[ETSList] New 60 Meter Amateur Band Info

[Drew_Moore]

60-Meter Operation to Require Operator Prudence, Caution:
When the five channels of the new 60-meter amateur allocation become
available later this year, Amateur Radio operators will have to learn some
new operating habits and adopt some new on-the-air attitudes. The limited
spectrum and stringent bandwidth requirements will mean amateurs will have
to demonstrate their best behavior and operating skills if the Amateur
Service ever hopes to get an actual band segment at 60 meters.

"In terms of Amateur Radio spectrum, we usually say, 'Use it or lose it,'"
said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "The watchword for 60-meter operators
should be, 'Misuse it and lose it.'"

The channelized scheme--similar to the 5-MHz experimental operation under
way in the United Kingdom http://www.rsgb-hfc.org.uk/5mhz.htm -- puts
unfamiliar technical compliance demands on US hams who have, until now, not
had to worry much about frequency stability or transmitted audio bandwidth.
The FCC has granted amateurs 5332, 5348, 5368, 5373, and 5405 kHz--the last
channel common to the UK experimental operation's band plan. These are all
"channel center frequencies," the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) said in a March 13 letter to FCC Office of
Engineering and Technology (OET) Chief Edmond J. Thomas. The NTIA, which
administers federal government spectrum, opposed allocation of an actual ham
band citing the ongoing spectrum requirements of federal licensees with
homeland security responsibilities. The channels will be available to
General and higher class licensees.

The NTIA says that hams planning to operate on 60 meters "must assure that
their signal is transmitted on the channel center frequency." In general,
the NTIA has advised, users should set their carrier frequency 1.5 kHz lower
than the channel center frequency. According to the NTIA:

      Channel Center
     Amateur Tuning Frequency

      5332 kHz
     5330.5 kHz

      5348 kHz
     5346.5 kHz

      5368 kHz
     5366.5 kHz

      5373 kHz
     5371.5 kHz

      5405 kHz (common US/UK)
     5403.5 kHz



ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, says the assignment of
these channels implies that amateurs now must adhere to certain frequency
tolerances for their use. While the international Radio Regulations don't
list these for the Amateur Service, he notes, they do stipulate tolerances
on the order of 20 to 50 Hz for other services.

"We haven't been told anything specific about frequency tolerances for these
channels but would probably annoy federal regulators if we strayed any more
than 50 Hz from the assigned carrier frequencies," Rinaldo cautioned.

Keeping one's audio within the 2.8-kHz wide channel to comply with the
2K8J3E emission specification is another important issue. ARRL Laboratory
Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, believes prudence calls for not having baseband
audio below 200 Hz nor greater than 2800 Hz--for a total bandwidth of 2.6
kHz. "That will probably keep us out of trouble," he said. Noting that the
high-frequency response "can vary a lot from radio to radio," however, Hare
recommended that amateurs play it conservatively.

Additionally, the FCC has restricted operation to USB only, with a maximum
effective radiated power (ERP) of 50 W. The USB-only requirement stemmed
from NTIA interoperability concerns. The NTIA wanted to make sure that
federal users could copy and, if necessary, identify any amateur station
using one of the 60-meter channels. As a result, the 60-meter frequencies
will become the only ones available to the general amateur community that do
not permit CW operation.

For the sake of this particular grant, the FCC said it would consider a
half-wave dipole to have a gain of 0 dBd. In its letter to the FCC, the NTIA
stipulated that radiated power should not exceed "the equivalent of 50 W PEP
transmitter output power into an antenna with a gain of 0 dBd."

"Although this is less spectrum than the American Radio Relay League
petition requested, this is the best we can do pending a definition of
Homeland Security HF requirements," concluded Fredrick R. Wentland in the
NTIA's letter to the FCC's OET.

Sumner has predicted that, over time, amateurs can and will "develop a
record of disciplined, responsible use of the five channels in the public
interest that will justify another look at these rather severe initial
restrictions."

Just when amateurs will get their first crack at 60 meters is not yet clear.
The changes to Part 97 go into effect 30 days after publication of the
Report and Order (R&O) in The Federal Register, which has not yet happened.
Publication could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. ARRL will
announce a specific date as soon as it's known.


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