03/03/2022

Many of the Advisory Notices sent out each month by the ARRL Volunteer Monitor
Program[1] go to stations heard operating outside the operator's license
privileges.

Typical cases often involve operators holding Technician- or General-class
amateur licenses being heard on a frequency or band not permitted by their
license privileges. Most recent incidents have frequently entailed FT8 digital
mode operation by Technician licensees on 20 and 40 meters. Technician
licensees do not have any operating privileges on 20 meters, let alone digital
privileges, and FT8 is a digital protocol.

Technicians (and Novices) may operate CW between 21.025 and 21.200 MHz on 15
meters, from 7.025 and 7.125 MHz on 40 meters, and from 3.525 to 3.600 MHz on
80 meters, but they do not have any digital (data) mode privileges on these
bands.

ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program Administrator Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, said
licensees who need a refresher course regarding their operating privileges may
refer to Section 97.301 of the rules. ARRL also has a convenient chart on its
website[2] that details privileges available to all license classes, from
Novice to Amateur Extra.

As monthly Volunteer Monitor reports indicate, some General-class operators
have lost their way on some bands too, and Advisory Notices have gone out to
those operating outside of the General-class phone subbands. For example, on 20
meters, Generals may operate phone from 14.225 to 14.350 MHz, but occasionally,
General-class operators are heard outside of that subband. On 40 meters, the
phone and image subband open to General licensees is 7.175 to 7.300 MHz. Of
course, Technician- and General-class licensees may operate CW on any subband
on which they have operating privileges, although operation within the CW
subbands is preferred by band plan.

On 10 meters, Technicians have RTTY and data privileges - including FT8 - from
28.000 to 28.300 MHz, and SSB phone privileges from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz, and
may operate on CW over the entire 28.0000 - 28.500 MHz segment. Technicians may
enjoy all operating privileges at 50 MHz and above.

The ARRL Volunteer Monitor program is a formal agreement between the FCC and
ARRL. Volunteers trained and vetted by ARRL monitor the airwaves and report
evidence that may be used to correct errant operation or to recognize exemplary
on-air operation. 

[1] https://www.arrl.org/volunteer-monitor-program
[2] http://www.arrl.org/graphical-frequency-allocations

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Re: Volunteer Monitor Program Cautions against Operating Beyond License Pr
By: ARRL de WD1CKS to QST on Thu Mar 03 2022 10:16 pm

AD> Many of the Advisory Notices sent out each month by the ARRL Volunteer
AD> Monitor Program[1] go to stations heard operating outside the operator's
AD> license privileges.
[...]
AD> The ARRL Volunteer Monitor program is a formal agreement between the FCC
AD> and ARRL. Volunteers trained and vetted by ARRL monitor the airwaves and
AD> report evidence that may be used to correct errant operation or to
AD> recognize exemplary on-air operation. 

Snitches get stitches....

DaiTengu

.... Don`t force it, get a larger hammer.

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