[Amps] proposed rule changes about amps

[Thomas Hix]

What do you think about the FCC proposals which will once again allow the 
manufacture of amps designed to operate on frequencies above 15 
meters.....without modification that is.
I remember in the 70's when this rule was put into effect. It seems the FCC 
was swamped with so many interference complaints to TV, telephone, stereo, 
intercom, and anything else that had a coil or a speaker which was 
susceptible to RF, (A friend had a sewing machine on which she could her her 
CB neighbor talking)  that they (FCC) decided something had to be done.
The FCC had already tried enforcement actions on a few of the more flagrant 
interference violators, but they had such a small staff the CBer's knew it 
was a rare thing to actually get caught, so they bought the amps made 
especially for 11 meters. These amps were for the large part, factory made, 
albeit some of the factories may have in the basement of the home of the 
manufacturer.
The quality of the amps varied widely, with some being pretty well made, and 
others being complete junk.
The FCC decided if they could not stop the CB'ers from using the amps they 
would make it illegal for them to be sold in the U.S.....so back in the 
early 70's they changed the rules to those we now have in effect. The rule 
states in essence it is illegal to sell an rf amplifier that will operate 
above 15 meters to anyone other than a licensed amateur radio operator..... 
But as anyone who has checked the internet has seen, this did little to stem 
the flow of these illegal amps.
Now it seems the FCC is going to basically change the rules back to the way 
they were before they made it illegal to sell the amps in question.....I 
wonder if they think their new field enforcement team is better equipped to 
cope with the situation now than they were in the 1970's?
It has always been a rule violation to use an external rf amplifier on 11 
meters, it seems that rule has been pretty ineffective also.
Here are the proposed rule changes that relate to amps.
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85.	Limitations imposed on manufacturers.  Our Rules prohibit commercial 
manufactures from marketing power amplifiers that are capable of 
transmitting on the 12 m and 10 m amateur service bands to amateur radio 
operators.   We believe that these rules impose unnecessary restrictions on 
manufacturers of amateur radio equipment, are inconsistent with the 
experimental nature of the amateur service,  and may result in amateur 
stations transmitting at higher power levels than necessary.   Accordingly, 
we propose to amend Sections 97.315 and 97.317 of our Rules  to clarify and 
simplify the exceptions in our Rules.  Specifically, to eliminate the 
disparate restrictions imposed on manufacturers as compared to the 
restrictions imposed on amateur service licensees, to allow manufacturers to 
market equipment in the United States that they may market overseas, and to 
eliminate any ambiguity in these rules, we will propose to delete the 
following requirements:  (a) a manufacturer must design an amplifier to use 
a minimum of 50 watts drive power, and (b) the amplifier must not be capable 
of operating on any frequency between 24 MHz and 35 MHz.   Historically, we 
note that the Commission promulgated Sections 97.315 and 97.317 of our Rules 
at a time when the Citizens Band (CB) Radio Service was the primary service 
that individuals used to satisfy their personal communication needs.   The 
Commission adopted these Rules in 1978 to prevent commercial manufacturers 
from marketing to CB Radio Service users RF power amplifiers that had been 
approved for use at amateur stations.   We note, however, that Section 
95.411 of our Rules already satisfies the policy objectives sought by 
Sections 97.315 and 97.317.  Specifically, Section 95.411 of our Rules 
prohibits, under any circumstances, an individual from attaching an external 
RF power amplifier or any device capable of amplifying the signal to a CB 
transmitter.   Thus, an individual who uses an amplifier at a CB Radio 
Service station would violate a CB Radio Service rule and not an amateur 
service rule.  Therefore, to eliminate redundancy and provide clarity in our 
rules, we propose to amend Sections 97.315 and 97.317 of our Rules.  We 
request comment on this proposal.
86.	We also propose to delete Section 97.3(a)(19) of our Rules.   This rule 
section  defines an external RF power amplifier kit as a number of 
electronic parts which, when assembled, is an external RF power amplifier, 
even if additional parts are required to complete assembly.   Because of the 
broad scope of this definition, we are concerned that an amateur radio 
operator would find it difficult to determine if a group of electronic parts 
he or she purchases or possesses will be defined by the Commission as an 
external RF power amplifier kit.  In this regard, we note that because many 
electronic parts used in RF power amplifiers are also used in other 
electronic equipment, any group of electronic parts, particularly if 
supplemented by additional parts, could be assembled to make a power 
amplifier or part of a RF power amplifier.   Because of the uncertainty 
created by this rule, we propose to eliminate Section97.3(a)(19) of our 
Rules.  We request comment on this proposal.



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