On Friday the 23rd of June 2023, Ofcom released details of what it has in plan for the UK amateur radio licence. The consulation was open until 5pm on the 4th of September 2023, with all amateurs encouraged to have their say.
To help you get to grips with the 101-page Ofcom document, we’ve created a summary video, and we ran a survey to get a feel for what the community thinks.
Consultation Links
- Ofcom Consultation Document (101 pages)
- View our survey results
- Watch our summary video
- Read the RSGB’s response to Ofcom
The consultation and our survey are now both closed. View our survey results
Video Overview
Ofcom Licence Change Proposal Keywords
Proposal Highlights:
- The three licence levels (Foundation, Intermediate & Full) remain
- No new bands to be made available
- Power increases at all 3 levels (20w, 100w, 1,000w) – not all bands, and some restrictions apply
- A single licence and callsign for each amateur (if you hold multiple, you’ll be required to surrender all but one, except club callsigns)
- Previously issued callsigns to be reused (2 years after the holder goes SK, or the licence is surrendered/revoked)
- Ability to change your callsign every 2 years
- New callsigns for Intermediate (M8 and M9 callsigns) – those with a 2×0 or 2×1 will be encouraged to change (but not forced)
- Regional Secondary Locators (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, etc) to become optional
- England can optionally have an “E” as a Regional Secondary Locator (e.g. ME7QQ or M0QQQ)
- Dropping /P, /M, /A and /MM from the licence. These suffixes will still be allowed, and you can use any suffixes you like
- Introduction of limited airborne use (max 0.5 watts) on some bands
- Simplifications around GB special event station callsigns
- Greater supervision permissions to help promote the hobby
- Simpler rules on use of hotspots and connection via Internet
- Simpler rules for setting up and running beacons, gateways and repeaters
- Foundation construction to be allowed
- Foundation to get access to 2.4GHz and 5GHz allocations
Closing date for submissions to Ofcom was 5pm on 4th September 2023, with a statement on the proposal expected by the end of 2023
The consultation and our survey are now both closed. View our survey results
Consultation Links
- Ofcom Consultation Document (101 pages)
- View our survey results
- Watch our summary video
- Read the RSGB’s response to Ofcom
i am in favour of changes ,but i want to keep my 2e0 jjr call sign and no reason why it needs to be changed. i have had it some years and it means a great deal to me. Changing call signs will not promote the hobby and only by encouraging foundation licences to have more opportunity and better encouragement ,instead of many amateurs making very offensive remarks about power and what equipment is used by foundation licences and for many coming into the hobby it is expensive. I do not belong to the RSGB- too expensive and not in favour of what they would propose. My wife has a licence, but never uses it as she found it somewhat intrusive with some operators and for us there has been a loss of direction by ham radio, unless you have a great membership and strong club
It would be goog if the foundation licence holders get to use the 100w and the intermediate 400w by using the 20w Some foundation holders will still be accused of using 100w lol this does put most of them off using ham radio due to some bickering hams having ago with foundation holders by getting there tickets from a kellogg’s cornflakes Box.
so hold on, lets get this right..
you want the idiots licences to have 100w..
the intermediate (originally a Novice licence) 400w..
so the full licence majority proper Amateurs get what ?? 1kw ??
are you going to buy me a 1ke amp then ??
everyone has a 100w HF set foundation and intermediate already use 100w so what’s going to change ??
Why on God’s Green Earth would you feel it is appropriate to refer to foundation licence holders as “idiots”?
Did you not get a Foundation licence before you progressed through the next levels? What are your feelings about L-plate drivers, I wonder?Some people are happy with 2m/10m and see no reason to progress.
Please don’t feed the ham-trolls. Instead, please see Ham-Trolling
Some operators are idiots, it has always been so, hence the existence of the term LID. That is most certainly not limited to Foundation licensees, as the recent 3Y0J DXpedition will have shown you.
Some of us did not start with a Foundation Licence, or even a Novice Licence, so the answer is no. I’m in favour of progression, it’s good for the mind, but I would not compel it.
