Re-validating Amateur Radio Licences with Ofcom

[David G4EBT]

I’ve not been active on air for 15 years or so and no longer have any interest in amateur radio, but as it costs nothing to retain the licence, yet if you allow it to lapse it costs £20.00 to re-activate it, I might as well keep it live. In an idle moment I thought I’d check when I need to re-validate my licence under the 'five-year rule', as I know it's some time this year. Hence, I checked my docs and noted that it was due to expire in December this year. You don’t have to wait till the last minute – you can re-validate it before the due date, which matters not as there’s no fee involved, so I thought I'd get that little chore out of the way.

I attempted to log into the Ofcom licensing site and it didn’t recognise either my e-mail address or password. I therefore rang Ofcom on the appropriate number, which is
0207 981 3131, and was advised that a new computer system was introduced in 2016, so existing users need to re-register. The very helpful lady I spoke to re-validated my licence there and then, and e-mailed me a link to re-register.

This from the Ofcom site:

Quote:

Existing customers:

If you previously registered on the old portal using your email address as the username please re-register using the same email.
If you can't remember or have changed your email please contact us so we can update your details to allow you to register.
If you previously logged in using an Ofcom generated username please contact us with the following information:
• Valid email address
• Existing Licence number
• Call sign and your postcode

End quote.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your...ensing-service

I’ve just checked my details to make sure I can get into my account on the new system, as indeed I can, and notice that all it says is when you last validated your licence – it doesn’t give you the expiry date, albeit it’s no great chore to add five years to that.

When Ofcom introduced the free licence with the condition that you had to re-validate it lonline every five years and would not get any reminder as to the expiry date, it was inevitable that a fair proportion of amateurs would forget, and would risk operating unlicensed and their licences would end up being revoked. Back in 2015 this was raised as a news item on the Southgate Amateur Radio Society and esssexham websites, where it was stated that at the end of 2013, 47% of licences hadn’t been re-validated. If any of those licensees were operating on air, they'd basically be 'pirates' and be committing a criminal offence, though whether Ofcom would make a big deal of that is anyone's guess.

Quote:

It is a condition of your amateur radio licence that you validate your licence with Ofcom at least once every 5 years. According to Ofcom, a staggering 47% of licences hadn’t been validated at the end of 2013, and towards the end of 2015, Ofcom started writing to those who’d not revalidated, advising that their licences may be revoked

The relevant bit of the licence is as follows:

Note (i): “In order to avoid the Licence being revoked, by no later than five years after the date of issue of this Licence, the Licensee must either notify Ofcom of a change of the Licensee’s details in Section 1 of the Licence or confirm to Ofcom that the details set out in Section 1 of the Licence are still valid. Unless the Licensee makes a further notification or confirmation to Ofcom once every five years from the last date of notification or confirmation, then the Licence will be revoked.”

If you don’t validate after 5 years, Ofcom may - after due process - revoke it, and it will cost you £20 to re-apply for your licence if you want to be able to operate on air.

End quote.

http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/ofcom...-licences.html

http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/ofcom...-licences.html

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/201...m#.WN0vrPWcFkc

Ofcom did indeed set about revocation of licences as will be evident from the links above, so I thought it might be worth mentioning this as a reminder to others who may have overlooked re-validating their licence even if - like me - it's only for old time's sake.

Hope that's helpful.

[G0HZU_JMR]

Thanks for doing this, David. Like you I stopped using amateur radio many years ago but I do want to keep the old callsign running...

I found that I had to reregister and did it via your link. That all worked fine. As you already mentioned, the Ofcom website doesn't indicate an expiry date. All I know is that my licence is still live. However, I think I have another year still to go because I think I last validated in 2013. However, the website seems to think the issue date was only two years ago. Maybe this is why I can't find a revalidate option anywhere? Maybe it is blanked out because I still have lots of time left?

One thing I did do was click on the relevant links to get them to email me a pdf file containing my current licence. This also confirms that the issue date was only two years ago. But still no indication in the pdf file when it expires? I assume it will be the issue date plus 5 years. Maybe I validated again two years ago?

[WME_bill]

wme_bill.. m0wpn
You have made me think. thanks.
My licence, last renewed in 2007, says at the top "Your new Lifetime Radio Licence". When we still used royal mail.
Perhaps I had better see if they have changed the rules without telling anyone and try registering on line. Bill

[David G4EBT]

Might be best and easiest to give them a call at the number in my post Bill. The lady I spoke to was most helpful and revalidated it for me there and then, then e-mailed me the link right away. As far away from a 'Jobsworth' as it is possible to be, and a great ambassador for Ofcom.

[PeterRoberts]

Hi All,

There is no Revalidate button now, all you need to do is to confirm your personal details are still correct or update anything that has changed.

Once you have got into your account on the Ofcom website select "Manage Personal Details" then "Edit" (adjacent to your address) and then "Update". Even if you make no changes the system sees that as an update or verification of details and you are now set for the next 5 years.

As it is free to do, I have a reminder set up to revalidate my licence each year on my birthday.

73,

Peter
G4DJB

[crackle]

What a shame Ofcom could not have organised it better.
It costs nothing for their system to automatically send an email every 5 years to remind people to renew their details.

Mike

[HamishBoxer]

Let me also say that Ofcom are indeed most helpful. Also having set up a new account, every time you login it updates the license for another 5 years.

[David G4EBT]

I wonder what the current position is as regards revocations?

The Southgate news item back in December 2015 stated that Ofcom had just revoked around 530 amateur radio licences, having announced that it would be revoking the licences of those who had not fulfilled their licence obligations to revalidate their licence at least once every 5 years. Almost 530 people had failed to respond to contacts from Ofcom, and so with immediate effect, their licences had been revoked. The full list of those to lose their licence had been published on the Ofcom site, and the stats were as follows:

Foundation (M3) licences: 222
Intermediate licences: 28
Full (G) licences: 249
Full (M) licences: 30

Those callsigns were due to revalidated between Sept 2012 and Jan 2013 at the latest, and hadn’t been. Ofcom had tried to contact the amateurs without success and accordingly, their licences had been revoked. Maybe the M3s had just lost interest, and the Gs were old buffers like me, who'd come towards the top of the list and had gone to the 'shack in the sky'? Scary thought!

The Ofcom statement pointed out that operating without a licence is illegal, and the maximum penalty for this offence being six months’ prison and a fine of £5,000.

It would be interesting to know if Ofcom continued to revoke licences and what the current position is, or if they've got more important things to do.

Of course, the number of licences in circulation bears little relationship to the actual number of amateurs, as under the three tier system, many who pass the Foundation assessment will take out a Foundation licence, then if they go on to pass the Intermediate will take out an Intermediate licence, then those that go on to pass the full assessment will take out a Full licence.

Taking out an inter doesn't cancel the FL, and taking out a Full licence doesn't cancel the other two. For that to happen, it's down to the individual and as they're free, I doubt that many will bother to cancel. As a consequence, (assuming that anyone cares), no-one knows how many actual licensed amateurs there are in the UK nowadays. Far fewer than many imagine I guess, and fewer still who are active on air. (Say once a month). I guess that many have become like me - 'RHINOs' - 'Radio Hams In Name Only'.

[Peter.N.]

Thanks for that reminder, I have just tried it and had the same problem, I also spoke with a nice young lady who sorted it out for me. I also enquired about my wife's call sign which she hasn't used for many years and she confirmed that was also active.

Peter

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by crackle

What a shame Ofcom could not have organised it better.
It costs nothing for their system to automatically send an email every 5 years to remind people to renew their details.

Without going into too much detail, Ofcom would have been content for it to be what it claims to be -'a licence for life' with the onus on the individual to notify Ofcom of any change of circumstances such as change of address or cancellation of the licence. It was lobbying from certain quarters who pressed for this. One bizarre argument put forward was that to not re-validate would 'pose a security risk'. (Huh?)

A driving licence is for life, with a rather lax requirement only to self-certify fitness to drive every three years from age 70, or to advise DVLA of other changes in circumstances at any time. A UK passport lasts for 10 years for an adult, and five for a child under 16, with a further five years extension when 16 is attained. These are far more important documents than a hobby radio licence.

A pedant may argue that this revalidation rigmarole actually goes against Ofcom's statutory duty to reduce their regulatory and administrative burden.

It wouldn't surprise me if - over time - this simply decayed (as it seems to be doing), and died a death over time.

For now, five minutes every five years is really no big deal to do as we are required.

[P.Pilcher]

I wish that the renewal of pilot's licenses was as easy!

P.P.

[Dave Moll]

Methinks an unlicensed pilot has far more potential for causing harm than an unlicensed radio amateur!

[G8HQP Dave]

However, I think I have another year still to go because I think I last validated in 2013. However, the website seems to think the issue date was only two years ago.

I seem to recall that all in-force licences were re-issued a couple of years ago due to some changes - I can't remember exactly what and when.

