[TWIAR] New 60-Meter Band to Become Available July 3!

[Greg Williams]

NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 3, 2003--The new five-channel 60-meter amateur allocation
becomes available to US Amateur Radio operators at midnight local time on
July 3. The FCC Report and Order (R&O) granting the allocation was published
in the Federal Register, which announced the effective date today. The local
time designation means that amateurs in the US territory of Guam likely will
be the first to get a crack at the new band.

The new band will be a secondary allocation--federal government users are
primary--and the first on which the only permitted mode will be
upper-sideband (USB) phone (emission type 2K8J3E). The FCC last month
announced it would grant hams access five discrete 2.8-kHz-wide channels in
the vicinity of 5 MHz instead of the 150 kHz-wide band ARRL had
requested--and which the FCC initially proposed more than a year ago. The
ARRL remains optimistic that Amateur Radio eventually may be able to enjoy a
band segment with multiple mode privileges at 60 meters, but ARRL CEO David
Sumner, K1ZZ, has said that in the meantime hams will have to be on their
best behavior when taking advantage of the limited channelized allocation.

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

The FCC has granted amateurs 5332, 5348, 5368, 5373 and 5405 kHz--the last
channel common to the amateur experimental operation under way in the United
Kingdom. The channels will be available to General and higher class
licensees. In terms of day-to-day operation, use of the new band is expected
to resemble the sort of channel sharing typical on local repeaters.

A lengthy period of experimental operation on 5 MHz under ARRL's WA2XSY Part
5 license preceded the May R&O. Last-minute opposition last fall to the
granting of a band segment at 5 MHz came from the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which cited the
ongoing spectrum requirements of federal government licensees having
homeland security responsibilities. The NTIA administers spectrum allocated
to the federal government. A compromise between the FCC and the NTIA
resulted in the limited allocation at 60 meters.

The NTIA selected the channels the FCC authorized to minimize the
possibility of interference to federal government users. The NTIA also
dictated the use of USB only as an interoperability convenience, so that
federal government users--who also use only USB--could readily identify
amateur stations if necessary.

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, says hams hoping to operate on the
new allocation need to be very careful if they're considering modifying
their current transceiver or transmitter. The ARRL recommends that members
check with the manufacturer of their equipment regarding specific
modification information. Some modifications not only might void the
warranty on a piece of equipment but could affect or alter a transmitter's
operation in unpredictable ways.

"Hams need to be sure that any modifications put them right on the desired
channel," Hare said. The FCC, following the lead of the NTIA, has said that
the channel frequencies in the R&O are all "channel-center frequencies."

"Most hams are used to just having to think about band edges, so on other
bands, if a mod were a bit 'off,' all operators would need to ensure is that
they are not transmitting outside the band." But, Hare recommended, on 5
MHz, amateurs must be within "a few tens of Hertz" of suppressed-carrier
accuracy, and, he points out, amateurs have a mandate not to have any of
signal occupy spectrum outside the assigned 2.8 kHz channels. Additionally,
hams need to make sure before they go on the air on 60 meters that any mods
they've made do not have unintended consequences, such as spurious emissions
on non-amateur frequencies.

The NTIA advised in a letter to the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology
(OET) that users of 60 meters should set their carrier frequency 1.5 kHz
lower than the channel center frequency, according to this NTIA chart:
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




Noting that high-frequency audio response can vary considerably from radio
to radio, Hare has suggested a more conservative approach. He suggests
restricting audio bandwidth to 200 Hz on the low end, and 2800 Hz on the
high end--for a total bandwidth of 2.6 kHz. Hare notes that some
transmitters that the Lab has looked at are capable of bandwidths of 3.0 kHz
or greater.

In its letter to the FCC, the NTIA also 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." The FCC R&O set the requirement at 50 W
ERP and said it would consider a typical half-wave dipole to exhibit no
gain.

Hare said that amateurs' willingness to adhere to the channel-bandwidth and
power constraints imposed on 60 meters will be an important factor in ham
radio's use of this band--now and in the future.