FCC Proposes Additions, Changes to Amateur 5 MHz Allocation

[Pete, WA2CWA]

From the ARRL News Site, dated 5/8/10:
"Acting on a 2006 Petition for Rulemaking filed by the ARRL, the FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), ET Docket No 10-98 to modify the rules that govern amateurs’ secondary use of five channels in the 5 MHz frequency range known as 60 meters. The proposed changes would substitute a new channel for one that is seldom available because of occupancy by the fixed service, which is primary in this range. Also proposed is an increase in power from 50 to 100 W effective radiated power (ERP) and the addition of CW, PSK31 and PACTOR-III modes with provisions to ensure that such operations would be compatible with the primary service..."

The complete story with background and discussion is here:
http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-proposes-additions-changes-to-amateur-5-mhz-allocation

No black-robed gangsters here       Another plus for the ARRL.

[ka3zlr]

ALRIGHT...PSK31 too Kewell......

73

Jack.

[KA0HCP]

Increasing licensees, more spectrum, fewer restrictions? 

Obviously this is the death knell of amateur radio!

heh.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Increasing licensees, more spectrum, fewer restrictions? 

Obviously this is the death knell of amateur radio!

heh.

And, it's all the ARRL's fault 

[W3SLK]

Where's the request for AM, or isn't that what this board is about?

[ka3zlr]

  The Cauldron simmers ....

 

[k4kyv]

Where's the request for AM, or isn't that what this board is about?

As far as I am concerned, AM is amateur radio.

[WD8BIL]

I'm no friend of the ARRL but when they ACTUALLY do something good for the hobby ya gatta give'em their Kudos.

[WB2EMS]

I'm a little suspicious of the Pactor III provision. Does that mean all 5 slots will be taken over by Winlink Robots set to ignore existing QSO's as is the case on other bands?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I'm a little suspicious of the Pactor III provision. Does that mean all 5 slots will be taken over by Winlink Robots set to ignore existing QSO's as is the case on other bands?

I thought I read somewhere in the provisions for 60 meters, "robot" operation was no allowed. And, it is the primary low frequency band to go set up for emergency communication traffic when necessary.
Quote from the report:
"...the Commission and the NTIA agree that the responsible manner in which amateurs have been using the five USB channels warrants some expansion of privileges so that the Amateur Service can be even better prepared for service to the public."

And, as indicated in the ARRL blurb, amateur radio is considered a secondary user on this band.

[Ralph W3GL]

      PacTor III is a propriatry mode licensed by SCS in Germany!

      It is, of course, used by 95% of the WinLink operators and their
      primary mission (after providing freebee services to the MM and
      Land Mobil users) is emergency coms...

      As the 60 meter band channels primary stated purpose was a
      location for channelised coms including inter-area emergency nets,
      why not allow these diggy modes.

      However, PacTor is not just "III" but  one and two as well and is
      backward compatable. Matter of fact, the call-up activation is done
      in PacTor I mode and switches to II or III depending on the called
      stations software.

      My reason for this discourse is that stating that PacTor III mode will
      be allowed; it is written too narrowly! It should simply state "PacTor
      mode" as not every user of PTC modems can afford the $250 or so
      licensing fee for PTC III and still use the open versions (one & two)...

      As an aside, I still have my PTC II modem with included Packet mode
      interface built in that I used back in the day...  If there is anyone out
      there that  might be interested in the modem, I'm open for a realistic
      offer.  

      No, it doesn't have the SCS III upgrade but it went for $950 back in
      the day and still brings upwards of $450 on the open market...

[k4kyv]

When will we get a real amateur band at 60m?

[Ralph W3GL]

       It ain't gonna happen, Don. That is prime goverment bandwidth...

[k4kyv]

I recall when the band was first proposed, the gov't didn't seem to object and we were supposed to get 100 or 150 kc/s, a done deal. One of the debates going on was whether or not there should be phone and CW subbands, or if the whole band should be open to all modes, like 160.

Then, allegedly as a result of the events of 11SE01, they suddenly decided that it was prime spectrum once again.

Of course, it still would not have been internationally recognised as a ham band without a formal reallocation at one of the WARCs. Not sure that could ever happen now with the resurgence of official paranoia, worldwide.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

The bigger question is why do we need or want an amateur band at 60 meters when large swathes of 80 and 40 meters go unused much of the time?

[WA3VJB]

More = better, in this case.

The bigger question is why do we need or want an amateur band at 60 meters when large swathes of 80 and 40 meters go unused much of the time?

Also, the FCC seems to have endorsed the contention 60m would be used for emergency comms -- maybe this will get the hurricane nets off 7290Kc.

No traffic !

[K1JJ]

When 60M first came on line a few years ago, I went through the big effort of putting up a 2el wire Yagi at 120' pointing west. Worked like a bomb. Like a cross between 40 and 75M. I ran the thing at the legal 50w ERP level and had fun the first few weeks working lots of stations.

But after awhile, the state chaser homo nets took over and beat up anyone who tried to stay on a "channel" more than 5 minutes or so. It became a 2M repeater band with hello and goodbye and what's your grid square?

I could also hear the 1KW guys with blower noise calling CQ wid lots of replies, but they cudn't hear shoit. These alligators were beat up too..

