Belgium to get 40 MHz allocation

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The UBA proposes to grant the radio amateur service access to the frequency range 40.660 – 40.690 MHz under the following conditions:

On a secondary basis

  • For holders of a class A operating certificate (HAREC licence)

  • A power limit of 5 W ERP

  • A bandwidth limit of 3 kHz

  • On individual basis, after prior approval from BIPT

  • It is mandatory to keep a logbook in which all transmissions are noted

This is an important development as Belgium now joins Ireland (EI), Slovenia (S5) and South Africa (ZS) with official amateur radio allocations on the 40 MHz band.

ARRL Support FCC Proposes Changes to 60-Metre Band

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ARRL Support FCC Proposes Changes to 60-Metre Band

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments about changing the secondary allocation available to radio amateurs on 60 meters. The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 21st April 2023, that deals with the band. In a prior petition, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® urged protecting the existing use of the band by amateurs when adding a new allocation adopted internationally.

Currently, radio amateurs in the US have access to five discrete channels on a secondary basis: 5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5358.5 kHz, 5373 kHz, and 5405 kHz. Users of these channels are limited to an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 W PEP.

The FCC proposes to allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth between 5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz on a secondary basis with a maximum power of 15 W EIRP (equivalent to 9.15 W ERP). This allocation was adopted at the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15).

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New Australian Ham Licences Delayed

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Hams in Australia who have been waiting for the introduction of the new amateur class licence on July 1st are going to have to wait a little longer. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced that it must make certain determinations concerning the licence's operational policy arrangements and to further clarify the implementation of higher power authorisation.

According to the ACMA website, that includes call sign administration, public register options, amateur operating procedures, arrangements for amateur club and international reciprocity for Advanced amateurs travelling overseas.

The ACMA's review also includes, among other things, its proposed access for standard-level amateur licensees for the 50–52 MHz band.

The ACMA said it will provide an update in the second quarter of this year.