I took the RAE in 1996 and became a B licenced operator. I wanTed to get on HF so I took the 12WPM zMorse test but failed twice, undaunted I was offered the 5wpm test which I passed and became M5ABO. At last I was on HF. A year later I was offered the full licence M0 I added initials and became M0RAW but I had to work hard for it, using 100watts I have made many contacts . I can’t use 1000 Watts with the restrictions recently imposed I can’t understand Ofcom even contemplating it. Let’s stick the Watts given to the newcomers and work their way up like the rest of us.
You Sir, are the reason many amateurs leave the hobby! Your attitude is poor (“idiot licenses”) and now I have your callsign I hope we never speak.
You’ll be able to change your call sing to M5DIV
Hi all
My first comments and there will be others. It wasn’t my idea to mess about with the call signs that I earned, I was forced to get a new one with the 5WPM HF licence so I have kept my G8FMT and use the M0FMT. So IMHO it is a situation of OFCOMs making and they must live with it!! So no.
Not strongly held view but a kW power seems a bit excessive. Too complicated licence structure which has to be a big barrier to entry of the hobby and 40 metres need to be a bigger band. ME is bonkers because any CW op will tell you ME sounds like G in CW adding unnecessary confusion to operating CW QSL cards going astray etc. IMHO.
Thanks for the opportunity to have a say 73 Petefmt
Well if you are allowed 1kW then you might be able to compete with the Italians on 20m :)
I’m a M6 it be nice to have 25w power as many radios got presents got 5 10 25 50 etc where i live i got hills around me it’s nice to see plus changes.
yes be nice to be given more power and not have to earn it.
like being given all the band access you already have and not to earn it.
I think all the proposed changes are great and make sense from a regulator ‘s point of view. I would like to see Intermediate license holders get access to SES callsigns. This would allow people who don’t have the full license to have a call sign that could be used as an makeshift club call sign by a group of licensees. The spreading of the 28 days over a year makes this doable for “club” meetings. 2mtgs per month and 4 spare.
I have reservations about 1kw being a free full all on a Full licence, as there are many already don’t both with doing the ICNIRP paperwork and checking there antennas, I feel there should have been a few more safeguards, But for those that do the Calcs properly it’s a welcome bonus, we will certainly use the power if comes our way with Invicta Contest Group and Contest Arrays, which are all properly Calculated. In all most of the proposals are good, but I might fall fowl of the limit of licences, as I hold more Club calls for contesting than 5, I think they may be opening up Foundation a little too much. But its a good starting point for discussion and not as controversial as expected, Glad they sorting the call sign mess out, you were never meant to keep lower licences when you progressed, was never the RA intention when it was first moted the 3 tier licence before Ofcom existed.
Please don’t feed the ham-trolls. Instead, please see Ham-Trolling
For the avoidance of any doubt, Essex Ham does not run the exams, that’s the RSGB. None of our training team are RSGB invigilators. We can’t “pass” anyone. Comments about Teamviewer shows that the poster is not aware of how online exams are conducted. If he has concerns about exams, then the correct option is to contact RSGB or Ofcom, not try to get them resolved in an online chat about an Ofcom proposal.
Well I passed the Foundation – sorry, the idiot’s licence – using the RSGB online exam invigilation too, because Covid. And I did what I was told, no cheating no devices not other screens available. I expect most people did who wanted to take up the hobby and yes it was pretty simple. So what? I guess everyone cheated according to you?
What was the response from RSGB and Ofcom when you raised this with them?
Under what authority? The MoU between Ofcom and RSGB in 2015 is hardly difficult to find – See https://thersgb.org/publications/exams/schedule-of-terms-between-ofcom-and-rsgb-conduct-amateur-radio-examinations.pdf
And people wonder why no one wants to join amateurs radio
Calling beginners in the hobby ‘Idiots’ in these comments above (is no one moderating)
Amateur radio deserves to collapse and have no members.
In all the ‘hobby’s’ I’ve done, I’ve never seen such a toxic atmosphere that hates and victimises it’s beginners
You should all be ashamed
Please don’t feed the ham-trolls. Instead, please see Ham-Trolling
To be fair, most people can see see comments like this for what they are. There are (literally) a handful of amateurs out there who opposed the introduction of Foundation over 20 years ago, and they seem to gain joy from putting down anyone who’s joined the hobby in the last two decades. Most people acknowledge that the hobby has moved on, and that those who seek to stop people gaining enjoyment from the hobby have their own reasons for doing so.
