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 Previous: The K7RA Solar Update |  Next: Amateur Radio Service Named Volunteer Group of the Year by Marine Corps Marathon |
The 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is set to begin Monday, October 22, running through Friday, November 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the more than 2700 attendees will be the IARU WRC-07 core team headed by IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, and including IARU Vice President Tim Ellam, VE6SH; IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ; IARU Region 2 President Reinaldo Leandro, YV5AMH; Ken Pulfer, VE3PU; Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, and Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS/F5VKP.
While most of the 28 agenda items under consideration at WRC-07 do not directly affect Amateur Radio, several proposals of particular interest to radio amateurs will be considered during the four weeks of the conference. Heading the list is the possibility of a new, secondary allocation to the Amateur Service just above 5 MHz.
The administration of Mexico has proposed modifying the Table of Frequency Allocations to provide for a worldwide, secondary allocation to the Amateur Service at 5.260-5.410 MHz, with the fixed and mobile (except aeronautical mobile) services remaining primary. This frequency range includes the five spot frequencies that amateurs in the US are allowed to use under restrictions designed to protect federal government operations. Recognizing the need to improve the reliability of amateur communication in emergencies, several other administrations have made similar provisions for their amateurs on a domestic basis.
"Recent natural disasters have again demonstrated the value of the Amateur Service in providing communications in the affected area when other communication infrastructures are unavailable," the proposal from Mexico states. "This highlights the need for reliable amateur communications round the clock, under changing propagation conditions during solar cycles." When the Maximum Useable Frequency (MUF) is below 7 MHz and the Lowest Useable Frequency (LUF) is too far above 3.8 MHz, it is difficult for communication to be supported in the 3.8 MHz band using typical amateur power levels and antennas. The proposal cites experiments demonstrating the value of the 5 MHz band and showing that amateurs can operate there without causing harmful interference to the primary services.
Some European administrations are taking a slightly different approach toward the same objective. A European Common Proposal has been submitted to add a footnote reading, "Administrations may allow stations in the Amateur Service to operate in the band 5260-5410 kHz on a secondary basis. Stations shall not use a radiated power exceeding 24 dBW [250 W]."
Cuba proposes addressing the need for an amateur allocation in the vicinity of 5 MHz by placing it on the agenda of the next WRC, now scheduled for 2011.
According to IARU Secretary Sumner, "The IARU is grateful to these administrations for putting forward their proposals, as well as to other administrations that already have expressed their support. Because of renewed interest in HF communication among government agencies and the military and pressure from HF broadcasters for more spectrum, we know it will not be easy to achieve this allocation."
The conference will also consider a secondary allocation to the amateur service of 135.7-137.8 kHz. The Amateur Service currently has no frequency allocations lower than 1.8 MHz. With today's widespread use of digital technology, Sumner said, amateurs can now make use of weaker signals than ever before. "This opens a window of opportunity for amateurs to conduct technical investigations in the low-frequency range." More than 20 governments have already allowed individuals, most of them Amateur Radio operators, to experiment on frequencies between 73 and 200 kHz; 15 European governments allow amateur operations on 135.7-137.8 kHz. There is considerable support for this allocation in proposals from a large number of administrations.
Planning for WRC-11
Four items are on the IARU "wish list" of agenda items for consideration at the next WRC, possibly in 2011:
• In IARU Region 1 (Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa), allocate 50-54 MHz (6 meters), as is already done in Region 2 and Region 3. The United States is a member of Region 2.
• Allocate 495-510 kHz to the Amateur Service on either a primary or secondary basis. This will permit the development of reliable groundwave systems for disaster relief and provide a spectrum for experimentation with digital signal processing.
• Continue to allow amateurs access to frequencies at regular intervals above 275 GHz, keeping in mind allocations and protections to other services. The IARU suggests providing specific allocations to the Amateur Service, as established at WARC-79, of "relatively narrow, primary bands adjacent to wider, secondary bands."
• If the ITU Member States decide to review HF allocations at WRC-11, the IARU asks for consideration of expansion of the amateur bands near 10, 14 and 18 MHz in order to better accommodate increased activity. Sumner notes that consideration of HF issues at WRC-11 is by no means certain.
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