[IRCA] Hams on Medium Wave

["Karl J. Zuk" <karlzuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From the ARRL - Now you can become your own medium wave DX! - Karl Zuk  N2KZ

     The Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
 -- the spectrum regulators for United States private sector and 
government users, respectively -- have agreed to support a secondary MF 
allocation to the Amateur Radio Service at 461-469 kHz and 471-478 kHz 
at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12),
 to be held in Geneva, Switzerland from January 23-February 17, 2012. 
FCC and NTIA officials formally presented the proposal at a meeting of 
the Second Permanent Consultative Committee (PCC.II) of the 
Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), held August 30-September 3 in Fortaleza, Brazil.

     According to ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, the 
proposal reconciles two widely divergent proposals for WRC-12 Agenda 
Item 1.23, adopted by consensus of the private sector and government 
users. Agenda Item 1.23 calls on WRC-12 “to consider an allocation of 
about 15 kHz in parts of the band 415-526.5 kHz to the amateur service 
on a secondary basis, taking into account the need to protect existing 
services.” The FCC’s WRC-12 Advisory Committee (WAC)
 had adopted a proposal for a secondary amateur allocation at 495-510 
kHz, but the NTIA, acting on the advice of government maritime 
interests, initially supported no change from the status quo.
“I am pleased that the United States is taking an affirmative 
position on Agenda Item 1.23,” Price said “While the proposed frequency 
bands differ from both what the ARRL proposed and the private sector 
supported by consensus during WAC deliberations, it is gratifying that 
government interests have backed off a no change position.”

     Some maritime interests, both domestically and internationally, have 
expressed opposition to any amateur allocation in the range 415-526.5 
kHz, citing existing narrowband direct printing applications at 490 and 
518 kHz, as well as future plans for the band that have yet to be fully 
characterized, Price explained. To the extent future maritime uses of 
the band have been discussed, the focus has been on the 495-505 kHz 
segment. Despite the lack of plans for the remainder of the range under 
consideration, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
 has adopted a draft position of “no change” and has communicated this 
position to the ITU. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, has met with IMO 
officials in efforts to soften this position.

     “The road to a favorable outcome for Agenda Item 1.23 at WRC-12 
remains treacherous,” Price said. “The IMO is a respected organization, 
and their opinion carries weight. It’s up to us to continue to make the 
case that a secondary allocation can be made while protecting existing 
services, both to the IMO and to the ITU Member States who will make the
 decisions at WRC-12.”
Technical Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, represented the
 ARRL on the United States delegation to the CITEL PCC.II meeting. From 
that meeting, he notes other matters of concern to the Amateur Radio 
Service:

Regarding Agenda Item 1.14, considering an allocation to the 
radiolocation service between 30-300 MHz, the United States proposed 
that no change be made in ITU Region 2 and suggested that changes in 
other regions should be addressed by country-by-country footnotes to the
 ITU Radio Regulations. Proponents appear to be focusing on 154-156 MHz.Regarding Agenda Item 1.19, considering regulatory provisions 
for software defined radio (SDR) and cognitive radio systems (CRS), 
sufficient support for a United States proposal of “no change” was 
garnered to have the proposal deemed a region-wide Inter-American 
proposal. The status quo reduces the risk of provisions in the Radio Regulations
 that could curtail experimentation in SDR and CRS by the Amateur 
Service and reduce the portability of equipment across international 
boundaries.




 		 	   		  
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