Nicely said
It’s called moderating and delete the hateful posts please. Freedom of opinion is not free from personal responsibility . As such delete these posts please
Sunlight is the best disinfectant, if people say things you think are over the top then make a mental note and give their comments less weight if you want to.
Moderation=censorship. It’s bad and is used to oppress the weak.
Agreed, but there’s a fine line. Should we moderate out spam? Off-topic messages? Obscenities? Libelous comments? Racist remarks? Is it not reasonable for visitors to this page to expect to see discussion of the proposed changes to the licence, as opposed to abuse, ramblings, insults and swearing? Our site T&Cs are pretty relaxed, so I’d hope people would be able to put forward their views on Ofcom’s changes without resorting to abuse, swearing and trolling.
Reading some of the comments above, that say RIP HAM radio – well, if you’re going to sneer and snigger at people who want to get into the hobby and refer to them as ‘idiots’, then you’ve only got yourself to blame for it’s demise. You’re supposed to encourage and mentor, that’s what I was told, regardless of the cliquey reputation that many clubs have.
Agreed. 29,500 people joined the hobby via Foundation since 2002 – The idea that all 29,500 are “idiots” is plainly ridiculous. Please all bear that in mind when reading some of the comments from this individual
I’m not sure if in the new proposals a 2e0 would be allowed to supervise a none licenced operator to use a radio… But as a RAFAC ci volunteer it would be a very welcome change
you were always allowed to supervise unlicenced operators for them to send greetings messages to other licenced operators under the supervision of a licenced amateur.
not sure when this changed, but my BR68 says i can.
and lets not forget GDPR now makes it impossible to even prove that the person you are talking to is genuine,
QRZ isn’t official, there is no way to tell if the new call signs is genuine especially when people are allowed to ‘recycle’ a call sign from 20, 30, 40 years ago,
so who’s going to really care if your mate uses your radio ??
no one has in the 30 years i’ve held a licence, and i doubt any one will in the future.
Ofcom propose to allow all categories of radio amateurs, including Foundation, to supervise unlicensed people using their Radio Equipment. This is a very welcome change and it’s a significant improvement for Full licence holders as well, if you read the current licence, there were implicit restrictions on what the unlicenced person could do.
This change brings the UK into line with other countries
it would seem to be a very welcome change, as the best way to get people interested is to let them try it for real
the ability for all levels to build their own kit is also welcome as it will reduce the cost for HF Gear, a QDX or QMX from QRPLabs are less than £100
haven’t talked to you for a while andy
It seems like a waste of what must be a very impressive education to be so negative. I was one of those idiots and now as you so ungenerously describe, I am a Novice. I will continue to study to achieve Full Licence status, something I will enjoy doing. I am pleased and proud to say I got my “idiots” licence via Essex Ham and the online examination system. I find it difficult to believe I am unusual in doing the exam on my own without the need to cheat. My passage though the “Novice” stage was similarly completed as will my efforts to secure a full licence. Something I would very much hope anyone listening to you would take into consideration. As an aside, I have never used a power level I am not licensed to use so perhaps you will see me as unusual in that regard.
It would be all to easy to shoot down the “professionalism” as an amateur displayed in your post, but I do appreciate that you are part of the broad diaspora of enthusiasts who have been and who hopefully continue to be amateur radio hobbyists. You negativity is not a reflection on the hobby, only on your intolerance of those who do not meet your specific standards. I am happy that there are sufficient forward thinkers who will drive this hobby positively in that direction despite the many challenges and changes that will occur. I am also happy to see the widening of modes used on the radio spectrum. With good fortune and new modern forward thinking amateurs we will see the hobby bloom further with newer developments. I hope I can embrace those changes positively as I grow older gracefully as an amateur.
I have no strong opinion on the changes Ofcom are making, but would note it does bring closer alignment with some of our fellow ITU countries. My sons live in Australia and I see commonality with the changes the ACMA are making over there. Perhaps there is more collaboration for the greater good than at first sight we can see.
Your views may be seen by some as more than negative, but they are your views and you are as entitled to voice them as I am to voice (or type) mine. I wish you well and hope you are not too disappointed when the hobby moves forward. I am sure you must have the capacity to move forward with it, but you have my condolences if you fall by the wayside trying to stop the tide.
