Steady Walt, you must wear a hat in this sunny weather or you’ll get sunstroke and start saying odd things!
The NoV requesting web service the RSGB has run for Ofcom these past few years has worked painlessly. What’s more important is the info I have provided for NoV’s has been “watermarked” so I can tell if it is used for marketing and it has not which is refreshing.
Not had issues with the Ofcom renewal apart from once but I have heard similar from others to your issue.
If WAP is out of date, what do you suggest I use in its place that will not become obsolete before I purchase, bearing mind that I want to remain as PAYG (I have to pay for it myself, being a pensioner). It also has to be intuitive to use.
I try to update my registration on an annual basis. Each time I’ve
tried to access the online system, I have had to give up and ring
through to ask for my password to be reset.
One of my little successes - I’ve not had any trouble updating either of my calls.
When the call-book is re-issued after the re-registrations have worked through the system, I suspect there will be a few angry calls to OFCOM!
I’m not the person to ask as I have a vested interest in getting you to buy something that uses IP/design services my employers provide to semiconductor companies…
But a 4G Motorola Moto-G would be high up my shopping list. Huge amount of bang per buck for £139. Or cheaper, a Huawei Ascend Y330 for about £69.
Cheapest PAYG probably Three’s 3-2-1 deal. Port your old Vodapong number and off you go.
In reply to M0DFA:
Or you could do what I do and obtain something from your kids when they upgrade at the end of a contract. My latest is an HTC Sensation. I have also scrounged a Samsung Galaxy S2 and a Nokia N95.
I like the Nokia N95 because its the only one I can put all my spots into the Drafts before I go out, which saves a lot of time on a Summit.
a 4G Motorola Moto-G would be high up my shopping list.
LOL! I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 which supports 4G, but I have never yet been able to use 4G. The nearest place to me where 4G is available (on the Three network) is Bristol, more than 40 miles away.
Interestingly, I have just returned from a holiday in EI-land where I found the Three (IR) network coverage is vastly superior to the Three coverage in the UK. The Three (IR) signal was never less than 3 bars, even in the remotest country areas. Still only 3G, though.
Agreed, Walt and don’ t forget there are no roaming charges in EI-land
with Three Mobile.
Indeed! I was on their “Feel At Home” tariff, so it was just as if I was in the UK.
I was following in your footsteps, Dave. Spent 4 days touring the Dingle Peninsula and the surrounding area. A lovely part of the country. I didn’t take any radio gear with me, though.
I try to update my registration on an annual basis. Each time I’ve
tried to access the online system, I have had to give up and ring
through to ask for my password to be reset. Also, after several years
of online updating, one STILL cannot update club callsign details
online; why not?
A prophetic statement Walt. I got an email late Friday from OFCOM telling my I urgently needed to revalidate my licence. I though that was good of them to bother chasing people up. I suppose if they didn’t, people would go on using a call that was no longer valid. At least this way OFCOM get a reply to revalidate or to let the licence lapse.
However, I know I revalidated and that my licences don’t need that till 2017 so what gives? Of course I couldn’t log in when I tried. But there is a password reset facility now. You need to use exactly the name and email address you used when registering or it wont reset the password. The case of the name is important: If you registered as “An Amateur ham@ham.com” then entering “An amateur ham@ham.com” will fail. Took me several attempts to get the name right and find the correct email address. Once done I could reset the password and log in.
That’s where I found that I had 2 licences for revalidation in 2017 and 1 due last April! Ooops! But that’s a club call and as you say Walt, you cannot revalidate that online. Pah! I rang this morning and the phone system plays a long recorded message about how there is a big revalidation program in force and you can write (snail or email) to revalidate if you cannot login. Also it went on to say they were having issues with the online system. In the end (about 1min wait) I spoke to a chap who confirmed you cannot (and probably will never be able to) revalidate a club call online. Mine are now due for revalidation in August 2019.
So the online system worked well enough for me to recover a password, validate my normal calls. Strange club calls are outside the online revalidation. Bonus points to OFCOM for actually making an effort to clean up the database and for dealing with me by phone in just a few minutes.
Read with interest. Yes, I’m not sure that “development” is the right
word! The amateur licensing database is littered with legacy
callsigns … old Class B calls, superseded Novice, Intermediate and
Foundation calls - all of which have been kept active. There are even
oddities such as a few M5xxx calls and a very small number of G5xxx
calls. There is much duplication.
I still can’t get my brain around why we have to change call-signs with the new levels anyway… or at the very least, have a progressive call-sign so that (eg) the suffix remains the same.
The “progression” from M6ADB to 2E0GFF to M0YMA is illogical, and furthermore “wastes” two callsigns. Even (had I been allowed) M6ADB–>M7ADB–>M8ADB would “waste” a couple, but at least people who know it was still me…
Of course, some people have been fortunate enough to get M6xxx, 2E0xxx and M0xxx but that is down to good fortune that someone else didn’t swipe them first!
I still can’t get my brain around why we have to change call-signs
with the new levels anyway… or at the very least, have a progressive
call-sign so that (eg) the suffix remains the same.
Ah you new boys who haven’t seen all the changes over the years!
Yes, it’s mad isn’t it? It looked like sanity was breaking out when M calls started with M0 for Full A and M1 for Full B types and 2?0 Novice A and 2?1 for Novice B. Then the Foundation comes along and they don’t use M2 but jump to M3 then M6. We wont go into G allocations. Or out of order allocation. Or…
I’m sure it made sense to someone at the time. Especially in the days before computers when it was all in ledgers and card indexes.
