5 Apr 2015

More news on South African 8m band (40MHz)

Read it first hand in: www.icasa.org.za/Portals/0/Regulations/Working%20Docmuents/Radio%20Frequency%20Spectrum%20Regulations/RFSR2015.pdf

In South Africa the latest radio regulations permit the use by radio amateurs of 26dBW (400W) on a 10kHz wide band 40.675 - 40.685MHz "for propagation studies only".    Now this is exactly what OFCOM should have done in the interest of real radio-science research.  Personally I think a wider band would be better, but how far sighted to allocate this at all.  Well done S.Africa.

OK, I  could pay £50 for a special research permit, but this is exactly what radio amateurs need for real self training and radio-science research.  The take-up might be small, but real research would take place.

OFCOM/RSGB - how about it please? You have just allocated 2MHz (2 chunks of 1MHz) of spectrum that will be used by just a handful mainly for DTV tests.  How about a much smaller slice somewhere really useful in the radio spectrum? 40MHz is mid-way between 10m and 6m, so ideal for Es tests and TEP tests over the equator.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Roger,

Which bit of the 40MHz spectrum would you suggest ?

Grabbed from:-

http://ukspec.tripod.com/spectrum.html

36.7 Cordless domestic audio devices, & 37.1 (18kHz bandwidth each)
commonly stereo left/right, deregulated, 10 micro-Watts max

39.0= MBC Meteor Burst Comms, to 39.2= (8x 25kHz : 39.0125 to 39.1875) 500-1600km range
now changed their minds to (7x 25kHz : 39.025 to 39.175)
Proposed wideband systems at 37MHz

39.9375...phone handsets, to 40.1125 - see 31.0375

40.050 GB3RAL Beacon
40.500 Distress, Rescue (often wrongly listed as 40.050) 40.5 x 3 = 121.5

40.66=..ISM, to 40.7= (40.68 +/- 20kHz; = 3 x 13.56) DEC(01)03 SRD ** proposed new Euro amateur beacons band **
40.665, 40.675, 40.685, 40.695 Baby Alarms, etc.
40.665..Surface models, to 40.995 (34x 10kHz) 100mW cars and boats channels 665 to 995
40MHz, 41MHz (France)

41= ... Harmonised Military Band (EU1)

46·5=.. meteor burst communications, to 47= UK 46.4, 46.95, 46.975

Looks pretty full to me, lots of domestic low power use all around that band. I don't think OFCOM would be too keen to allocate around that band. One or two beacons in defined locations may be OK, but lots of users in an urban environment is not a good mix.

WRT 60MHz that's a lot more likely

53.75=..JFMG, to 55.75= - links (5W)
53.8 low power (10mW) 50kHz conference/touring, and 54.1 54.3 54.7 55.4 55.5



Band I 55.75000 - 68.00000 MHz ... channels will be made available to CBS & PBR services...
... No assignments at present... 380 dual channels

Here is an early plan, more recently 62.75-67.75 is one block with -7 split

55.75=... PBR, see 62.75

ITT Industries Ltd (0787664) 25kHz
56.2125 56.2625 56.3125 56.3625

57.5=...CBS (planned), to 60.75= (split +7: 64.5 -67.75)
60.050 GB3RAL Beacon
60.75=..JFMG links (5W)
61.2 Audio Distribution & 61.7, 62.3, 62.7
62.75=..PBR (planned), to 64.5= (split -7: 55.75-57.50)
64.5=... CBS, see 57.5=

This is an allocation that the DATV'ers have already suggested would be useful, so maybe it would be worthwhile keeping them on side :-)

Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

Anonymous said...

Needs to be enough to fit in at least
10 x AM QSO's ;-)

Roger G3XBM said...

Busy, but mainly non-protected services? Try for ANY allocation 40-41MHz on a shared basis? ERP limits possibly too? If we got 50-100kHz in that range it could be useful. 40.38-98 that would be ideal. WSPR beacons/users could all coexist in a 200Hz wide slot. If model boats can have a slice then surely there is a sound case for a tiny amateur allocation around 40MHz? Around 60MHz is less useful but a 100kHz slot would be good?

Roger G3XBM said...

Personally, I'd be very happy with a narrow TX bandwidth restriction e.g. CW and narrow digital modes only.

Plenty of space for AM on 10m, 6m,4m,2m and even on 70cms. No, 8m should be for real experimenters interested primarily in propagation in my view. 50-100kHz dedicated to radio-science would be my dream.

I think whoever was advocating 10 AM channels was trying to wind me up!