2M0XRV (currently inactive on air, but hoping to be back soon)
Please don’t feed the ham-trolls. Instead, please see Ham-Trolling
Sounds like you are in the wrong hobby and your snobbery against people lower down the licencing structure than yourself is one of the biggest deterents to anyone considering getting into the hobby in the first place.
A lot of your complaints seem more of a ‘you’ problem than a ‘them’ one
Have a great day
Agreed. 29,500 people joined the hobby via Foundation since 2002 – The idea that all 29,500 are “idiots” is plainly ridiculous. Please all bear that in mind when reading some of the comments from this individual
There seems to be a lot of negativity on these comments. I think folks need to lighten up. It’s just a hobby.
Agreed Sean, but only from a tiny minority. See Ham-Trolling for info on this subject
I’m an intermediate 2E0HZH.
I was a foundation M7SOC.
We can’t help the system that is in place now, we have to follow that.
Some people take exception that we seem to have an easier time than they did.
But they need to bear in mind, we didn’t change the rules.
Cheers for the link Pete.
I recently progressed from a year of foundation to the intermediate, now my education for full. Since 2019 the syllabus has been brought closer to the full license and I worked hard for my intermediate license.
You obviously know nothing of the online exam procedures
1. You show the exam invigilator around your room and your desk inc any paperwork.
2. The exam program used takes over your complete computer screen it cannot be set as a window or be minimised.
3. To use your computer for anything else (teamviewer) the program will close failing the exam
4. Two cameras are needed one watching your front/face the other (your mobile, tablet)mounted to your side watching screen hand & mouse.
5. No other devices are allowed nearby not even an Apple Watch.
I therefore doubt your teamviewer statement is true but fits into your derogatory attitude but in truth it’s a complete fallacy of yours or you were weak minded believe a liar. (Or two liars).
You are nothing less than a sad old ham whom had a difficult time with your education for entry into Amateur Radio wearing your full license as if you have been knighted by royalty.
Your type of ignorance is what stops others going any further in the “hobby” and leaving it.
Thankfully your a minority.
The best thing for the Amateur Radio and to stop it from dying are for your type of attitudes to go SK.
The world moves on with time
Best not to try arguing based on use of facts. “Blindness to evidence” is item one for trolling. See Ham-Trolling for more.
I support the changes 100W for intermediate is nice but I feel foundation should get 50w.
Really sad to see some comments referring to foundation holders as idiots. Maybe there life doesn’t revolve around ham radio and have other interests and hobbies or even a family to take care of.
Similar thoughts here on power: 50, 100 and 1000 Watts respectively, subject to EMF rules.
What is truly abhorrent is that the trolls who hold full licenses are potential Elmers who, given a change of attitude, have the opportunity to inspire new operators and contribute positively to the hobby and its future.
They are missing out on this opportunity. I’ve met similar obnoxious / arrogant characters in the field of IT, and with time, have come to pity rather than loathe or ridicule them:
We are remembered for the positive contribution that we make to the lives of others… by giving them growth opportunities, and by helping them to self-actualize.
On the whole, the radio amateurs who have crossed my path have been reasonable, helpful people, and some have been tremendously generous in their outlook, acting as true ambassadors of the hobby.
i support the increase for foundation and intermediate, but 1000w for full? why?
i work the world on HF using digital with 40-50w and due to all the EMF rules unless you are in the middle of nowhere you would never be able to use 400w let alone 1000w
i can see the only stations the 1kw would attract are the big competition stations, not the average ham
Please calm down!
This 101 page OfCom document has only been around I think, for 24 hours or less. We have at least two months to give thought to it.
I for one will take time to read the document, understand and absorb its contents, stop and think about what it all means for me and the hobby in general. Then discuss it with my other amateur radio friends and then and only then, will I decide whether, and how I might reply to the OfCom Q and A response form. Shooting from the hip and making ‘top of the head’ offensive comments here is unnecessary, and downright rude. We should all act as ‘professional amateurs’ and respect each other ‘in the true spirit’ of the hobby. If anyone feels they are above the generally accepted etiquette of our marvellous hobby, then we should try to help them to become better amateurs, as they are without doubt in the minority in our wide and varied fraternity.
