[RTTY] BoD votes LoTW initiatives

[Kok Chen]

On Jul 26, 2013, at 8:44 AM, John Becker wrote:

> Are you going to make a ham who happens at the time to be at sea use a commercial service
> just to let friends and family know where he is at?

The answer to that question is right there in the FCC Rules on your bookshelf (or computer file).  

Except during emergencies, anything that is not covered in Part 97.1 of the FCC regulations cannot be transmitted by a licensed amateur.

97.1a mentions value to the public specifically regarding non-commercial use (nothing about private use), 
97.1b mentions contribution to the advancement of radio art, 
97.1c mentions advancing operator skills in the area of communications (so I can see it applying if you also write the software to perform said email functions), 
97.1d mentions the creation of a pool of radio operators (presumably for emergency and wartime), and 
97.1e relates to international goodwill (I guess it works if your relative and friends include the Afghan President or some such).

Unfortunately, nothing about telling friends where my boat is.

73
Chen, W7AY