Radio Amateur Told to Remove His Antenna

ARRL has responded to an Orlando, Florida, news story on 23rd August 2021 by WFTV Channel 9 alleging a radio amateur was told to remove his antenna by the management of his subdivision following a complaint made by a neighbor.

“The news story appears to stem from a 2-year-old complaint from a neighbor who believed her insulin pump had malfunctioned due to the radio amateur’s operations a few doors down. The story is lacking any details or timeline, so I contacted the radio amateur involved for information, and volunteered ARRL’s assistance.”

— ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI.

Hare explained that medical devices such as insulin pumps are regulated by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) specifically for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) purposes and are expected to be capable of operating in all the RF environments likely to be encountered by consumers. FDA published guidance for its staff and industry defines EMC with respect to electrically powered medical devices “as the ability of a device to function safely and effectively in its intended electromagnetic environment, including immunity to electromagnetic disturbance (interference).” FDA review of EMC information submitted with a device for approval “is based on the risk associated with EMC malfunction or degradation of the device under review, as well as the use of appropriate FDA-recognized standards or appropriate consensus standards.”

Hare noted there is an FDA recall for the model number of the insulin pump in question, in approximately the same time frame. “But with so few details, there is no way of knowing whether that recall applies to the serial number used or whether the exact unit has the mechanical defect indicated in the recall notice that could cause the malfunction,” explained Hare.

It also became apparent that there is no actual evidence connecting the amateur’s transmissions to operation of the insulin pump. Hare was told that the amateur agreed to run tests to establish whether there was a cause and effect, but the neighbor declined.

Hare commented, “While there are no requirements for a radio amateur to stop transmitting due to alleged interference to a non-radio device, the preferred path with any complaint is for neighbors to work together.”

ARRL Board Establishes Program to Cover Initial FCC License Fee for Young Applicants

The ARRL Board of Directors has formally endorsed a proposed program calling on ARRL to cover the $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18 years old. The FCC is not expected to implement the $35 application fee schedule until sometime in 2022. The Board approved the “Youth Licensing Grant Program” at its July meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. The program concept, first raised at the Board’s annual meeting in January, was reviewed by an ad-hoc committee, which expanded the scope of the original motion by ARRL Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB.

Goals of the Program include expanding the reservoir of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts within the amateur radio community, and removing a financial obstacle to young people who wish to acquire an amateur radio license, as a means of encouraging potential careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Under the program, ARRL would cover a one-time $35 application fee for each qualified candidate who passes one or more amateur radio exams taken on the same day at a single examination session. Tests would have to be administered by a Volunteer Examiner (VE) team working under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC.

The new program also would “enhance ARRL’s position as the leader in volunteer testing,” the Board motion said. “The Board believes that the recruitment and training of young amateur radio operators is a necessary and proper mission of the ARRL, and that subsidization of the $35 fee will reduce the number of new amateurs that otherwise would be lost from these groups,” the Board said.

The Board said ARRL Headquarters staff would determine the method of qualifying applicants and instruct VE teams, giving the teams flexibility to determine that a candidate is eligible for reimbursement in the absence of documented proof. The Board envisioned that the VEC would pay the FCC directly. The new program initially would serve up to 1,000 new license applicants younger than 18 years old.

The motion gave ARRL staff “complete latitude” to determine how payment is delivered to the FCC or to reimburse eligible applicants. This program length is indefinite; it may be renewed or terminated by the Administration and Finance Committee or by the Board of Directors. The motion carried with applause from Board members.

German Amateur Radio Fees Reduce

The Federal Network Agency informs about new fees for official acts according to the Amateur Radio Act (AFuG) and the Amateur Radio Ordinance (AFuV). In order to cover the costs of the administration, fees and expenses are charged in accordance with the Federal Fees Act. These were determined and stipulated within the framework of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy's Special Fee Ordinance for individually attributable public services by the Federal Network Agency.

Section 3 of the aforementioned ordinance contains the amounts that are charged for official acts under the Amateur Radio Act and the associated Amateur Radio Ordinance from 1st October 2021. For radio amateurs, this means that some positions will be cheaper (e.g. the examination fee, admission to participation in the amateur radio service, special callsigns), but other official services will have to be paid in the future (e.g. new issuance of a certificate, duplicates, changes to the approval data).

This is the list of the fee items for the amateur radio service that will apply from October 2021 - https://www.darc.de/fileadmin/filemounts/gs/redaktion/DARC-Portal/2021/2109/2109_BNetzABGebV