73 de GW3XJQ
RSGB have said they worked with Ofcom in developing these new proposals, the Society has clearly done a very good job on behalf of its members and the wider amateur community. BTW it looks like they’ll be an ICQpodcast released soon of an interview in which the RSGB discusses the changes https://twitter.com/mk5aka/status/1672542171474345984
I looked at these proposals and was quite surprised to agree with nearly all of the changes, this coming from someone with 45 years as a licensee and over 50 years interest in radio.
My only problem with a proposed change is with the period after which a call sign may be reissued to a different holder, 2 years is far too short in my view. I’d probably be happy with 50 years, but as that is a tad unrealistic I will probably suggest a minimum of 5 years even though that’s still short by many people’s standards.
Everything else is fine by me in general, if it reduces the burden of Ofcom being asked unnecessary questions constantly this is a good thing. In the past people asking such questions led to some aspects of the licence being tightened up instead of giving us the space to make adult decisions about what is sensible.
but they want you to check the radiation of your antenna ….. none on boundaries
“ Power increases at all 3 levels (20w, 100w, 1,000w) – not all bands, and some restrictions apply.”
The “problem” with this “increase” coupled with the availability of 100W transceivers (at reasonable cost?) may be that only a few Full License Holders will want to go higher (cost limitations) and for the majority of Intermediate License Holders, there will be almost no incentive to progress to the Full License. So I’m not in favour of increasing power limits for all licensees. Perhaps only increasing Foundation to 20W would be a reasonable compromise?
The proposed changes are welcomed. Flexibility and less bureaucracy is good.
Please remember that this is a lightly regulated hobby; not a way of life
I have already made comment and think many of you have made very valuable comments. For many hams the proposed changes will have little effect, especially full licence holders. I think everyone operating ham radio must have a licence from Ofcom and keep the present callsigns with regional identifiers and take some exam. The foundation is where the big improvement needs to come and i have no doubt there are very smart people who would enhance radio foundation level until they wanted to progress and need to feel it is worth the effort. I was 60 when i took the exam and then took the 2E0JJR ,then the advanced which i failed by 5 marks, i gave the advanced some thought and felt i would not benefit really so never sat again, my wife took the exam at 65 so she could answer the radio when i was in the garden. Skype, mobile phone and other communications have not helped ham, but a lot of hams have not either. many full hams are using radio that someone else took their exam for them and we do not know how many pirate licences there are, so please let us all come together and create very positive radio rather than slag good intentioned people who would like to be part of
As per usual I am disappointed, with people who feel the need to belittle people. I have only just gained my foundation licence. As a foundation licence holder I WILL make mistakes, so it is so disappointing that some members feel its OK to use thier experience to make a mockery of new member to HOBBY! Why don’t some people understand its Just that, A HOBBY, that people should enjoy we all started somewhere? I have been an engineer for 35 years and I could belittle you trolls who don’t know anything about what I can do in my day job, but GUESS what I don’t because every day is a school day. (Always willing to learn and make mistakes that’s how you learn)
Oh by the way sorry wasn’t logged in M7OMB Call sign
I do find the trolls quite interesting people who think they are anonymous now then only the slightest of digging and and IP address gives broadband/Internet provider the correct paperwork and bingo there goes your whole life story
I think the proposals are fairly good. There is a bit too much to do with RSLs in there for me. I’d say just make the ‘E’ RSL compulsory in order to give England its own RSL. The ability to change callsign every two years is a bit odd but everything else seems fine to me. The proposals are much more interesting than they could have been.
Okay my turn, I am a 2E0, I have not a single problem with any of these proposals whatsoever, the RSGB worked with Ofcom on these, I’m not a massive fan of the RSGB but I support this, if I’m offered a M8 or an M9 I’ll willingly accept it even though I have t-shirts printed with my current callsign. If people wish to keep current calls they’re allowed to anyway. 100W yeah I can live with that, 20W for foundation, it’s better than 10W I guess but to keep the interest for foundation I think 50W would have been okay, lots of FM mobiles have 50W maximum anyway so at least they’ll get full benefit of the radio. 1kw for full, why not? 3 exams they should know how to handle it. Giving up callsigns I have no objection to that either. Well done to Ofcom and to the RSGB for their work on this in the first place
Hi All,
My thoughts on the proposed changes to licence for Amateur Radio for what they are worth.
