[AMRadio] Is AM a special case, or is it "just another mode"?

[Bry Carling]

It sounds like another pointless restriction to me. It will hurt some of the more robust digital signals like MT63. That was probably the best digital mode ever invented. However it has been ignored and marginalized for the most part by amateur radio publications.


Douglas Burlew <dburlew at nmax.net> wrote:
>The proposed petition mentioned in Sumner's editorial is going to raise
>more 
>than a few eyebrows.
>
>Some salient passages:
>
>"At the present time the only bandwidth limits on amateur HF digital 
>transmissions that are contained
>in the FCC Rules are on automatically controlled digital stations
>operating 
>outside narrow designated
>subbands (Section 97.221 imposes a 500 Hz bandwidth limit on these
>stations) 
>and on stations
>operating in the five channels of the 60 meter band (up to 2.8 kHz
>bandwidth 
>is permitted, per
>Section 97.303(h))."
>
>"The committe recommended that a Petition for Rule Making be prepared 
>seeking the deletion of all
>references to symbol rate from Section 97.307(f) and the adoption of a 
>bandwidth limit of 2.8 kHz
>for amateur data emissions below 29.7 MHz. The Board adopted the
>committee's 
>recommendations.
>No timetable has been set for the filing of this petition, which first
>will 
>be reviewed by the ARRL
>Executive Committee."
>
>"It is important to note that the limit would apply only to data modes
>in 
>the subbands where RTTY
>and data are authorized emission types and not to either analog or
>digital 
>phone emissions."
>
>"Some will argue that 2.8 kHz is too confining, others that is is
>excessive. 
>Those positions were
>taken into account by both the ad hoc committee and the Board. Once the
>
>petition is filed and
>assuming the FCC does not dismiss it out of hand- as indeed it should
>not, 
>given that the existing'
>rules clearly need to be fixed- there will be additional opportunities
>for 
>those arguments to be
>heard."
>
>Biggest problem for AM is at 160 meters. The entire band is authorized
>for 
>RTTY and data.
>If my understanding is correct, 2.8 kHz wide automatically-controlled 
>digital stations would be
>permitted to operate the entire band.
>
>Although it does not affect AM, all of the 30 meter band is authorized
>for 
>RTTY and data
>so that band could see a big change from the way it is utilized today.
>
>What are thought of as 'CW bands' at 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10
>meters 
>are also authorized
>for RTTY and data. They could face the wrath of 2.8 kHz wide 
>automatically-controlled
>digital stations, with 80 through 17 meters potentially subject to the
>worst 
>effects from harmful
>interference. The 40 meter CW-RTTY-data subband is particularly messy
>at 
>night in recent years
>for a variety of reasons. This proposed petition has the potential to
>worsen 
>an already-bad
>situation.
>
>At this time it appears the proposed petition is for the benefit of
>PacTOR 
>III/Winlink 2000
>manufacturers, network administrators, and users. ARRL, owing to it's
>roots, 
>perhaps feels
>this is a way to get back into the traffic game in a meaningful way.
>The 
>availability of
>commercial email for the general public, including amateur radio
>operators, 
>doomed the Radiogram.
>
>Without footnoting AM the proposed petition is another attempt at much
>the 
>same objectives as
>the failed RM-11306. Only instead of this time just AM operators facing
>
>burdensome regulation, AM,
>SSB, and CW operators will be subject to "rotten QRM" from 2.8 kHz wide
>
>automatically-controlled
>digital stations that do not play nice in the sandbox.
>
>I expect once this petition is revealed there will be quite a ruckus
>from 
>some of the more prominent
>DXers and contesters, many of whom donate generously to ARRL.
>
>73
>
>Doug-  W3DBB
>
>
>
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