I finally took down the Yagi and said the heck wid the band. Besides, running 50 w ERP had no strapescence. Before the band opened up, I axed Chuck if he planned anything for 60M. He said, "Are you kidding? Six channels, power limitations - what a waste of time!" He was right.

Until they make it a regular band with regular privies, you won't catch me there. The FCC has had plenty of time now to see if hams are a threat to other services on 60M. Looks like they feel we are. I'll be on 40 and 75M holding court with a VFO and a reeeeeal man's power looking for Vlad's in yellow Yugos.

T

[k4kyv]

The bigger question is why do we need or want an amateur band at 60 meters when large swathes of 80 and 40 meters go unused much of the time?

One of the reasons large swathes of 40m go unused is because of the outdated FeeCee subband rules that prohibit phone below 7125, while very few CW/RTTY/data ops use frequencies above 7060, even when there is a major CW QuaRMtest on.  Usually, 7060-7125 lies fallow except for a handful of CW stations that hang out around 7115.  During the early evening hours, 7125-7200 is usually crammed with slopbucket signals and it is hard to find a clear frequency, kind of like 75 used to be until sometime in the early 90's.

The 7115 CW crew is very vocal in their opposition to any expansion of the phone band below 7125.  They are willing to keep 7060-7125 mostly unused so they can have their little 10 kc wide CW gathering spot centred on 7115.

[K1JJ]

Don,

I'll bet the vocal CW guys cud be the CW corntesters themselves. When they come on for the corntests, the lower end of the CW bands are bedlam. Since the ARRL is pro-corntest, they support it.

If they narrowed down the CW portion and ssb filled in the space, then there wud be conflicts when they rolled out the biggest corntests.  I cud be wrong, but that's my guess as to why the CW portion is still so big in proportion to the light, regular, non-corntest everyday CW activity.  

T

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Very good point. The phone portion should be moved down to 7100.

But on 80 meters, most nights even the phone portions below 3800 aren't very crowded and less crowded as you decrease frequency. I'm sure you've listend below 3700 and often you can tuned 20 kHz and hear nothing!

The bigger question is why do we need or want an amateur band at 60 meters when large swathes of 80 and 40 meters go unused much of the time?

One of the reasons large swathes of 40m go unused is because of the outdated FeeCee subband rules that prohibit phone below 7125, while very few CW/RTTY/data ops use frequencies above 7060, even when there is a major CW QuaRMtest on.  Usually, 7060-7125 lies fallow except for a handful of CW stations that hang out around 7115.  During the early evening hours, 7125-7200 is usually crammed with slopbucket signals and it is hard to find a clear frequency, kind of like 75 used to be until sometime in the early 90's.

The 7115 CW crew is very vocal in their opposition to any expansion of the phone band below 7125.  They are willing to keep 7060-7125 mostly unused so they can have their little 10 kc wide CW gathering spot centred on 7115.

[k4kyv]

I'll bet the vocal CW guys cud be the CW corntesters themselves. When they come on for the corntests, the lower end of the CW bands are bedlam. Since the ARRL is pro-corntest, they support it.

If they narrowed down the CW portion and ssb filled in the space, then there wud be conflicts when they rolled out the biggest corntests.  I cud be wrong, but that's my guess as to why the CW portion is still so big in proportion to the light, regular, non-corntest everyday CW activity.  

The guys who run CW in the slot around 7115 claim it is a place for beginners to practise their CW without QRM from the fast guys, sort of like the old novice band.  But there is plenty of room  lower in the band where they could run their slow-speed CW still without QRM, and there is 30m which also is underused.  When there is no QuaRMtest going on, there is usually a cluster of CW activity on about 7025-45, while it is less crowded on 7000-25 and on 7045 up to about 7060, above which the CW activity pretty much fizzles out. The phone band could be expanded all the way down to 7075 or even 7060 and it still wouldn't affect the QuaRMtesters, because they pretty much stay below 7060 even when there is a major one on.

3600-3700 was sparsely occupied with CW before the expansion.  That's one of the reasons the FeeCee gave for the change.  At first it was buzzing with phone activity, both AM and SSB, but as the novelty wore off, activity dwindled to the point that it is about as unused now as the old CW segment was.

I suspect that one of the reasons for the dearth of phone activity is that it is restricted to Extra class only. It's more a matter of licence class restriction than what modes are allowed.

[K5UJ]

ARRL will probably protest any further phone band expansion.  When FCC expanded phone it was an unintended consequence of some ARRL petition.  I can't remember the details but I recall hearing that ARRL was unhappy about it and tried some kind of fast one to try to get the expansion reversed.   K1ZZ is a diehard 100% cw op; he may not even own a microphone so there's your phone band expansion opposition right there.

[ka3zlr]

Well.. alot of us are CW And AM enthusiasts I also like
QRP AM and CW Also like PSK an on an on.

Some people just Need to give it up, as a supporter of the
League he does not represent me very well an should be
pulled aside.

73

Jack.

[W3SLK]

Jack said:

Some people just Need to give it up, as a supporter of the
League he does not represent me very well an should be
pulled aside.

Thus why I am not a (be)League(d) member

[N8LGU]

Any band that's channelized ain't Ham Radio- It's CB.