1. The three licence levels are to remain. The licence structure is built on a progressive learning basis, you study foundation level, the intermediate is built on what you learnt at foundation level and the full is an extension of that. The system has worked for the last 20 plus years. OK there are changes that need to be made to the existing to make it relevant to the advances in technology in those 20 years but the principle is sound.
2. No new bands to be made available. Shame, but do we use what we have got to best advantage? probably not in this country. How many of us see contest stations as a pain every weekend? I see them as a chance to see how well (or not) my antenna is working and what I can hear.
3. Power increases at all levels. 20W for foundation licence holders is fair, after all the CB community have had 12W on SSB for over a year now so where was the incentive to to sit the foundation licence other then the additional bands? 100W at Intermediate is more then enough to work the world in the right conditions and double what is available to intermediate at the moment. 1Kw on full licence is I think a step too far, most stations are run in an urban environment and owning a garden big enough to comply with the EMF Calculations for your antenna is not generally found, Okay if you live on a farm but not many of us do I have what I consider to be a big garden but I wouldn’t contemplate putting a Kilowatt up the mast. In point of fact, I seldom transmit at above 10W as a dedicated QRP operator and I still work the world, you just have to change your operating procedures to do it. Maybe a 200W increase to 600W would have been better?
4. A single licence and call sign for each operator. I would gladly surrender my foundation and intermediate call signs, after all, I can work all levels of licence with my M0 call. Only reason I kept them on was because it was sometimes easier to talk to Foundation and Intermediate licence holders using parity call signs so as not to intimidate them when newly licenced.
5. Previously issued call signs to be reissued after two years. Not a problem, it has worked that way for SE licences for years without problems.
6. Ability to change your call-sign every two years. Why? they don’t wear out! I can’t see the point in this one and only creates more work for Ofcom.
7. New call-sign’s for Intermediate. M8 and M9 would have an inclusive feel to them, the current 2E1 licence can in some areas create a them and us feel to it. there are those who think that the 2E1 licence is a target for the band baiters. This needs to stop and the new call-sign’s could go a long way to helping this.
8. Regional Secondary Locators. These do have a [place in our world, if for no other reason then it helps foreign stations identify which part of the UK they are talking to. Can you tell a Guernsey station from a Jersey station just by the accent? No and nor can I!
9. England can have an “E” as an RSL. Do we actually need an RSL for England and if we did, how many would use it? I would guess not many.
10. Dropping /P, /M, /A and /MM. I would prefer not to drop them as they do have a use. You sometimes can’t tell that a station is say /M from the lack of background noise or indeed /MM if working from a large boat. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
11. Introduction of limited airborne use at a max of 0.5W. Again I would have to ask why? How long before we see on the news that a pilot has crashed because he was more interested in getting a rare DX station in his log at 1500 feet then flying the plane? Trust me it will happen. I can hear the nay sayers now, but what if the passenger wants to use it? Fine but find me a mag mount that will stick to aluminium or a pilot who will let you drill a hole in his plane for the antenna! And as for hand held’s, do you need one of those blocking the pedals because you dropped it when you hit turbulence!
12.Simplification around GB special event station call-sign’s. No great problem now with the on-line system but if it cuts red tape and makes it easier then yes.
13. Greater supervision permissions to help promote the hobby. Anything within reason that put’s the hobby in the public domain has to be a good thing.
14. Simpler rules on Hotspot’s and connection via the Internet. Not my field of interest but I do know that the licence at the moment is quite vague in the area.
15. Simpler rules for setting up beacon’s, Gateways and Repeaters. The chances of getting a repeater on 2m is almost non existent as there is no room left and as one repeater goes off line there are any number of wolves waiting for the frequency. 70cms is a little easier but still not that easy and the Gateway owners can be problematic. Beacons with the exception of the IBP tend to be temporary installations and are not too much of a problem but it can be a pain getting a licence for them.
16. Foundation Construction to be allowed. No, not unless you can prove that you are a competent person, i.e. you work in electronics and have a recognized qualification for practical construction and can construct something that will not cause interference to other spectrum users.
17. Foundation to get access to 2.4GHz and 5GHz allocations. Yes, but don’t expect to be getting great distances, even at the proposed 20W the range is going to be very short unless you are at the top of a very big hill.
Mark, you raise many good points.
