[AReU] SSB and AM Change

[Bob Haynes]

Subject: SSB and AM Change 


Here is an EXTREMELY important message from John
This is pure awful! - not the delay, but the new regulation planned for a year from now.
I wonder if any electronics company will be selling a digital converter (similar in function to a transverter) - they came up with a good and affordable digital converter for Analog TV.

MY CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE:
Imagine the chaos if FCC ever requires two meters and UHF to go 100% digital!
I could just imagine the chaos on 2 meters if a killer hurricane came to our community and the digital stations and "old" analog equipment could not communicate with each other.  
I would think there would be a whole lot less two meter repeaters if they had to be digital.  
We've got to stop this train.

73,
Bob WB4AKA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John - AI4FR 
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; 
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 10:46 AM
Subject: FCC Delays SSB and AM Change 


Say what?? How can they expect us to go along with this? This is crazy and just not right. I love digital communications but others do not and I really feel for them folks that one, do not care much for digital, and two, being forced to buy more equipment. I bet there will be a ton of folks breaking the rules on this one!!! The ARRL link to the story is at the bottom. Be sure to click on it so you can add your thoughts as I did.

John




FCC Delays SSB and AM Change (Apr 1, 2009) -- The FCC announced April 1 that the scheduled mandatory changeover of SSB and AM HF voice communications in the Amateur Radio Service has been delayed for one year; originally scheduled to begin April 1, 2009, the new changes will now take effect April 1, 2010. 

Under the plan, originally approved by Congress during the Clinton Administration, all Amateur Radio voice communication in the HF spectrum (3-30 MHz) will adopt digital voice technologies, reducing the bandwidth of typical QSOs from an average of 2.4 kHz to an average of 1.5 kHz. 

No particular protocol is specified -- amateurs can use any method they desire as long as it is digital. During the transition period, 20 meter nets have been assigned temporary frequencies in the 10 meter band for their analog (SSB or AM) operations; they have also temporarily been allowed to use up to 10 kW due to limited propagation on that band. Note that 160 meters is not included in this changeover, as it -- being below 3 MHz -- is an MF, rather than an HF band. 

As previously announced by ARRL, QSLs for 10 meter contacts using the temporarily authorized higher power will not count toward DXCC. 

For more information, please click here.
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/04/01/FCC_Delay/