FCC drops Morse Code Requirement for US Hams

Created by doina. Last modified on 2007-02-09 11:47:19
Contributors:
Topic: Communications
Countries: USA

On Friday December 15, 2006, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a press release announcing that in a change to the US amateur radio regulations, it would no longer require that applicants for amateur licences to pass a five words-per-minute Morse code examination.

The changes were published on 24 Jan 2007 and take effect on 23 Feb 2007.

The current amateur service operator license structure contains three classes of amateur radio operator licenses: Technician Class, General Class, and Amateur Extra Class. General Class and Amateur Extra Class licensees are permitted to operate in Amateur bands below 30 MHz, while the introductory Technician Class licensees are only permitted to operate in bands above 30 MHz. The FCC, in accordance with international radio regulations has always required applicants for General Class and Amateur Extra Class operator licenses to pass a five words-per-minute Morse code examination. That requirement for General and Amateur Extra licensees has now been eliminated.

This change reflects revisions to international radio regulations made at the International Telecommunication Union's 2003 World Radio Conference (WRC-03), which authorized each country to determine whether to require that individuals demonstrate Morse code proficiency in order to qualify for an amateur radio license with transmitting privileges on frequencies below 30 MHz. This change eliminates an unnecessary regulatory burden that may discourage current amateur radio operators from advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of amateur radio.

For the full text see: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-269012A1.pdf

For further details see the news item on the American Radio Relay League home page at www.arrl.org