An erroneous report this week suggested that the FCC planned to again impose an Amateur Radio vanity call sign application (regulatory) fee of $70 for the 10-year term. This incorrect conclusion resulted from an incomplete reading of the May 7 FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the matter of the assessment and collection of regulatory fees for fiscal year 2019.
Although the Schedule of Regulatory Fees does show a $7 annual fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs, a boldface heading in that section of the NPRM states, “REGULATORY FEES. This section is no longer is effect as it has been amended by RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018…” Section 9(e)(2) of RAY BAUM’S Act gives the Commission discretion to exempt a party from paying regulatory fees when the FCC determines that the cost of collection exceeds the amount collected. A new section 9(e)(1) incorporated the Amateur Radio vanity fee exemption from FCC rules into the statute.
The NPRM makes clear in several other places that regulatory fees no longer apply to Amateur Radio licenses. The FCC eliminated the regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs in 2015.
Source:ARRL
Antenna
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
A Simple Wire Tuner
Here’s a basic, but effective and efficient, antenna tuner for feeding random wires, especially half-wave end-fed wires. Read more
XR4: Compact 8 Element 20m/15m/10m/6m Multi-Mono Yagi
XR4 is what you get when you add 6 meter coverage to the great XR3 antenna (see above) with the same single feedline and a scarcely longer 11.5... Read more
Build your own Hexagonal Beam
The hexagonal beam (or known by many as the hex beam) has become a wildly popular antenna. It is a directional antenna that provides great performance... Read more
App - Mobile
Updated Android Digital QST App Now Available
A completely rebuilt digital QST app for the Android platform now is available from publisher Nxtbook Media, which responded to readers’ frustrations... Read more
Ham Radio Prefixes – Android App
Enter a call sign and get immediately all the geographical informations (country, ITU zone, CQ zone, GMT). Google Play: https://play.goo... Read more
817 Companion for Yeasu 817 – App
Yeasu 817 The 817 Companion app is dedicated to all the proud owners and users of the Yeasu 817 amateur radio. The Yeasu 817 is a fantastic radio bu... Read more
CommCat 4 for Radio Control and Logging!
CommCat 4 is a radio control and logging program for radio amateurs who share a passion for talking to other hams around the world. CommCat works with... Read more
Equipment
The Yaesu FT-891 | Specifications
Yaesu FT-891 HF/50MHz 100W All Mode Transceiver – FT-891 · Rugged construction in an ultra-compact body 6.1” x 2.0” x 8.6” (152 x 52 x... Read more
Introduction to the RSPduo Dual tuner 14-bit 1kHz – 2GHz SDR
The RSPduo is a high performance dual tuner SDR. Housed in a high quality steel enclosure, each tuner can operate individually anywhere between 1 kHz... Read more
COMTEK ACB-4 Hybrid Four-Square Systems
COMTEK ACB-4 Hybrid Four-Square Systems are phased array Relay Units and Control Consoles that are affordable, simple to install, and easy to use. A p... Read more
Anker’s massive 120,600mAh portable battery weighs 9 pounds
Most portable batteries pack a few thousand mAh of power into a pocket-sized package. Not this one. It’s an overgrown brute that boasts a ridiculous 1... Read more
Review
Grounding, Bonding, Earthing, Shielding and Protecting with W6LG
Part 1 of 2. Jim recommends in detail how he believes grounding should be installed in the typical Ham Radio Statio Read more
Ailunce HS1 First Impressions HF SDR Radio!
A short-wave radio station is a radio communication device that operates at a wavelength of 100 to 10 meters (frequency of 3 to 30 MHz). Mainly used f... Read more
