[South Florida DX Association] Special announcement from RAST

[Bill Marx]

Thanks to Champ EI4EIC
73,
Tony N2MFT

Tony Waltham
Subject: Special announcement from RAST


               WARC bands authorised in new Amateur Radio Act

Thailand's Intermediate and Advanced class radio amateurs are now permitted
to operate on the so-called WARC bands (10-, 18- and 24-MHz) as well as in
windows in the CW portion of the 80-metre ( 3.5-MHz) and 160-metre (1.8-MHz)
bands on a permanent basis. The authorisation, granted in a new Act
governing amateur radio in Thailand by the National Telecommunications
Commission (NTC), follows years of lobbying by the Radio Amateur Society of
Thailand (RAST). The details were published in the Royal Gazette on October
11, 2007, becoming effective the following day.

Up until this announcement, which is part of a complete revision and
consolidation of amateur radio regulations by the NTC, Thai radio
amateurs had only been able to operate on the 80- and 160-metre bands during
international contests on weekends, while the WARC bands had been only
authorised by the Thai authorities for use during certain special event
stations on a few occasions.

Special permission to operate on the low bands during contests had been
sought by RAST on an annual basis for more than five years to allow its
members to compete internationally while also serving to demonstrate that
there was no interference to other services. Specifically, the increase in
HF spectrum allocated to amateur radio in Thailand is from 1.800 to
1.825MHz, 3.500 to 3.540 MHz, 10.100 to 10.150 MHz, 18.068 to 18.168 and
24.890 to 24.990 MHz and operators should respect the International Amateur
Radio Union Region 3 band plan.

No changes were made to the VHF bands, where 6-metres (50-54 MHz) and 1,240
MHz are still off-limits and 430-MHz (70-cm) is authorised for monitoring
only, such as to listen to satellite downlinks. Two metres (144-MHz) is
channelised and minor amendments were made to repeater allocations.

The full 37-page announcement of the NTC's Amateur Radio Act of 2007 is
published in the Thai-language on the web at
http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2550/E/152/10.PDF . The Radio
Amateur Society of Thailand, which is under the Royal
Patronage of His Majesty the King, will make an unofficial translation
available soon as well as explaining some of the points in more detail at
its website: www.qsl.net/rast

Under the new regulations, all club stations in the provinces were also
given 180 days to register as a society which must have a minimum of 20
members, while there is a requirement that each club station must operate
for at least three hours a day, which is a reduction from eight hours under
the previous regulations.

The syllabus for the amateur radio examination has been revised and a new
requirement for Intermediate class operators who are able to operate on HF
frequencies is that they must be at least 15 years old. Morse code is
retained as a requirement for the Intermediate class licence with the
proficiency in sending and receiving being set at eight words a minute.

As word of the new regulations and of activity by HS and E2 stations on the
WARC bands spread after several of Thailand's amateur radio operators began
making contacts, so the pile-ups began. Thailand and CQ Zone 26 are in
high-demand by award-chasers, both on the WARC bands as well as 80- and
160-metres.

Prepared by Tony, HS0ZDX
RAST International Liaison
October 16, 2007

=============================
Champ C. Muangamphun, E21EIC/KB1OVL
Also: XW1IC,XU7ADE, /9M2, /VR2, /PY2
ex: XZ0A, XW1HS, 9M4JB, 9M0SEA, XU7POS, PS2T, XV9TH, etc