don't see it but looking in from the outside, which is where I'm sitting, I swear it seems like the end of civilization based off a couple of key phrases which relates exactly to what everyone is saying about everything across all news and media.

If you don't want to discuss it anymore then so be it. Sorry. I wasn't trying to do anything nefarious to your thread. I guess if you want to rally people you have to get them stirred up. It's a shame that it has to be that way. I see it everywhere in the "news" media, on social networking media and people just talking to each other on the street. Such and such a group (or person) wants something for free (maybe or maybe not) and it's going to ruin life as we know it.

I'm sure if we were talking face to face you would be able to sense my tone. IT'S NOT LIKE I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS! Perhaps you, as well, were not typing in all caps.

[KG4CGC]

Oh come on! Even after the love letter and everything?