Just a few comments on some of them:
2. No new bands – yes sadly the WRC-15 5MHz band is notable for it’s absence
3. Full power level – it may well be the case that some Full amateurs such as those in a Tower Block will be unable to make use of the new 1 kW limit from home but that is no reason to restrict the output power of everyone in the country, they probably won’t be able to put up an HF triband beam either, where you live inevitably poses limitations. If someone who operates Portable or lives outside a densly populated city centre wishes to run 1 kW what is the problem with that?
6. Being able to change a callsign Online after 2 years if you wish actually Reduces Ofcom’s workload. People wish to change callsigns for many different reasons (in some ways like changing a phone number). Some people who change gender change their callsign, some who have a speech impediment may wish to change the call letter they have been issued with because they find it difficult to say clearly on-air. At the present time Ofcom handles all these changes through a bureaucratic manual procedure that ties up staff. If you can change call online then no staff are involved – it’s a big cost saving for Ofcom.
16. Construction – USA’s entry level licence has permitted the design, building and use of transmitters up to 1.5 kW for the past 40 years – no problems encountered. A few years ago Australia permitted their Foundation (similar exam to UK) to design, built and use their own transmitters and transceivers, again no problems have been encountered. Home construction has been a vital part of amateur radio for over a century, we should be encouraging such activity not banning it.
17. 2.4 GHz distances – Brazil, Thailand and Indonesia can all be worked from a home QTH on 2.4 GHz by using the amateur radio QO-100 geostationary satellite transponder, it’s 2.4 GHz uplink, 10 GHz downlink (Sky Dish)
The proposed new power levels bring us inline with most of the rest of the World , the 1 KW power level is not mandatory . The idea of letting Foundation holders build there own equipment is a great idea , it will encourage newbies to learn , and advance their interest in the hobby .
Who is going to control and monitor the power levels being used on air. (nobody I suspect). I often hear many M3s operating on high power and working the world on 20m HF. Of course it must be their superior Antennae system that allows an M3 with 10w to get to the top of a pile up usually after one CQ call. – the 10watts are working really really well for M3s and of course the ‘radio police’ have long gone !! DAVE M1DOZ
Full licence holders have been breaching their power limits for many decades even as far back as the 1920’s.
In the USA a different approach is taken, even their Entry Level licence is permitted 1.5 kW on frequencies above 50 MHz, and 200 watts on HF.
What the USA did instead was to use HF frequency allocations as a way of differentiating the different categories of licence. Segments of each HF band are divided up between licences. Their Entry Level licence only has access to four of the HF bands. Many think the USA system is easier to regulate since it’s clear when amateurs are operating outside the frequency allocation for that licence.
Since 2002 RSGB Board has maintained a stance that the licence categories should be regulated on the basis of Power Level rather than HF frequency allocations, it’s the same approach used by Japan who introduced their Foundation equiv licence in the 1950’s. Over the past 21 years many amateurs have suggested giving Foundation a higher power level but fewer HF allocations e.g. 100 watts output but only allowed 7 and 28 MHz bands on HF but the RSGB Board has never favoured this. Since 21 years have passed the system we now have, dfferentiating by Power rather than HF Frequencies, is set in stone – it will never change.
The move to increase Foundation power level is very welcome, I would have prefered to see a higher power level 50w on the VHF/UHF bands which are currently little used but overall the changes are good
a nice upgrade for all hams,l Ive been content with my 10wts for the past 15 yrs and so an improve ment
looking forward to the ghz range, as an engineer like working with metal so a new thing to get into , regards ken, m3zkb
Call signs should be treated the same way as a National Insurance Number or NHS number and stick with the individual for life and never be re-issued.
I would feel deeply insulted if my old class B licence was re-issued.
As for changing call signs every two years the idea is bonkers.
For one, it would make tracking down miscreants even more difficult.
