FCC refuses 2 meter sub-bands for digital repeaters

I'm Burt Hicks, WB6MQV, with late breaking news.

Dateline Washington DC where the Federal Communications Commission on May 7th denied a petition filed by two California hams asking that an additional repeater sub-band be created on 2 meters. This, ostensibly to permit the  introduction of digital voice repeaters in areas where no spectrum exists for them.

In the petition for Rule Making filed last October 10th, Ken D. Chafin, W6CPA, and Leon J. Brown, KC6JAR, Commission amend its rules to allow repeater stations to transmit in the 145.5 to145.8 MHz segment of the 2 meter amateur band. This, in addition to the 2 meter frequency segments currently authorized for repeater station operation.

In their petition Chafin and Brown argued that additional spectrum is needed for repeater stations because some amateur repeater stations have begun using certain digital communication protocols, and "digital voice operation is incompatible with existing analog operations . This, because digital voice users are unable to determine if the desired frequency is in use by analog users and can inadvertently cause harmful interference to those users.

The pair also argued that coordinating groups have been unable to separate analog and digital voice repeater operations to avoid harmful interference because the available repeater spectrum in the 2 meter band is fully occupied by existing analog users in most metropolitan areas."

After consideration of their request, the agency concluded that the Petition does not present grounds for the Commission to propose to amend its rules. That repeater stations are authorized to transmit on any frequency in the 2 meter band except the 144.0 to 144.5 MHz and 145.5 to 146.0 MHz frequency segments. These two segments were excluded to minimize the possibility of harmful interference to other amateur service stations and operating activities, especially "weak signal" operations. The FCC says that allocating an additional three hundred kilohertz of the 2 meter band to repeater operation would not be consistent with that concern. Rather, it would likely result in increased interference to non-repeater stations.

Moreover, to the extent that the petition proposes a separate frequency segment for use by digital but not analog repeater stations, the FCC note that when the Commission has previously addressed the issue of interference between amateur stations engaging in different operating activities, it has declined to revise the rules to limit a frequency segment to one emission type in order to prevent interference to the operating activities of other amateur radio service licensees.

Rather, the Commission noted that interference between amateur stations is already addressed by Section 97.101(b) and (d) of the Commissions Rules. These require amateur licensees to cooperate in selecting transmitting channels and in making the most effective use of amateur frequencies, provide that no amateur frequency will be assigned for the exclusive use of any station allocated to the Amateur Radio Service, and prohibit operators from willfully or maliciously interfering with or causing interference to any radio communication or signal.

The bottom line. The FCC says no new repeater subband will be created to cater to the desires of digital voice operators. Rather, those wanting to use this or any other emerging modes will have to do so within the context of the existing Amateur Services rules. Rules that say repeaters, be they analog or digital have to stay in their own R-F back yards and operate in a way as to cause no interference to other users of bands where repeater and non repeater operations both exist. It also might be viewed as a kind of subliminal warning to coordinators who are considering putting digital voice repeaters in spectrum outside of established repeater subbands to reconsider and not make such a move.

Burt Hicks, WB6MQV
Amateur Radio Newsline