RSGB 8m letter

This was sent to the RSGB's General Manager yesterday, with a request to forward it to the VHF manager. I am awaiting a reply. Any reply will be posted here. 

I thought just 5 kHz was the minimum. I hope OFCOM sees fit to allocate far more. Mind you, exactly what is our hobby about?  Discussing gardens with commercial gear on 80m? 😁😩

As someone who really wants to see self-training and radio science progress, I feel deeply that the RSGB and OFCOM are miles off target on this!!

Please contact the RSGB with your views.

"Dear Sir/Madam

Please would you clarify the position of the RSGB on a possible amateur band at 8m?  

It would appear both the RSGB and OFCOM are against this. Instead, true experimenters (like me) keen on self training have had to apply for, and pay £50 annually, to be able to do this.

As a retired senior manager in the communications industry, I am only too aware of the shortage in the UK of decent RF engineers, so I would have expected both the RSGB and OFCOM to support this.

The oft used phrase is "not more of the same".

These are my proposals:

• 40.680-40.685 MHz (just 5 kHz wide band)
• narrow digital modes only (no speech)
• available by NoV only
• power restricted
• strictly non interference
• secondary allocation.

If the RSGB actively supported this, it would certainly advance radio science and self training, in a way that discussing allotments on 80m with commercial gear cannot. Not only that, OFCOM has released 2000 kHz of VHF spectrum for amateur DATV experiments, which is great. This 8m band would be just 5 kHz wide for serious research and self training, which is what our hobby is surely about. 

With no commercial gear available except by modification and with no speech, only true experimenters are likely to apply for 8m NoVs.

With 2.5W and a low wire dipole I have reached 3 continents and 16 countries on 8m FT8 with my 8m T&I permit. It would be good to have a tiny amateur band at 8m to advance self training and radio science.

Your response is eagerly awaited. This would most definitely NOT be "more of the same". 8m is at the very boundary where HF meets VHF and is therefore ripe for research.

73s

Roger Lapthorn G3XBM"