On Tue, Apr 06, 2010 at 10:10:22AM -0400, KH6TY wrote: > Yes, do it! I just received this response from ARRL: > > Thank you for taking the time to respond to the ARRL's invitation > to submit comments on the IARU Region 2 Band Plans to the ARRL Ad > Hoc Band Planning Committee. Your comments will be read and > considered by committee members as they prepare recommended ARRL > positions for the Region 2 Conference later this year.
I just submitted this; no response yet: TO: ARRL BOARD OF DIRECTORS' BAND PLANNING COMMITEE REPRESENTING USA FOR IARU REGION 2 BANDPLAN COMMITTEE ARRL, NEWINGTON, CT, USA From: Mike Andrews, W5EGO Bonnie Crystal, KQ6XA, submitted the following proposal to you at the last possible instant, so as to preclude or forestall comment or opposition within the time limits established by the ARRL BoD for submission of recommendations, supporting comments, or opposition. I oppose her recommendation in its entirety. Ms. Crystal would reserve roughly 15% of each HF band for robot stations, and -- if I judge rightly -- about 50% of 30 meters, an already narrow band. Automatic stations already are a blight on the amateur bands, transmitting without regard to existing traffic, disrupting existing communications, and thereby operating in conflict with accepted amateur radio practice and FCC rules. In the event of an emergency, up to 100% of the amateur bands are available for emergency traffic. Ms. Crystal would carve out an excessive and unreasonably large part of each band outside emergencies for stations which _might_, during an emergency, be called on to carry such traffic. Ms. Crystal appears to have determined to carry the flag of EMCOMM to the exclusion of other amateur radio communications modes, almost all of them of far longer standing, and to the detriment of amateurs not involved in her own particular sub-branch of the hobby that is amateur radio. Her plan is excessive in its scope, but far too limited in its vision, and should not be implemented as submitted. I was taught, when I was growing up, that if something was working well enough, one shouldn't tinker with it. The current band plan for HF is, indeed, working well enough, and should not be tinkered with. : FROM: BONNIE CRYSTAL KQ6XA, : International Coordinator, Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN) : : DATE: 05 APRIL 2010 : : SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION FOR CHANGE TO IARU REGION 2 BANDPLAN : : Dear Band Planning Committee Members, : : In response to "ARRL Seeks Input for New IARU Region 2 Band Plan" : http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2010/03/04/11374/?nc=1 : : Here is an offering of essential recommendations with a : carefully researched band segmentation chart, to help : enable ARRL to represent hams effectively in the process : of committee deliberations, for the upcoming : IARU Region 2 Bandplan this year. : : INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND : I write to you, as a very active operator in USA's Amateur : Radio Service, and in my capacity as International Coordinator : for the Global ALE High Frequency Network, a 24-7-365 interconnected : network of hams operating simultaneously on all international : HF bands for the past 3 years. I have presented papers and : participated in expert panels at Global Amateur Radio : Emergency Communications (GAREC) and other HF Conferences, : on the subject of international emergency / disaster : communications and HF Automatically Controlled Data Station : innovations. I have worked with groups and nets of digital : and analog modes to achieve voluntary HF net coordination. : I maintain a survey of HF band activity and a : comprehensive up-to-date international ham radio : bandplanning resource at http://hflink.com/bandplans : : MOTIVATION AND HOPE FOR A NEW HF BANDPLAN : The motivation for this correspondence is the hope that : the ARRL Representative to IARU Region 2 bandplanning : committee can work aggressively toward a better bandplan : this year, especially one that is both compatible : with USA's FCC Amateur Radio Service rules, and : designates adequate spectrum space for automatic : fast data stations. The previous plan had many : many errors, mostly due to essentially being copied : from an old IARU Region 1 bandplan, without regard : to appropriateness for Region 2 hams. : : THE EMCOMM BACKBONE: HF AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED DATA STATIONS : HF Automatically Controlled Data Stations have become : a vital lifeline for many stations in remote areas : of our IARU Region. The networks of ham operators : that use and keep these fast data stations on the : air daily have become the main backbone of : emergency/disaster HF communications in the North : American and Caribbean area within recent years. A huge : community of hams is being served daily by HF data networks, : especially with email and short text messaging, resulting : in thousands of contacts per day logged on a steady basis. : Recent developments in "soundcard ARQ digimodes" has brought : fast HF data within the budget of almost every ham in the : Americas. During emergencies or disasters, this fast data : traffic increases exponentially in the extremely crowded : automatic bandplan segments. : : REGION 2 LEADS WORLD IN HF FAST DIGITAL DATA EMCOMM NETWORKING : It is a well known fact that IARU Region 2 has a much : higher use of HF Automatically Controlled Fast Digimode : traffic than the other IARU Regions (supporting network : logs are available to the representative on request). : Due to high speed ARQ, these efficient data communications : using normal 2700Hz bandwidths are able for time sharing : spectrum for traffic more effectively than slower digimodes. : However, the previous HF bandplan for Region 2 failed to : designate adequate band segment space to enable these : essential modes for the present and future of daily : routine and emergency/disaster communications for amateur : radio. Operators need the flexibility of 2700Hz bandwidth : to run as fast as possible so that more operators can run : their traffic rapidly and promptly. ARRL was founded in : support of traffic handling, and the new fast digital : networks are actively carrying on this tradition of : volunteerism and high quality. : : PREVIOUS REGION 2 BANDPLAN ILLEGAL FOR 90% OF HF AUTOMATIC STATIONS : USA amateur radio operations are greater than 90% of : all HF activity in IARU Region 2. However, the : Region 2 bandplan has designated segments that are : totally illegal on 8 HF bands for USA's Automatically : Controlled Data Stations! Many of these USA stations : provide services to operators in the Caribbean, : Central American, and South American areas; therefore : segment preferences must include compatibility throughout : the whole Region. : : ADEQUATE BAND SEGMENTATION REQUIRED FOR AUTOMATIC STATIONS : Vast increases in the popularity of automatic fast : data in Region 2 indicates that there is inadequate : spectrum for this activity in the previous bandplan, : because it was modeled after the Region 1 bandplan. : This failure of the previous bandplan to designate : sufficient space can contribute to chaotic trends. : In some cases, such as 7MHz for example, the previous : IARU Region 2 bandplan designated such a small and : inappropriate sliver of space for fast automatic data : traffic, that it has been impossible for it to exist in the segment. : : 15% OF EACH HF BAND FOR FAST DATA : To provide guidance for the present and future, a : basic rule of thumb should be followed, that 15% of : the kHz spectrum of each band, is fair and reasonable : to recommend for such an essential and popular activity. : For example, in a typical 350kHz wide ham band, : approximately 50kHz should be bandplanned for fast : data 2700Hz bandwidth or automatic stations. Fast : data should be furthermore defined in the bandplan as : "more than 100 bits per second", to help keep the : efficiency of the use of this spectrum as high as possible, : and to group together similarly compatible modes, : such as PACKET, PACTOR, ALE, WINMOR, PSK125/250, OFDM, : 6PSK, and other ARQ modes. These can readily be differentiated : though better spectrum segmentation to provide excellent : protection for "real-time keyboarding and weak signal modes" : such as PSK31, MFSK, RTTY, and others. Proper bandplanning : in this area can go a long way toward diminishing mode wars. : : SUMMARY OF PRIMARY POINTS OF ACTION NEEDED : Therefore, it is of very highest priority that the : IARU Region 2 Bandplan Committee includes the following : designations for segment preference in the : new IARU Region 2 HF Bandplan: : : 1. A segment of AT LEAST 12% of the kHz spectrum of each : HF band should be preferred as : "2700Hz - All Modes, Fast Digimodes (>100bps) and Automatically : Controlled Data Stations". : : 2. The HF bandplan MUST be LEGALLY COMPATIBLE for USA amateur : radio operators using Automatically Controlled Data Stations; : USA stations represent more than 90% of this type of activity. : : REQUEST FOR ACTION : As USA's representative in IARU, it should be of extreme : importance for ARRL to actively support USA hams' bandplanning : requirements for HF emcomm. In acknowledgement of these : high priorities, and in recognition of the traditional : and present trends on the bands, the following bandplan : chart changes for the IARU Region 2 HF Bandplan is provided. : Please see the attached detailed chart. : : Best Warm Regards, : : Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA : International Coordinator : Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN) : http://hflink.net : : Attachments: : : 1. Recommended new IARU Region 2 Bandplan Chart. : http://hflink.com/bandplans/iaru_region_2.html : : 2. Old IARU Region 2 HF Bandplan Recommended Changes 160m-80m : http://hflink.com/bandplans/iaru_region_2.html : : 3. Old IARU Region 2 HF Bandplan Recommended Changes 40m-17m : http://hflink.com/bandplans/iaru_region_2.html : : 4. Old IARU Region 2 HF Bandplan Recommended Changes 15m-10m : http://hflink.com/bandplans/iaru_region_2.html : : BONNIE CRYSTAL KQ6XA : : RECOMMENDED NEW IARU REGION 2 BANDPLAN CHART : ======================================================= : 