‰ NOW 35 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2013 QST PAGE 61‰ ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OKAYS FILING SYMBOL RATE ARRL GENERAL COUNSEL RECEIVES AUTHORIZATION, COMMENTS ON OTHER REGULATORY MATTERS. THE ARRL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE EC HAS AUTHORIZED ARRL GENERAL COUNSEL CHRIS IMLAY, W3KD, TO FILE A PETITION FOR RULEMAKING ON THE LEAGUES BEHALF, CALLING FOR THE DELETION OF SYMBOL RATE REFERENCES FOR DATA EMISSIONS IN THE HF BANDS. THE EC MET OCTOBER 5 IN AURORA, COLORADO. THE LEAGUES PETITION, STILL IN THE FINAL STAGES OF PREPARATION, WOULD SUBSTITUTE AN AUTHORIZED BANDWIDTH OF 2R8 KHZ FOR ALL DATA EMISSIONS IN THE BANDS BELOW 30 MHZ. CURRENT FCC RULES LIMIT DATA EMISSIONS TO A SYMBOL RATE OF 300 BAUD BELOW 28 MHZ AND TO 1200 BAUD ON 10 METERS. THE CURRENT LIMITS DATE TO 1980, WHEN US AMATEURS FIRST WERE AUTHORIZED TO USE ASCII, REFLECTING THE STATE OF THE ART BACK THEN, WHICH, THE LEAGUE POINTS OUT, HAS BEEN OVERTAKEN BY TECHNOLOGY. AT ITS JULY MEETING, THE ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE AD HOC SYMBOL RATE RULE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE, DIRECTED IMLAY TO DRAFT A PETITION FOR RULEMAKING WITH THE FCC SEEKING TO MODIFY 97R307F OF THE AMATEUR SERVICE RULES TO DELETE ALL REFERENCES TO SYMBOL RATE. THE PETITION WILL ASK THE FCC TO APPLY TO ALL AMATEUR DATA EMISSIONS BELOW 29R7 MHZ THE EXISTING BANDWIDTH LIMIT, PER 97R303H, OF 2R8 KHZ. IN DIGITAL SYSTEMS SYMBOL RATE REFERS TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES PER SECOND THAT A CHANGE ‰ END OF 35 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