FCC proposed reallocation of 160 meters.

[KD8Z]

The FCC has proposed a change, indeed a reallocation removing 160 from the Amateur Band.

http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-seeks-to-assign-entire-amateur-portion-of-160-meter-band-to-primary-status-to-amateur-radio-serv

[KD8Z]

http://www.eham.net/articles/29373

More reference info!

[N7SMI]

Perhaps I am misinterpreting your comment, but the FCC is not "removing 160 from the Amateur Band". Instead, they are proposing reallocating a portion of the band (from 1900-2000 kHz) so that hams have primary usage. Currently the Radionavigation Service has primary usage, meaning that amateur radio must not interfere with them in this space. This change would mean that this portion of the band (like the lower portion - 1800-1900 kHz) will be primarily devoted to amateur radio.

[KD8Z]

It's been a long day and I must have read it completely incorrect.  I do that sometimes when the moon is full and I am howling.  hihi

[AF5C]

They have also proposed another new ham band for us.  So much for us losing all of our frequencies to commercial interests.

John AF5CC

[G3RZP]

The 137kHz band was allocated for amateurs at the WRC in 2007. With the FCC, it's very much a case of 'The mills of God grind slowly'

[K1CJS]

More of a case of a snail getting from New York City to Los Angeles--eventually!   

[AF5C]

Hey, its a new band!  Let's hope we get it.  Don't see myself getting on it anytime soon, but would love to try someday.  Maybe we will get 500khz sooner or later also.

73 John AF5CC

[G3RZP]

We got a band at 470kHz allocated  this year at the WRC. When the Administrations get around to authorising use in any particular country is another matter, and historically, the FCC is very slow at almost everything.

Probably a case of too many lawyers......

[K1CJS]

No, it's a case of paying attention to revenue producing activities.  Ham radio is at the BOTTOM of that list....

[AA4HA]

Being promoted to the primary users of that chunk of '160 is a great thing. It is nice that we have not been entirely forgotten as the spectrum allocation to radio-location is shifting.

Even with how great GPS is I believe that aviation and maritime navigation should remain some capabilities to RDF to LF-HF fixed transmitters (commercial AM broadcast or beacons).

[G3RZP]

How many pilots could actually use a LF/MF beacon for doing a hold these days? The ones I speak to say they have basically forgotten how, as they have had no occasion to do so for many years. Now admittedly that's in Europe, but NDBs are disappearing at quite a rate except perhaps in Siberia and the areas around there.

VOR is preferred.

[KG4RUL]

How many pilots could actually use a LF/MF beacon for doing a hold these days? The ones I speak to say they have basically forgotten how, as they have had no occasion to do so for many years. Now admittedly that's in Europe, but NDBs are disappearing at quite a rate except perhaps in Siberia and the areas around there.

VOR is preferred.

Unless the VOR is malfunctioning as happened on November 15 2012 at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina.  Some trucks being used by construction crews at the airport were parked too near to the VOR site and were distorting the radiated pattern.  This caused a myriad of flights to be diverted or cancelled.  It took about a day for the experts to figure out that it was the trucks and not an equipment malfunction.

[G3RZP]

There's the move to GPS of course, which gets around some problems. But LF NDBs had their own...

[K4KYV]

That news headline was poorly worded.  I have heard more than one ham say they thought it meant that 1900-2000 was going to be "reallocated" and that we were going to lose it.

Here is some more information, including links.

In ET Docket 12-338 the FCC proposes to upgrade the secondary amateur service allocation in the 1900-2000 kHz band segment to primary status, providing amateur radio operators nearly exclusive use of the band. At present, amateur use of the top half of the 160m band is on a secondary basis, shared with Radiolocation beacons that have priority over amateurs on any shared frequency.

With the availability of the GPS satellite system for civilian use, radiolocation beacons have virtually disappeared from the 1705-1800 kHz and 1900-2000 kHz bands, but our "secondary" status on 1900-2000 remains, leaving us vulnerable to the whims of Radiolocation interests in the event that they, for whatever reason, might decide to once again operate beacons in our band.

The FCC is now accepting comments from interested parties. I would encourage everyone who has any interest in 160m to file comments of your own in support of this proposal. Comments already submitted on all proposals contained in the Docket may be viewed at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/proceeding/view?name=12-338

Rulemaking proposal ET-Docket 12-338 may be viewed in its entirety at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=6017137896 For specifics on the 160m proposal, scroll down to page 11, beginning at paragraph 20.

ET-Docket 12-338 may be viewed also at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022061247 or downloaded in PDF form at http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db1119/FCC-12-140A1.pdf


Here's an example of the kind of opposition we may be up against, who may file comments in opposition to the NPRM, since Lindgren Pittman Inc. likely won't want to recall and re-program units they have already sold. This makes it all the more imperative that the amateur community come up with some good well thought out responses to the FCC.  What I wonder is why they didn't program the units sold in the US to operate in 1705-1800 in the first place, since that segment appears to be completely vacant, rather than risk being overpowered by hams who might not even hear them, in a shared band.

http://www.blueoceantackle.com/longline_reels_and_equipment.htm

But this is encouraging:

Hyperfix is a land-based, short-range, mediumwave, navigation system formerly marketed by Racal (now Thales). It was very popular with offshore oil drilling operators, and also used by a few navies. Frequencies are between about 1600 and 2500 kHz...
Hyperfix is rapidly being replaced by differential GPS. The once-loud chain in Los Angeles appears to have been shut down a year or two ago.  

http://www.ominous-valve.com/hyperfix.html


For information on the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System go to http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/

For detailed instructions on how to file comments using ECFS, go to http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/userManual/ecfsmanual.jsp

The International Telecommunications Union frequency allocation chart may be viewed at http://www.kloth.net/radio/freq-itu.php

Comments submitted so far addressing 160m reallocation may be viewed at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=6017141101
and http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7022074440

I wouldn't suggest writing in gobbledygook as the first writer did. Notice that the second one is simple and to the point, no attempts at legalese. This is what the FCC is looking for. The writer should have included his name and address instead of just a call sign, though.


Don k4kyv