League Asks FCC to Postpone, Modify Part of 75-Meter Band Change

[Pete, WA2CWA]

It's not clear to me why they waited to the 11th hour to start this ball rolling.

(Dec 11, 2006) -- In separate petitions today, the ARRL asked the FCC to postpone the change in allocation for 3600 to 3635 kHz while it considers a request to maintain the status quo in the segment. The so-called "omnibus" Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 04-140, which included moving the lower edge of the Amateur Extra 75-meter phone band to 3600 kHz, is set to go into effect Friday, December 15. The League wants the Commission to rectify the "unintended consequence" of the expansion by moving the dividing line between the narrowband and wideband segments of 80/75 meters to 3635 kHz. This would keep 3600 to 3635 kHz available to General and higher licensees for RTTY, data and CW and open to Novice and Tech Plus licensees for CW. The requested change also would maintain access to the automatically controlled digital subband, 3620 to 3635 kHz. In a Petition for Reconsideration, the League emphasized that it was not seeking reconsideration of the entire 75-meter phone band expansion.

For the rest of the story and the Petition links, go here:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/12/11/100/?nc=1

[KF1Z]

No doubt the traffic handlers complained loud enough on that to coerce the arrl to "take action".

Seems like they could pass traffic the old fasioned way if they want to do it at all.

[Jim, W5JO]

Love that digital don't we?

[KF1Z]

It's not clear to me why they waited to the 11th hour to start this ball rolling.

Actually it should be quite clear......

Chances are, the fcc will listen to the league........and grant their petition......
And since the league would have already filed the petition before they announced it....

No one else will have time to file a "no, don't do that...." petition.....


My take on that anyhoo

[W3SLK]

Jim said:

Actually it should be quite clear......

Chances are, the fcc will listen to the league........and grant their petition......
And since the league would have already filed the petition before they announced it....

No one else will have time to file a "no, don't do that...." petition.....


My take on that anyhoo

Nahh, I don't think so,(or at least I hope not). Aint it just like the (be)League(d) to look a gift horse in the mouth. I hope the FCC tells the ARRgghhL to go stow it! They had time to reply to the R&O and obviously their argument didn't hold any water, otherwise they would have made that decision prior to R&O going public. I'm just glad I'm not funding them anymore.

[k4kyv]

The 3600-3700 segment is designated Extra class only.  The existing extra phone portion is 3750-3775, and it is already sparcely occupied compared with the rest of the phone band.  Expanding the extra class segment to 100 kHz will probably leave it even more sparcely populated than it is now.

The solution to the League's concern would be to simply allow Advanced/General to continue using the modes in that segment that they are presently allowed, to be shared with phone, Extra class only. 

There is no segmentation at all on 160m, and all modes seem to be able to share the band satisfactorily.  Certainly extra phone and other modes could successfully share 20% of the 80m band.

[W3DBB]

.

[Tom WA3KLR]

It's fairly easy to upgrade to Extra.  Test locations are close by with all the VEs.

"Problem" solved.

[k4kyv]

The problem lies with our overly complex subband structure, a rigid matrix of licence class and mode restrictions, the likes of which exist in no other country outside USA.

I would have no problem sharing the 3600-3700 extra class phone segment with rtty and digital, and the millionaire yachters who are too cheap to subscribe to satellite e-mail service could even keep their winlink frequencies under their present restrictions.

But the subband system doesn't allow for any kind of digital signals other than ordinary CW to share a frequency where phone is allowed.  So regardless of licence class, they would lose their existing privilege to run their digital stuff above 3600.

I don't hear a lot of digital signals above 3600, except during the rtty contests, so I don't think sharing would be a problem.  The 3600-3700 extra class phone band will be very sparcely populated unless there is suddenly a giant influx of upgrades - which I doubt will happen.

The easiest solution would be to permanently grandfather existing digital privileges in that segment, or at least up to 3635.  ARRL is concerned about 3620-3635.  What about 3600-3620?

Better still, go the way of Canada.  Join the rest of the world and get rid of subbands altogether, so that all the hf bands would be like 160 is now.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

FCC contradicted itself by saying the rule revisions wouldn't result in any licensee losing spectrum privileges but operating privileges have been lost by the extent of the expansion at 80 meters.

Why wouldn't the ARRL, "who reports to represent all amateur interests" fight for the loss of General and Advanced Class privileges and CW, RTTY, and data interests? To me, it seems the proper action on their part. And, the issue has nothing to do with upgrading or selling publications.

[k7yoo]

As a league member I received an e-mail asking what I thought about the new changes--
I told them it was just FB  and that they should keep out of it and let it go through. Apparently they didn't listen to me even though I am a member. It is the same as dis-incentive licensing all over again. It is too bad Wayne Green lost all his marbles and isn't here to run the Jolly Roger up the tower.

If radios are outlawed--Outlaws will still have radios
strap-on!

[k4kyv]

Section 1.429(e) provides that
when a petition for reconsideration is timely
filed in proper form, public notice of its filing
is published in the FEDERAL REGISTER.
Section 1.429(f) provides that oppositions to a
petition for reconsideration shall be filed
within 15 days after public notice of the petition’s
filing in the FEDERAL REGISTER.

      See Link

[KA8WTK]

I woder if the FCC will consider the ARRL to have filed in a "timley manner" considering how long ago the R&O became public? I also tend to wonder if the FCC made another "mistake" if there intention was "no loss of operating privliges", just expansion of the phone bands.