My own experience is that I nearly always find my password is not valid so I have to contact Ofcom and they revalidate for me. Maybe they keep 'upgrading' their computers? Ofcom people seem helpful; their systems and procedures seem unhelpful.

I seem to remember that a genuine 'licence for life' was regarded by some as being of little importance; it makes us look too much like CBers. Hence the introduction of an artificial need to revalidate, when there always has been a need to notify changes of address etc. There were even people demanding the right to pay a fee!

[Herald1360]

Depending on what EMC effects (un)licensed transmisions could potentially have, I'm not so sure about that.

In practical terms, a pilot whose licence has lapsed is probably no less capable of flying safely than an amateur with a revoked licence is of operating sensibly. Of course a pilot with a revoked licence could be more errr "interesting"!

Maybe I should revalidate my G8- it would be a good excuse to buy the registration number from DVLA (I've checked, it's available) for my car.

I know...... sad geek and all that

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by G8HQP Dave

a genuine 'licence for life' was regarded by some as being of little importance; it makes us look too much like CBers.

I don't know whether you know, but not only UK CB but USA CB as well originally required a licence, renewed annually. UK CB only went licence-exempt 'recently' - around 1999, I think.

Originally Posted by G8HQP Dave

There were even people demanding the right to pay a fee!

I didn't see that at the time but I would imagine those individuals were saying that they wanted to continue to pay a yearly fee in order to enjoy certain rights and protections, such as the right to complain about sources of interference and have someone in authority do something about them.

They probably felt that if the system didn't generate any income then it would cease to be policed, and that we would have to accept problems of any sort without any recourse to official assistance.

At one time many Radiocommunications Agency / dti personnel were themselves active radio amateurs and so were generally well disposed towards them.

[FrankB]

Here in the US, about a month before I was due for renewal, I started getting letters in the mail "offering" to renew my license for" only" $7 or $30.00 or more.
One was free BUT you had to subscribe to QST for a year to get it done.
( I felt it was a bunch of ripoff scammers.)

I just looked online at the US FCC website and did it for free. Took all 5 minutes. I got my license renewal in the mail within 2 weeks too.
Frank WB7ELC- ex- WN7ELC & ZL2BJZ

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by David G4EBT

A driving licence is for life, with a rather lax requirement only to self-certify fitness to drive every three years from age 70, or to advise DVLA of other changes in circumstances at any time.

Like amateur-radio-licences, this is not so: you need to revalidate your driving-licence [and associated photograph] every ten years, just the same as for passports.

I don't honestly see this as any kind of lintrusive liability or imposition.

Regarding the amateur licence "validation" - the email address I used a decade back when I got my "Notice-of-Variation" to let me use the 5MHz band-segments is now long-obsolete and inaccessible: surely I should be expected to keep the OFCOM guys aware of how they can contact me if they want me to shut-down my 5MHz emissions/

[Phone contact-details are probably even more likely to change in these days of pay-as-you-go mobile SIMs: my 'preferred' phone-number has changed 4 or 5 times in the last decade - I don't have a land-line phone].

this is not so: you need to revalidate your driving-licence [and associated photograph] every ten years

only for the new plastic ones, paper jobs are 'till you are 75.

Tried OFCOMs login, it didn't recognise my email address (it's been the same for 20 years) must ring them on Monday. Thanks for the heads up.

[G6Tanuki]

only for the new plastic ones, paper jobs are 'till you are 75.

That nay be so but travelling outside the UK with a non-photocard driving licence will give you a whole world-of-hurt if you happen to get stopped by the local Gendarmerie/Polizei/Polizia/Sicurezza/Carabinieri.

Similarly, take a hard-copy of your amateur radio licence and associated notices-of-variation when travelling.

I'm happy to pay for a photocard driving-licence and passport to support my CEPT-valid amateur-radio licence when touring, specially when using "military" radios like the PRC320 [well-known as the Kornjaca ~ "Turtle" ~ in what-was-once-Yugoslavia and their 1990s conflict].

[eddie_ce]

After reading this thread I tried to log-in to the OFCOM site using the EMail address I had registered with several years ago. It didn't work, so I re-registered with a new mail address and password. To my surprise I could log-in but there was no licence shown against my details.

About an hour or so ago I phoned OFCOM and spoke to a very helpful lady who explained that she would have to merge the two accounts. She sent me a link to set a new password and a couple of minutes later I was back in business, so all is hunky dory.

Have I missed something over the last few years? Have others experienced the same -or is it just me? I always thought that a licence for life meant just that and that I didn't have to take any action.