The latest round of ITU meetings affecting the HF spectrum have now been completed

Beginning on March 29th of this year, an important series of meetings took place at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva which moved us one step closer to decisions at the World Radio Conference on 2007.

Radio Amateurs of Canada and the IARU cooperated on the preparation of a paper in support of retention of the top of the 40 metre band between 7200 and 7300 kHz, for excluding broadcasters in Europe and Asia from that band, and for securing a world wide exclusive allocation for amateur radio from 7000 to 7300 kHz. With some changes, the document was presented in Geneva by the Canadian delegation.

The IARU was represented at four different sets of meetings by RAC Treasurer Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. The Broadcast group met in the last week of March and the first week of April. The Mobile and Amateur group met in mid April, and the Fixed service group met towards the end of April. Then, in late May, representatives of all three groups met together for a two day meeting in Geneva, to try to agree on an overall approach to the review of 4-10 MHz. The ARRL also sent a representative on the US delegation.

With the support of Industry Canada, the amateur radio case for 40 metres was presented at each of the first three sets of meetings, and included in a draft report being prepared for the information of WRC attendees in 2007.

However, world wide support for the RAC / IARU proposal is minimal at the present time. While many countries accept that there still is a problem at the top end of 40 metres, the main topic of debate about the 4-10 MHz band this time around is a proposal for more spectrum for HF broadcasting. The main interest, if it is agreed to give more spectrum to the broadcasters, is in finding ways of protecting the HF fixed and mobile services, who are also expanding for a variety of reasons, including disaster communications and national security to name just two.

All of this means that radio amateurs will have to continue to work very hard between now and the fall of 2007, to build a stronger case for a 300 kHz world wide allocation at 7MHz, and even to retain what we already have in the Americas.

In another area, RAC together with radio amateurs in BC, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland have been undertaking studies to support our case for an amateur band at 136 kHz, and in cooperation with Hydro Quebec and Manitoba Hydro, preparing to investigate the interaction between amateur operation at 136 kHz and control signals on the power distribution lines of some Canadian electrical utilities.

As a result of these studies, Industry Canada and the Canadian delegation have supported the 136 kHz amateur band proposal at the meetings in Geneva. Since most of Europe, and several South American countries also support the Canadian proposal, the possibility of approval of a new LF amateur band at WRC 07 is looking more promising.

The next round of meetings begin this September.
(Ken Pulfer, VE3U)

Source: Radio Amateurs of Canada

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