Welcome one and all !

de AB4O

John Swisher

The OOC is an ARRL section-level leadership official, appointed by the Section Manager, for two related purposes: to supervise the maintenance monitoring work of the section Official Observers, and to coordinate special Amateur Auxiliary efforts with Headquarters and the SM.

With the inception of the Amateur Auxiliary to the FCC, the role of the OOC is greater today than ever before. A key liaison in the Auxiliary, the OOC assists OO's in evidence gathering and conveys evidentiary materials to Headquarters for handling with the FCC.

The Official Observer program has operated for more than a half century. In this time, OO appointees have assisted thousands of amateurs whose signals, or operating procedures, were not in compliance with the FCC regulations. The function of the OO is to listen for amateurs who might otherwise come to the attention of the FCC and to advise them by mail of the irregularity observed. The OO program is, in essence, for the benefit of amateurs who want to be helped. OO's must meet high standards of expertise and experience. It is the job of the OO Coordinator to recruit, supervise and direct the efforts of OO's in the section, and to report their activity monthly to the Section Manager, and Headquarters.

I would like to have more OO's on the team thus recruitment in necessary.  The OO performs his function by listening rather than transmitting, keeping an ear out for such things as frequency instability, harmonics, hum, key clicks, broad signals, distorted audio, over deviation, out-of-band operation, etc. The OO completes his task once the notification card is sent.   The OO is also the backbone of the Amateur Auxiliary to the FCC. OO's are certified in the Auxiliary by passing a mandatory written examination.

OFFICIAL OBSERVER QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must take and pass examination to be certified as a member of the Amateur Auxiliary, an FCC requirement, based on study of the ARRL's Amateur Auxiliary Training Manual.
• Must be an ARRL Full Member and have been a licensee of Technician Class or higher for at least four years.
• Must report to the OO Coordinator regularly on FSD-23.
• Maintain regular activity in sending out advisory notices & good operator reports as needed.
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If anyone would like to help out the Tennessee Section by becoming a Official Observer (OO) you can click the link below and complete the on-line application.

Hams helping Hams An Official Observer Tradition for more than 50 years !

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an E-mail and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

Official Observer Current Year, Monthly Statistics:

Past Years Data Link