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 Previous: QRP Community: DXing--A Guide for DX Success Using QRP (Part 2 of 2) | ![Next (later) Story](/images/sty-up.gif "A Field Day Mountaintop Is the Destination for the "Big Event Together""){kind=small} Next: A Field Day Mountaintop Is the Destination for the "Big Event Together" |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 24, 2003--The ARRL says two FCC-proposed actions could negatively affect Amateur Radio. One would substantially expand the geographical area in the US subject to power limitations on 70 cm. The other would deploy National Weather Service wind-profiler radars in the 448-450 MHz segment.
"The Commission has proposed two actions that have a potentially substantial adverse impact on a large number of Amateur Radio operators in this proceeding," the ARRL said in comments filed this month in ET Docket 02-305. "In each case, the Commission can minimize that impact."
In a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) late last fall, the FCC proposed on behalf of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to--among other things--more than double the size of the geographical area in New Mexico and Texas where amateurs in the 420-450 MHz band would be limited in power to protect military radiolocation service operations. Amateur transmitters in certain geographical areas already are limited to 50 W PEP unless the FCC can reach an agreement with the applicable military frequency coordinator. The NPRM also reflects action by NTIA specifying the operation of federal government wind profilers in the band 448-450 MHz.
Acknowledging that the Amateur Service is secondary to government services in the band, the ARRL nonetheless asked the FCC to ensure that the affected zone in Texas and New Mexico "is minimized as much as possible, consistent with protection of military facilities." The ARRL also requested the FCC to create "a streamlined procedure for case-by-case exemptions" from the power restrictions.
"It is difficult for ARRL to address the contention of the Army that amateur power in excess of 50 W PEP in the additional protected areas requested by the Army would cause interference to military radiolocation facilities involved in missile tracking," the League said in its comments, "because the claim made by the Army is not substantiated by any technical information."
In supporting its request via the NTIA, the Army stated that the current restriction boundaries only include the northern half of El Paso--apparently too close for comfort from New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range and to McGregor Range at Ft Bliss. "Amateur operations in the metropolitan area of Albuquerque and Santa Fe present a threat to missiles launched at Fort Wingate, New Mexico," aimed at the airspace over White Sands, the Army said. The Army also said Kirtland Air Force Base now incorporates Department of Defense test and evaluation facilities that use areas south and west of Albuquerque. "Some testing in this area is vulnerable to higher-power amateur operations," the Army said.
The League asserted that it is "most certainly a priority" of hams to avoid interfering with primary government radiolocation facilities. But, the ARRL continued, "it is not intuitively obvious" that such a large restricted area is necessary. The proposed area would include all of New Mexico and all of Texas west of 104 degrees W longitude. The ARRL said the newly proposed area is "in most respects far beyond line-of-sight paths to any military facilities" and does not take "terrain shielding factors" into account.
The ARRL asked the FCC and NTIA to cooperatively evaluate the restriction to determine whether it is, in fact, overly broad. The League also wants the FCC to come up with an expedited method of processing requests for exceptions to the restrictions.
A 50-W power restriction is "not a substantial burden" on many FM repeater users, the ARRL concluded, but it could mean lowering the outputs of some critical repeaters used for emergency and public service work or taking them off the air altogether. It also could affect so-called weak-signal, experimental and Earth-Moon-Earth operations, the ARRL said.
The ARRL estimated that 67 repeaters in the proposed region could be affected. "While not all these utilize output power above 50 W, a substantial number inevitably do and would be required to shut down or have their coverage areas substantially reduced, absent some case-by-case relief," the League's comments asserted. The ARRL offered to act as a repository for granted waivers and to keep an on-line database.
Concerning the wind profilers, the League said it had understood that the National Weather Service--which operates the radars--would notify ARRL of their locations as selected. "Ideally," the League said, "since the amateur repeaters are incumbent in the band now, the National Weather Service should select sites that minimize the effect on those repeaters."
The League said compatibility between wind profilers and amateur operations at 440-450 MHz is possible only if the radar sites are in non-metropolitan areas "and only if there is prior consultation on site selection."
Docket 02-305 is entitled "Amendment of Parts 2, 25, and 87 of the Commission's Rules to Implement Decisions from World Radiocommunication Conferences Concerning Frequency Bands Between 28 MHz and 36 GHz and to Otherwise Update the Rules in this Frequency Range." The proceeding also incorporates RM-10331, to allocate spectrum for government and nongovernment use in the radionavigation-satellite service.
The complete text of the ARRL's comments is available on the FCC Web site.
The text of the NPRM in ET Docket 02-305 is available on the FCC Web site. Comments and other documents are available via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) site. Click on "Search for Filed Comments" and enter "02-305" in the "Proceeding" field.
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