Private petition filed to restructure ham radio

They call themselves the "Communication Think Tank" and say that they are group of concerned hams. What they are worried about is the future of the hobby. And now they have beaten the ARRL in filing a proposal to restructure the service for the 21st century and beyond. Amateur Radio Newsline's David Black, KB4KCH, has read the proposal and takes a look at what it has to say:

If you want to operate in voice or digital modes on amateur frequencies, current rules require you to transmit in a selected portion of the band you've chosen.

But that would no longer be the case under a proposal from The Communications Think Tank, a group of seven radio amateurs. The Think Tank says it's time to let hams make the call about what operating modes they use on what frequencies.

WD8BIL: "The advancements in the modes and numbers of modes that are now being offered for Amateurs to use pretty much dictates that the old band structure which as served us well in the past, it is time to change that to
reflect more the operating practices and habits of today's amateur radio."

Bud Chiller, WD8BIL, of Sheffield Township, Ohio is one of the members of the Communications Think Tank. He says hams should be allowed to use any mode on any frequency their license class allows. In other words, current rules allowing you to use certain modes only in specific parts of a band would be scrapped. Chiller says a rules change like this would have a number of benefits for amateur radio.

WD8BIL: "Under heavy - for example - phone operation right now, particularly on some of the lower bands where overcrowding in the peak hours is just horrendous it gives us the opportunity to spread out into areas of the bands that are under utilized. The second thing it does is that it give Amateur Radio a chance to self regulate when new modes come in."

With today's allocation-by-mode rules, Think Tank members say potential rivals consider some amateur spectrum deserted, when in reality, other modes are active but crowded into certain sections of the bands. Chiller says making better use of amateur frequencies would thwart efforts by other services wanting to take over amateur spectrum:

WD8BIL: "If the band loading were such that the entire range of frequencies within a given band are being utilized, then there is no chance for commercial interests to point a finger and say - look - there is 100 KHz that they're not even using."

Preventing interference would still be up to amateurs. But Think Tank members say ending what they call forced segregation by mode would drain pressure away from the problem of operators making squatter's claims on certain frequencies. That's because there would be more room and a greater range to move elsewhere on the band. Promoters of the proposal say official observer type programs would also assist in making sure interference problems are minimized. And, just as is the case now, documented and
unresolved problems would be addressed by the FCC.

Chiller says the Think Tank's proposal promotes self-governing, something the FCC wants hams to do. Considering that current band use rules originated 50 years ago, Chiller says what the Communications Think Tank
proposes is an idea whose time has come.

The "Communication Think Tank," or "CTT Group" that put together the proposal is comprised of hams with a special skill in various areas of the Amateur Radio hobby. As such they hold experience with many hobby radio modes as well as various commercial radio licenses beyond the amateur
ranks.

You can read the entire petition as filed on-line at w8er.com/prop osal1.htm after which you are invited to post your thoughts on it at the front page discussion at www.qrz.com

David Black, KB4KCH - Amateur Radio Newsline

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