New draft Australian band plan

The Wireless Institute of Australia has developed a new draft band plan for the 40m (7 MHz) amateur radio band.

The new plan is designed to

• encourage activity above 7100 kHz;
• stimulate experimentation in wideband digital modes; and
• integrate, as far as is possible, with the IARU region 3 plan, and the plans of other countries.

No existing nets will be affected by the plan.

The underpinning philosophy of the plan is to define band usage in terms of necessary bandwidth, rather than mode. However, it is recognised that some modes are incompatible, such as analogue voice and data. Accordingly, these modes are each assigned their own sections in the plan.

Features of the new plan include:

• A new broadcast segment from 7130-7150 kHz.
This will provide a defined area for weekly broadcasts.

• A new wideband data modes segment from 7180-7250 kHz, which is further sub divided into unattended/automated and attended segments. The subdivision serves to prevent interference between automated and non-automated stations.

• Redefinition of the CW segment (7-7030 kHz) to a narrow band modes segment with a maximum necessary bandwidth of 200 Hz. This means, in effect, that the previously exclusive CW segment will be shared with PSK31 and other very narrow band data modes.

The change to the previously exclusive CW segment is in accordance with evolving international practice. It is worth noting that the ZL 40m band plan has had a CW/PSK sharing arrangement in place for some time. Moreover, CW/PSK sharing is proposed under the new US 40m band plan.

The new draft 40m band plan is detailed as follows:

Obviously, the current levels of broadcast station interference above 7100 kHz will require some degree of flexibility in use of the new band plan. Accordingly, the plan is intended to be fully implemented once 7100-7200 kHz reverts to amateur primary in 2009.

The plan is open for comment for the next four months.
The comment period closes on April 30, 2006.

Please send any comments to vk4du@wia.org.au

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia

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