10/04/2023 ããA public period is open until October 30, 2023 for radio amateurs to comment onãproposed changes to the 60 Meter band. ARRLÿ The National Association forãAmateur Radio[1]¨ is asking all radio amateurs to join it in urging the FederalãCommunications Commission (FCC) to continue the existing use of the band. ARRLãis encouraging expressions of support to the FCC for the current 100 watt ERPãpower limit (instead of reducing the power limit to 15 watts EIRP) andãcontinuing secondary access to the current channels.ÿ An opportunity to replyãto comments ends on Nov. 28.ÿÿããCurrently, radio amateurs in the US have use of five discreet channels on aãsecondary basis on which they are permitted an effective radiated power (ERP)ãof 100 watts ERP. In the NPRM[2] the Commission solicits comment on reducingãthe secondary allocation to 15 kHz of contiguous spectrum between 5351.5 -ã5366.5 kHz with a power limit of 15 watts EIRP (equivalent to 9.1 watts ERP).ãThe lesser spectrum and reduced power limit was adopted by the 2015 WorldãRadiocommunication Conference (WRC-15). ããThe federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum. The NationalãTelecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federalãgovernment's spectrum regulator, ÿhas argued that the WRC-15 proposals shouldãbe implemented as written. ÿDoing so would result in amateurs losing four ofãthe discreet channels they have been using on a secondary basis and having theãmaximum permissible power reduced by more than 10 dB, from 100 watts ERP to 9.1ãwatts ERP. ÿããIn 2017, ARRL petitioned the FCC[3] to keep four of the current five 60-meterãchannels - one would be within the new band - as well as the current limit ofã100 watts ERP. ÿ"Such implementation will allow radio amateurs engaged inãemergency and disaster relief communications, and especially those between theãUnited States and the Caribbean basin, to more reliably, more flexibly and moreãcapably conduct those communications [and preparedness exercises], before theãnext hurricane season ... ," ARRL said in its petition.ããARRL said that years of amateur radio experience using the five discrete 5-MHzãchannels demonstrated that amateurs coexist well with the primary users at 5ãMHz. "Neither ARRL, nor, apparently, NTIA is aware of a single reportedãinstance of interference to a federal user by a radio amateur operating at 5ãMHz to date," ARRL said in its 2017 petition.ããARRL will continue to advocate to maintain the 100-watt limit for 60 meters,ãcontinued authorization for the four channels outside the WRC allocation thatãare being used today, and adoption of the new 15 kHz allocation with the sameã100-watt power limit.ÿããIn the NPRM, the FCC recognizes that Canada adopted rules equivalent to thoseãproposed by the ARRL. "Finally, we note that Canada has essentially implementedãthe same rules as ARRL has requested," the Commission wrote. ããThe FCC seeks comment on the proposed 15 kHz of contiguous spectrum, but alsoãon whether the existing channels should remain allocated to amateur radio on aãsecondary basis, and whether the maximum power limitations should be reducedãfrom 100 to 9.1 watts ERP. The FCC also requested comments on whether the powerãlimitation should be expressed as EIRP as the WRC-15 recommends or as ERP as inãthe current rules.ããã[1] http://www.arrl.org/ã[2] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-23-26A1.pdfã[3] http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Petition20Rule20520FINAL2012,%202017.pdfãã---ã þ Synchronet þ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBSã