wrote:

One problem with doing that sort of thing
here is being able to reissue callsigns.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Yeh, the reusable callsign is a hot button at the FCC.
Powell has a special committee looking into it.

N2EY said:
In Japan, the station license needs to be renewed annually and costs
120 yen, last time I looked. There's an enormous difference between
the
number of JA operator and station licenses as a result.
73 de Jim, N2EY

I'd recheck the math, Jim. 120 yen isn't even $1.00 I doubt that
the Japanese governent is quite that generous!
Perhaps Y120K...?!?!

73

Steve, K4YZ

Subject: Operation with Expired License
From: PAMNO (N2EY)
Date: 1/13/2005 6:30 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

In article .com, "K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY wrote:

Perhaps the vanity call system stopped the simultaneous renewals.

It's that expensive, state-of-the-art data system they installed!

How do you know this, Steve?

I read, Jim. I read the FCC's press releases about ULS down for hardware
installations...I read about ULS down for software changes.

If a ham happens to move right at the time of renewal, the system can handle
it.
So that's not the problem.

My speculation on vanity calls is based on the fact that a new vanity call
issuance generates a renewal. That way, the fee doesn't have to be pro-rated.

But I don't know why nonvanities couldn't be renewed when a ham moves or
upgrades. That would reduce FCC paperwork.

It's that expensive, state-of-the-art data system they have, Jim.

73

Steve, K4YZ

In article .com, "K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY said:
In Japan, the station license needs to be renewed annually and costs
120 yen, last time I looked. There's an enormous difference between
the
number of JA operator and station licenses as a result.
73 de Jim, N2EY

I'd recheck the math, Jim. 120 yen isn't even $1.00 I doubt that
the Japanese governent is quite that generous!
Perhaps Y120K...?!?!

Could be, Steve, I'm a little rusty on exchange rates.

In any event, while JA operator licenses are free and last longer than the
licensee, station licenses are a yearly renewal. Only an active amateur with
his/her own station bothers with a station license, because one's operator
license allows a JA ham to use someone else's station anyway. And a ham with
only an operator license can always get a new station license (new callsign,
though).

Japan is a very interesting case study in the no-code-test argument. Japan has
had no-code-test ham licenses *with some HF privileges* for several decades
now. This fact is cited as the reason why there were so many hams in Japan
relative to the size of the country. Even though Japan has less than half the
US population, the number of JA hams (station licenses, not just operator
licenses) exceeded the number of US hams more than 30 years ago. Since more
than 90% of JA hams have no-code-test licenses, no-code-test proponents used to
hold up Japan as an example of what the US should do. (Japan used a rather
torturous argument to get around the treaty - their no-code-test ham licenses
are QRP on HF, and Japan is an island, so the claim is that there's no
interference problem.

But since about 1995, JA ham license numbers have been in a downward spiral.
Not just total number of station licenses but number of new licenses, operator
and station. Some say the decline is due to factors like the poor state of the
Japanese economy and/or the popularity of other electronics communications like
the internet, cell phones, etc.

IIRC, Japan still has code-testing for all but the fourth class license, even
though the treaty changed more than 18 months ago.

73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:

But since about 1995, JA ham license numbers have been in a downward
spiral.
Not just total number of station licenses but number of new licenses,
operator
and station. Some say the decline is due to factors like the poor
state of the
Japanese economy and/or the popularity of other electronics
communications like
the internet, cell phones, etc.

Wow! Until now, you've presented the numbers as purely an American
failure.

IIRC, Japan still has code-testing for all but the fourth class
license, even
though the treaty changed more than 18 months ago.
Ooooh! Aaaah!

not Miccolis

N2EY wrote:
Japan is a very interesting case study in the no-code-test argument. Japan has
had no-code-test ham licenses *with some HF privileges* for several decades
now. This fact is cited as the reason why there were so many hams in Japan
relative to the size of the country. Even though Japan has less than half the
US population, the number of JA hams (station licenses, not just operator
licenses) exceeded the number of US hams more than 30 years ago. Since more
than 90% of JA hams have no-code-test licenses, no-code-test proponents used to
hold up Japan as an example of what the US should do. (Japan used a rather
torturous argument to get around the treaty - their no-code-test ham licenses
are QRP on HF, and Japan is an island, so the claim is that there's no
interference problem.

That's called the 4th class license, limited to 10w output, for operation
between 21-30 MHz, and below 8 MHz.

Their 1st class license still requires 3 minutes of copy at 12 wpm,
their 2nd class license requires 2 minutes at 9 wpm, and their 3rd
class requires 2 minutes at 5 wpm. See the JARL web site.

73, Jeff KH6O
--
Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Coast Guard
Mathematics Lecturer, University of Hawaii System

In article , (Jeffrey Herman)
writes:

N2EY wrote:
Japan is a very interesting case study in the no-code-test argument. Japan
has
had no-code-test ham licenses *with some HF privileges* for several decades
now. This fact is cited as the reason why there were so many hams in Japan
relative to the size of the country. Even though Japan has less than half
the
US population, the number of JA hams (station licenses, not just operator
licenses) exceeded the number of US hams more than 30 years ago. Since more
than 90% of JA hams have no-code-test licenses, no-code-test proponents used
to
hold up Japan as an example of what the US should do. (Japan used a rather
torturous argument to get around the treaty - their no-code-test ham
licenses
are QRP on HF, and Japan is an island, so the claim is that there's no
interference problem.

That's called the 4th class license, limited to 10w output, for operation
between 21-30 MHz, and below 8 MHz.

Which means they don't get 30, 20 or 17 meters, but *do* get all the other
bands that are worldwide exclusive amateur.

Their 1st class license still requires 3 minutes of copy at 12 wpm,
their 2nd class license requires 2 minutes at 9 wpm, and their 3rd
class requires 2 minutes at 5 wpm. See the JARL web site.

Agreed - and they haven't dropped those requirements even though the treaty
changed a year and a half ago.

73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:
In article .com,
"K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY said:
In Japan, the station license needs to be renewed annually and
costs
120 yen, last time I looked. There's an enormous difference between
the
number of JA operator and station licenses as a result.
73 de Jim, N2EY

I'd recheck the math, Jim. 120 yen isn't even $1.00 I doubt that
the Japanese governent is quite that generous!
Perhaps Y120K...?!?!

Could be, Steve, I'm a little rusty on exchange rates.

One of my biggest regrets from my FIRST tour to Japan (1980) was
not buying up a bunch of Yen and burying it in a box somewhere!...It
was over Y400 to the USD then! Next time I was back (only 6 months
later) it was down to Y220 to Y250 to the USD. When I was last there
(1990) it was Y105 to Y120 to the USD. It peaked briefly at Y144 then
dropped again. I think it'be been pretty much stable in the low to mid
100's since then.

The reciprocal (JA) license was around Y48,000 in 1981. Pretty
steep! I was just tickled with my KA6 call for free!

73

Steve, K4YZ

In article . com, "K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY wrote:
In article .com,
"K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY said:
In Japan, the station license needs to be renewed annually and
costs
120 yen, last time I looked. There's an enormous difference between
the
number of JA operator and station licenses as a result.
73 de Jim, N2EY

I'd recheck the math, Jim. 120 yen isn't even $1.00 I doubt that
the Japanese governent is quite that generous!
Perhaps Y120K...?!?!

Could be, Steve, I'm a little rusty on exchange rates.

One of my biggest regrets from my FIRST tour to Japan (1980) was
not buying up a bunch of Yen and burying it in a box somewhere!...It
was over Y400 to the USD then! Next time I was back (only 6 months
later) it was down to Y220 to Y250 to the USD. When I was last there
(1990) it was Y105 to Y120 to the USD.

So if you'd bought $100 worth of yen in 1980 (40,000 yen) and then converted it
back to dollars in 1990 when the rate was 110, those 40,000 yen would be worth
$363.

I did better than that in the stock market back about then....;-)

It peaked briefly at Y144 then
dropped again. I think it'be been pretty much stable in the low to mid
100's since then.

:-(

The reciprocal (JA) license was around Y48,000 in 1981.

Over $100!

Pretty
steep! I was just tickled with my KA6 call for free!

This may be one reason for the popularity of nonresident aliens getting US
callsigns...

73 de Jim, N2EY

N2EY wrote:
In article . com,
"K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY wrote:
In article
.com,
"K4YZ"
writes:

N2EY said:
In Japan, the station license needs to be renewed annually and
costs
120 yen, last time I looked. There's an enormous difference
between
the
number of JA operator and station licenses as a result.
73 de Jim, N2EY

I'd recheck the math, Jim. 120 yen isn't even $1.00 I doubt
that
the Japanese governent is quite that generous!
Perhaps Y120K...?!?!

Could be, Steve, I'm a little rusty on exchange rates.

One of my biggest regrets from my FIRST tour to Japan (1980) was
not buying up a bunch of Yen and burying it in a box somewhere!...It
was over Y400 to the USD then! Next time I was back (only 6 months
later) it was down to Y220 to Y250 to the USD. When I was last
there
(1990) it was Y105 to Y120 to the USD.

So if you'd bought $100 worth of yen in 1980 (40,000 yen) and then
converted it
back to dollars in 1990 when the rate was 110, those 40,000 yen would
be worth
$363.

I did better than that in the stock market back about then....;-)

And I know a lot of folks who were doing real well until 1989.

It peaked briefly at Y144 then
dropped again. I think it'be been pretty much stable in the low to
mid
100's since then.

:-(

The reciprocal (JA) license was around Y48,000 in 1981.

Over $100!

Yeppers.

Pretty
steep! I was just tickled with my KA6 call for free!

This may be one reason for the popularity of nonresident aliens
getting US
callsigns...

Why? Wouldn't do them any good. Those "KA" calls in Japan are
only good for persons covered under SOFA...(S)tatus (O)f (F)orces)
(A)greement. Joe or Jane American visiting in Japan did not qualify
for an AMRS (not to be confused with MARS) assignment. Joe Nonresident
Licensee certainly wouldn't qualify either!

73

Steve, K4YZ