[SFDXA] 160M under assault, have you commented?

[Norm Alexander]

I am sure those who are 160 enthusiasts are well aware of this FCC issue. However many of us operate on that band for contests and pursuit of awards and may not be aware of this important issue, and I for one was not aware of the request for comment.  Comments on use of the upper part of the band by navigation aides (Loran again)is the issue.

 
Regards,


Norm
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160 Meters FCC Comments   

Hi All: I grabbed this off of W3UR's daily bulletin. I was not aware of 
any of this, especially in that it appears that the top half of 160 is 
in play, unless I am reading it wrong. The fact that Frank Donovan seems concerned about a lack of comments caught my attention. I will study 
the proposal and file comments accordingly.  However, if you already 
filed comments on this, I'd appreciate a look at your submission so I 
have an idea on what I should focus my comments on. 73--Wally W9BEA   
Topband
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W3LPL notes time is running out to file comments with the US FCC
opposing changes to 1900-2000, the upper half of the current 160M
band.  If radiolocation is allowed to move back into the 1900-2000
spectrum, it could force activity up there to squeeze back down into
1800-1900 kHz which, Frank says, could mean we “kiss topband DXing
goodbye.”  He notes, “If you never experienced LORAN, it was a
DISASTER, with S9+60 dB noise all over the band, 24/7!”  February 25
is the deadline.  Comments go to:
 http://apps. fcc.gov/ecfs/ comment/view? id=6017162926.
 
Additionally, Frank notes that so far the response from the amateur
community has been disappointing.  “Let’s not give the FCC the
impression that few hams care about maintaining and preserving our
top band.”  Here is another variant of the filing web address:
 http://apps. fcc.gov/ecfs/ proceeding/ view?name= 12-338 and online
instructions on how to file:
 http://apps. fcc.gov/ecfs/ userManual/ ecfsmanual. jsp.
 
As far as I know, there should be nothing preventing our
international readers from also filing their views.  Perhaps we can
get further clarification on this in the next day or two, from Frank,
Bernie and others.
 
My own argument is that these bits of spectrum used by hams are
tantamount to the “national parks” (even “international parks”), the
bits preserved for the enjoyment of ordinary individuals.  The
militaries, governments and commercial interests have their large
“tracts.”  We have these little bits.  They should be preserved and
kept “unpolluted,” as a global resource. 
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Relayed from the Topband reflector.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces@ contesting. com] On Behalf Of Anthony
Scandurra
Sent: February 09, 2013 14:38
To: k4eg at yahoogroups. com; PVRC; Frankford Radio Club; topband at contesting. com
Subject: Topband: Have you filed comments to FCC's proposed changes to
1900-2000 kHz yet?
 
This is a rewrite of Don Chester' s excellent posting he made to the Top Bandreflector.  It contains simplified instructions for filing you own comments.
Thank you, Don, for reminding us all about this!!!
 
The deadline is the 25th of this month.  Just 16 more days left!
 
Even if you have zero interest on what goes on in the top half of our
160 Meter band, its still crucial to get this passed.  In the unlikely event
that radio location beacons will ever return, it would impact all users of
the band, with everyone trying to squeeze into the bottom
100 KHz. This may be our only window of opportunity to regain primary status
across the entire band.
 
Here's how to file online.  It's really easy!
 
Click on this link:
 
 http://apps. fcc.gov/ecfs/ proceeding/ view?name= 12-338
 
You can view the comments others have filed by clicking on the blue circle
with an "i" in it in the column on the left labelled "Recent Public
Filings" .  If you need ideas about what to write, you can get them from
filings made by other hams.
 
To submit your own filing, write a letter of your own in a word processor
like WordPad (comes with every version of Windows since the early 90s),
Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or AbiWord.  If your word processor supports it,
save it in PDF format (Word, AbiWord and OpenOffice all do).
 
Then, go to this link:
 
 http://apps. fcc.gov/ecfs/ upload/begin? procName= 12-338&filedFrom =E
 
Fill out all of the required fields (the ones with red asterisks next to
them - there are only five).  You can leave all the other fields blank.
Attach your document using the "Choose File" button at the bottom.
 
Let's not give the FCC the impression that few hams care about maintaining
and preserving Top Band.
 
73, Tony K4QE
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Topband Reflector