[CW] RSGB 500kHz Band Proposal

[Fred Adsit]

>From latest ARRL Bulletin:

* RSGB proposes 500 kHz amateur band for UK: The Radio Society of Great
Britain (RSGB) has proposed allowing radio amateurs in the UK to operate
either 501-504 kHz or 508-515 kHz at a power of 10 W EIRP. "The
allocation, if accepted, would extend amateurs' experimental work on other
low and medium frequencies and thus aid understanding of propagation in
those parts of the spectrum," the RSGB said. The RSGB proposed the two
band options since they are no longer used for maritime telegraphy in the
Western Hemisphere, their usage for nondirectional aeronautical beacons is
being phased out and the frequencies also are not likely to be reallocated
to another service anytime in the near future. The Wireless Institute of
Australia (WIA) recently announced plans to request the Australian
Communications Authority (ACA) to establish an experimental amateur
allocation at 500 kHz. The RSGB says its proposal was drafted in
consultation with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1
500 kHz Working group, formed following World Radiocommunication
Conference 2003 (WRC-03) by the RSGB and chaired by the Union of Belgian
Radio Amateurs UBA. The Working Group includes representatives from all
three IARU regions. The IARU also favors a worldwide Amateur Radio band at
135.7 to 137.8 kHz and is seeking support for such an allocation at
WRC-07. Further details of the RSGB 500 kHz proposal are on the RSGB
Spectrum Forum Web site <http://www.rsgb-spectrumforum.org.uk/mf.htm>.