160M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 1800-1810 (2700) ALL MODES, DIGIMODES, CW : 1810-1830 (200) CW : 1830-1840 (200) CW DX WINDOW : 1840-1850 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB DX WINDOW : 1850-1985 (6000) ALL MODES, SSB, AM : 1985-1999 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 1999-2000 (500) ALL MODES, BEACONS, DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : : ======================================================= : 80M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 3500-3550 (200) CW : 3550-3575 (500) ALL MODES, CW, DIGIMODES : 3575-3625 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 3625-3770 (2700) ALL MODES : 3770-3800 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB DX WINDOW : 3800-3875 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, IMAGE, DIGIVOICE : 3875-3890 (6000) ALL MODES, SSB, AM, NOT CONTEST : 3890-4000 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, NOT CONTEST : : ======================================================= : 40M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 7000-7025 (200) CW : 7025-7040 (200) CW, DIGIMODES : 7040-7050 (500) ALL MODES, CW, DIGIMODES : 7050-7060 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 7060-7090 (2700) ALL MODES : 7090-7100 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB DX WINDOW : 7100-7125 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 7125-7275 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB : 7275-7290 (6000) ALL MODES, SSB, AM, NOT CONTEST : 7290-7300 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, DIGIVOICE, NOT CONTEST : : ======================================================= : 30M BAND (NOT CONTEST) : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 10100-10120 (200) CW : 10120-10125 (500) CW, DIGIMODES : 10125-10150 (2700) ALL MODES,DIGIMODES,FAST DIGIMODES,AUTOMATIC : : ======================================================= : 20M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 14000-14035 (200) CW DX WINDOW : 14035-14060 (200) CW : 14060-14090 (500) ALL MODES, DIGIMODES : 14090-14099.5 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 14099.5-14100.5 (200) IBP BEACON : 14100.5-14125 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 14125-14190 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB : 14190-14200 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB DX WINDOW : 14200-14227 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB : 14227-14240 (2700) ALL MODES, IMAGE, DIGIVOICE, SSB : 14240-14280 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB : 14280-14290 (6000) ALL MODES, SSB, AM : 14290-14300 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB : 14300-14350 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, NOT CONTEST : : ======================================================= : 17M BAND (NOT CONTEST) : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 18068-18088 (200) CW : 18088-18095 (500) ALL MODES, CW, DIGIMODES : 18095-18109.5 (2700) ALL MODES,DIGIMODES,FAST DIGIMODES,AUTOMATIC : 18109.5-18110.5 (200) IBP BEACON : 18110.5-18168 (2700) ALL MODES,SSB,IMAGE,DIGIVOICE,SSB : : ======================================================= : 15M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 21000-21050 (200) CW : 21050-21080 (500) ALL MODES, CW, DIGIMODES : 21090-21149.5 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 21149.5-21150.5 (200) IBP BEACON : 21150.5-21400 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, IMAGE, DIGIVOICE : 21400-21420 (6000) ALL MODES, SSB, AM : 21420-21450 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, NOT CONTEST : : ======================================================= : 12M BAND (NOT CONTEST) : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 24890-24915 (200) CW : 24915-24920 (500) ALL MODES, CW, DIGIMODES : 24920-24929.5 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 24929.5-24930.5 (200) IBP BEACON : 24930.5-24990 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, IMAGE, DIGIVOICE : : ======================================================= : 10M BAND : FREQ KHZ (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE : ======================================================= : 28000-28070 (200) CW DX WINDOW : 28070-28120 (500) ALL MODES, DIGIMODES : 28120-28199.5 (2700) ALL MODES, FAST DIGIMODES, AUTOMATIC : 28199.5-28200.5 (200) IBP BEACON : 28200.5-28300 (2700) BEACONS, ALL MODES, AUTOMATIC : 28300-28990 (2700) ALL MODES, SSB, IMAGE, DIGIVOICE : 28990-29300 (6000) ALL MODES, FM, AM, SSB, DIGI, AUTOMATIC : 29300-29510 (6000) SATELLITE DOWNLINK, ALL MODES : 29510-29700 (6000) FM, REPEATERS, ALL MODES, AUTOMATIC : ======================================================= : NOTES : ======================================================= : NOTE 1. FAST DIGIMODE: IS MORE THAN 100 BITS PER SECOND : NOTE 2. DIGIMODE: IS LESS THAN 100 BITS PER SECOND : NOTE 3. AUTOMATIC: IS AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED STATION : NOTE 4. 6000HZ: REQUIRED BANDWIDTH FOR AM VOICE AND ESSB -- Mike Andrews, W5EGO mi...@mikea.ath.cx Tired old sysadmin
