AG04
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 4  ARLB004
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  February 13, 2019
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB004
ARLB004 FCC Invites Comments on Amateur Radio-Related Petition for
Rule Making

The FCC has invited public comments on a Petition for Rule
Making (RM-11826) from an Ohio radio amateur seeking to amend the
Part 97 station identification rules to better accommodate and
simplify station identification during an emergency net, drill, or
activation.

The Petition can be found in PDF format online at,
https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1020726398395/18013004-1.pdf .

ARRL member Robert A. Dukish, KK8DX, filed the petition in December,
and the FCC put it on public notice this week. Dukish seeks a change
to Section 97.119(a) of the rules, which requires an amateur station
to transmit its ''assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at
the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during
a communication.''

He noted that during emergency networks, requiring participating
stations ''often portable'' to use their assigned call signs during
each transmission could prove ''burdensome and can hinder the flow of
emergency traffic on the channel.''

Specifically, he is suggesting that a simple approach would be to
permit the net control station or other designated participant to
announce from a single point the call signs of every station taking
part in the net or exercise, when tactical call signs often are in
use, at 10-minute intervals, using automatic CW identification.

Dukish suggested amending Section 97.119(a) to add, ''except during a
local emergency network activation or drill,'' and providing that in
such situations, a net control or designations station would be
''authorized to announce all participating stations' assigned call
signs at no more than 10-minute intervals while the net is in
progress.''

The amendment would provide that participating stations ''be within a
50-mile distance of the identifying station, and each individual
station must self-identify by transmitting its assigned call sign at
least once per hour.'' CW transmission could be no faster than 25 WPM
if sent automatically to satisfy the suggested amendment.

In his petition, Dukish noted petitions filed in 2005 and 2006
seeking changes to the Amateur Radio station identification rules.
The FCC did not adopt either proposal.

Interested parties may comment via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing
Service (ECFS) at, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/ .