While US radio amateurs face the possibility of a $50 application fee, some countries have been imposing license fees for some time now. Netherlands International Amateur Radio Union member-society, VERON, reports that the Dutch regulator Agentschap Telecom (AT) is imposing higher annual amateur radio fees, including higher exam and repeater fees. The new rates go into effect in 2021. VERON said radio amateurs pay the fees to support AT’s activities and services, and that the fee for Novice and Full exams will rise from €68 ($80.66) in 2020 to €71 ($84.22) in 2021.
“An additional rate of €79 ($93.71) has been introduced for repeater stations. This became necessary to cover the costs of investigations and surveillance due to the increased illegal use of these stations,” VERON said. “The Government Gazette lists two rates for registration.”
“Two tariffs apply for use of a frequency by a repeater station or beacon per license and/or planned unit,” VERON said. The fee for operation is €201 ($238.42), up from €184 in 2020), while a new fee of €79 ($93.71) is now charged for supervision.
As the Government Gazette explains, “It has become apparent that relay [repeater] stations have suffered a lot from illegal users in recent years. To tackle these disruptions, specific criminal investigations and supervision are necessary. In order to be able to carry this out, a supervisory rate has been applied.”
Other registration costs include an increase from €37 to €41 for a temporary non-resident permit, and an increase from €68 to €74 for other non-exempt use of the amateur bands. The fee for a certificate to obtain a license from a foreign administration for radio equipment for conducting tests rose from €73 to €76.
Source:ARRL
Antenna
New InnovAntennas Quads
NEW FOR 2018! Following on from our successful LFA-Q compact quads, we are adding a more traditional looking quad to our range which boasts two of the... Read more
40 METER 1/4 WAVE VERTICAL WIRE-MONOPOLE by W8AMZ
The W8AMZ 40m Vertical Wire Monopole antenna uses just three elements, a vertical driven element and two counterpoise radials, to deliver outst... Read more
Where Can I Put My HF Antenna?
Where Can I Put My HF Antenna? Read more
Antenna Design and Measurement Software
AnTune software assists in designing antennas and RF impedance networks. Their software runs on PC/Windows and can communicate with a Vector Network A... Read more
Jim W6LG Uses A Short Dipole To Demonstrate How A Dipole Functions
Jim makes and then shows his tunable half wavelength dipole antenna. Using an antenna analyzer, Jim finds the resonant frequency and the lowest SWR do... Read more
Review
Cory Gibson, W3CDG and Tim Duffy, K3LR discuss the new DX Engineering Radio RF Ground Plane Kits.
DX Engineering Radio RF Ground Plane Kits provide an effective method of reducing stray RF pickup by equipment and interconnecting cables. Used under... Read more
First Look: IC-9700 – Ham Nation 399
Ray Novak and George Thomas check out the new Icom IC-9700. Hooking up an analog microphone to your computer with Bob, coax connectors with Gordo, ham... Read more
Retevis RT6 Dual Band Analog HT Unboxing
Retevis RT6 Review of the Dual Band Analog HT. Unboxing the radio and taking a look at the menus. Read more
Elecraft K4 Updates from Orlando Hamcation 2020
HIGH-PERFORMANCE DIRECT-SAMPLING SDR Our new K4 doesn’t just harness the latest technology: it blends new tech with a classic user interface to create... Read more
Turn a Cheap Ham Radio Into An APRS & WinLink Transceiver
“Today we take a look at the Mobilinkd TNC3. The TNC3 uses the KISS protocol to feed packet data to your phone or computer over bluetooth. Its a... Read more
Equipment
SO-239 antenna ballmount for mobile Station
SO-239 connection on top of the ball mount for the antenna and for the PL-259 connection on the inside of the vehicle. The plates are 3 inches in... Read more
Barrett 4050 HF SDR Transceiver
The Barrett 4050 HF SDR transceiver is the new centrepiece of the Barrett range of HF communications equipment. It combines Software-Defined Radio tec... Read more
Ameritron AL 811
Ameritron AL 811 The first 600 watts make the differenceThe Al-811 gives you 600 watts PEP output — thats nearly 2 full S-units ov... Read more
Ham Radio GoBox Update 2018 by DL1GKK
Ham Radio GoBox by Karl-Heinz Krawczyk “In October 2017 I fulfilled my wish to have a digital amateur radio station as compact as possible in on... Read more
MRFX1K80H: 1800 W CW over 1.8-400 MHz, 65 V Wideband RF Power LDMOS Transistor
The MRFX1K80H is the first device based on NXP’s new 65 V LDMOS technology that focuses on ease of use. This high ruggedness transistor is desig... Read more
News
St. Vincent Radio Amateurs on Alert During Volcano Emergency
Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere v... Read more
Can You Cook A Hotdog With Ham Radio?
“I’ve always been facinated by the physical affects of RF. Today, a light experiment testing if can cook hotdogs with RF. The test incorpo... Read more
Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3
The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The... Read more
March 2021 Volunteer Monitor Program Report
The Volunteer Monitor (VM) Program is a joint initiative between ARRL and the FCC to enhance compliance in the Amateur Radio Service. This is the Marc... Read more
ARISS USA Gets IRS 501(c)(3) Recognition
ARISS-USA, a Maryland nonprofit corporation, has earned recognition from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a Section 501(c)(3) charitable, scie... Read more