As the man stated idiots are not accepted into their hobby I’ve listened to Danbury repeater for some 20 years & to be honest they are the idiots I very much doubt some could even wire a plug & it was the norm back in the day for some g stations to take the full exam for a price & I’m not exaggerating anyone that is thinking of taking the foundation licence don’t bother leave the bitter & twisted old fools to become silent keys & the hobby will die good riddance to old people that hate new people into their hobby
rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic comes to mind … glug glug dead …
They tried the one callsign before and failed so why believe them now? … people like collecting callsigns … speshly if they are free …
OK who is deleting posts ? ……
Watch the video by the RSGB’s Spectrum Manager explaining Ofcom’s proposed licence changes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whEHWhl8QYs
Overall a good shot from Ofcom, though I should like to see Foundation licenced users have 25W, which is the maximum power of most mobile radios, though I would not quibble too much with the proposed doubling of power. I have gone worldwide with 10w, including Stateside.
One COULD argue that getting in line with the US Technicians’ Licence and it’s power equivalents might be fair?
Mike. M7WGX
Just to add to my last post.
There is a proposal to abandon the five-year licence renewal requirement, and to put the onus on the licencee to only require a licence amendment should he/she change address. I don’t see that mentioned anywhere.
Mike M7WGX
Where are you reading that Mike? The document talks about “improving the revalidation process” – 3.16 states: “we plan to maintain the lifetime licence term with a revalidation period”
On reading that section it struck me that Ofcom were not planning any real change to their Revocation policy. Currently they do not revoke licences just because they’ve never been revalidated in the past 17 years, those licences remain as Valid today as they were in 2007. In 2015 Ofcom did revoke a small test batch of about 530 licences, they discovered how expensive and time consuming that process was. They are tied by Schedule 1 of the WT Act and have to provide due process when revoking. This means writing (on paper) to people to let them know they intend iniate the revocation procedure, providing an appeals procedure, all the amateur has to for that is tell Ofcom “yes I want to keep the licence”. At the end of the 30 day appeal procedure Ofcom has to write (on paper) to the person imforming them of the outcome. It seems this process is being kept, I cannot see Ofcom being so wasteful of resources as to initiate it simply because licence holders didn’t revalidate. So in that regarding I think things will remain the same. For those who may give up the hobby for say 10 years this will be a good thing as their callsign will still be there waiting for them when they return and their licence will have remained Valid
Currently Ofcom’s system is flexible and permits amateurs to change their callsigns within a very short time of it first being issued if they cite a reason such as a speech impediment making it difficult to say or a gender change. This manual process does of course tie up Ofcom staff.
Ofcom now propose having to wait 2 years before you can change your callsign.
There is no need for this initial 2 year delay. I suggest we should be permitted to make the First callsign change either immediate or within 1 month.
It is for subsequent callsign changes that there should be a 2 year delay
I contacted Ofcom to change my call to another of SK I knew, told to surrender my callsign for 2 years then apply for the SK callsign, so I would be without a callsign for 2 years. hmmmm
Dual-band FM VHF/UHF mobile rigs typically have power settings of 5, 25 and 50 watts.
Under Ofcom’s proposal Foundation will be limited to 20 watts at the antenna, this means the highest power a Foundation holder would be able to set the rig to is just 5 watts. For mobile and home station using the 25 watt setting would exceed Ofcom’s new limit producing slightly over 20 watts at the antenna forcing the use of the 5 watt setting.
The World of VHF columnist in Practical Wireless, Tim GW4VXE, highlights this problem in the September issue and notes a 25 watt limit would be more appropriate, certainly for VHF/UHF. He points out Ofcom permits users of other VHF/UHF Services to use 25 watts output even though they have no technical training.
If you agree 25 watts is a more sensible limit but you have already submitted your Consultation response and didn’t mention this point it’s not too late to let Ofcom know. There is nothing stopping you submitting a second response, you only need to fill in a reply to the one question of interest which is Question 9, you can leave the others blank. You can put “No” in the “do you agree” box and note that 25 watts is a more appropriate power level for VHF/UHF maybe citing the reasons given above. The response form is at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/updating-amateur-radio-licensing-framework
Some great comments above, and some not so great. I gained my M7 foundation during Covid. My son who was really interested in taking his M7 until I told him he couldn’t chat (supervised by myself) to a contact I made in Europe. He basically told me to stick the radio up my are ! So I for one welcome being able to let people use our equipment to promote the hobby. I unfortunately was at the mercy of a M0 operator who was trying to imply that he was better than me as he had his M0 and that I also found that whilst trying to contact anyone on the calling channel 2mtrs no one would respond as I was a M7. Hopefully will be taking 2E0 intermediate exam during the winter months.