Subj : Other Ham Radio News
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Wed Mar 23 2022 22:27:18

  I originally didn't see it on the ARRL website, but was alerted to it
by a fellow ham radio operator from a story on the QRZ website.

  The effective date for the FCC's New License Fee of $35 for amateur
radio operators in the US and its territories, will take effect on
Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

  The fee will be payable directly to the FCC on their website, and NOT
to the VE Team. The fee is charged for all NEW, RENEWED, or UPGRADED
amateur radio licenses (individual or club)...or for a callsign change
(sequential, vanity, or club). There is NO FEE for adminstrative updates
such as name, email, or mailing address change. The fee must be paid
within 10 days of the FCC receiving the notification from the VEC...or
the license grant will be dismissed, and the applicant will NOT be
eligible for a refund.

  Full details are at https://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee -- as of
late evening, March 23, 2022, it's NOT on the main page at arrl.org --
but hopefully, it will be in the coming days. Not everyone will "dig
through the site" looking for things...plus, the ARRL website will be
down from late this week into early next week, due to changes and
upgrades in the design.

  For those who have not yet gotten their amateur radio licenses, or have
been considering upgrading or renewing, or changing their callsign,
without having to pay the fee...time is now running out for you to do
so before the fee is implemented.

  You can NOT transmit once your license expires, and if you fail to renew
within the 2 year grace period, you will LOSE your license and callsign;
and at MINIMUM...have to retake the Technician Class exam again to get
back into amateur radio with a new callsign. If you don't know your
license expiration date, you need to check it, post haste.

  For those who just took a test and got your license, you basically got
in "under the wire".

  While several hams have complained about the $35 fee, I've seen many
of these same hams lay down $100 or more for a "brick" of prize tickets
at a hamfest, or a bunch of money for a big rig, and not bat an eye. To
me, that makes as much sense as tits on a boar hog.

Daryl Stout, WX4QZ, VE Team Liaison
University Of Arkansas At Little Rock Ham Radio Club
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)

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