Hi, Trevor!!
On 12-Dec-2010, at 05:06 PM, Trevor . wrote:
Hi Art,
Thanks for the reply.
--- On Sun, 12/12/10, W4ART Arthur Feller afeller@ieee.org wrote:
The general principle is that the amateur-satellite service has frequency allocations in bands where the amateur service has frequency allocations in all three ITU regions.
I'm not so sure that's so.
Indeed it is. If a copy of the RR's isn't on hand, suggest clicking here and read the annex with a table of frequencies allocated to the amateur and amateur-satellite services.
The amount of new Amateur Satellite Service spectrum allocated by ITU since the mid 1970's is ZERO but the Amateur Service world-wide has gained spectrum.
Actually, major changes were made in conjunction with the 1979 General World Administrative Radio Conference. Many of the current allocations were adopted in the Final Acts of the 1979 GWARC.
The only exceptions are in the bands 1260-1270 MHz and 5650-5670 MHz, which are limited to the Earth-to-space direction, and 3400-3410 MHz, which are available in Regions 2 and 3. See RR 5.282.
As you say back in the 70's 1260 and 5650 MHz were made Earth to Space only. Does anyone know why this restriction was put in place ? Or even if the reason for this restriction still applies 35 years later ?
The footnote was applied in at the 1979 GWARC. I believe the reason is that administrations in Regions 1 and 3 would not agree to the amateur-satellite service in the space-to-Earth direction.
So, until broadcasters vacate 7100-7200 in Regions 1 and 3, the amateur-satellite service won't have a frequency allocation. Make sense??
No, an Amateur Satellite Service allocation at 7.1-7.2MHz is not on the agenda for the next WRC in 2012 and currently IARU has no plans to ever ask for one! See IARU spectrum requirements at: http://www.iaru.org/ac-09spec.pdf
Exactly. But, "no plans to ever ask" is a very long time. As explained, until the broadcasting service vacates the band in Regions 1 and 3, the amateur-satellite service likely will not go in there. Given the interference from long distance propagation common at 7100 kHz, it's highly unlikely that the amateur-satellite service will get an allocation in Region 2 until all the broadcasting stations vacate, which cannot happen until some future World Radiocommunication Conference.
In it's entire history the IARU has not gained any ITU Primary Amateur Satellite allocations in the bands above 146 MHz. We have no Primary allocations above 146MHz until you get to 24GHz.
Also true. But, we have very good sharing arrangements with the radiolocation service in many of these bands. Given the monetary value ascribed to these bands, we probably have a very, very good arrangement, indeed!
While it is encouraging to see that IARU would like to see Amateur Satellite Service allocations at 50MHz and 3400MHz there are no other proposed Amateur Satellite Service allocations on its agenda.
The ARRL is by far the largest financial donor to IARU and so carries the most clout.
If ARRL isn't persuaded of the need for additional Amateur Satellite Service allocations they won't happen.
Trevor, there's a huge difference between being persuaded of the need for an allocation and the political, diplomatic, engineering, legal, and financial aspects of making it happen. World radio frequency management is quite difficult and, most assuredly, NOT for the feint of heart.
I hope this helps.
73, art..... W4ART Arlington VA
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan