Ofcom announce new UK Amateur Radio Licence

Ofcom have put a sample copy of the proposed UK Amateur Radio licence regulations on their website. There may well be some further adjustments to the document before it comes into effect, which at the very earliest is likely to be the 1st December.

Ofcom has clearly listened to the feedback on their original draft document issued on July 4th and incorporated many improvements.

Key features in the new document are:

• Amateur Satellite Service granted to Foundation Licensees

• 28 MHz band granted to Foundation Licensees

• 10 GHz band (1 Watt max) granted to Foundation Licensees

• Foundation holders can now transmit Digital and Analog Amateur TV

• Foundation and Intermediate licensees may use up to 500mW ERP to remotely control their station

• Rigs used by Foundation licensees no longer need to be CE marked. This will enable the use of cheap ex-PMR equipment for the 50/70/144/430 MHz bands.

• Kits for Foundation merely need to be ‘commercially available’ as per IR2028

• Intermediates now get all higher Microwave Bands, preventing the loss of 76GHz+ access

• Greater Clarity has been introduced for unattended Personal Beacons in the new Schedule-2

• Full licensees have unprecedented scope in Section 10 for unattended and remotely operated stations and beacons (for personal use) via secure links that may use Internet, WiFi or other amateur bands.

• /A (Alternative fixed station) has been reintroduced and /P & /M are now more clearly defined for temporary and mobile stations

• Callsign suffixes /A, /P, /M and /MM are now optional.

• Club prefixes remain optional (a change from the initial draft version)

• Restrictions on emission types abolished, permitting greater experimentation

• Logbooks no longer mandatory, except for interference investigations

Surprisingly the document does not allow Intermediate Licensees to supervise the On-Air contacts which are required as part of the Foundation Course Assessments.

In any other walk of life, people can run courses providing they have themselves attained the level at which they intend to teach. Amateur Radio is unusual in that even those who’ve achieved Intermediate still cannot run all of a course for the entry level Foundation.

While this is not currently a problem, it may in time become an increasing issue in Schools, Scouts, Guides and other youth groups where there may simply not be any Advanced licence holders available.

Ofcom are to be congratulated for consulting widely on the new document and for taking note of the feedback provided by Radio Amateurs.

The sample of the new Amateur Radio licence document is now on the Ofcom website

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/
classes/amateur/Licences/samplelicence.pdf

Related URL's:

Ofcom Amateur Radio Licensing Consultation:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/aradio/

IR2028 Specification
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/tech/interface_req/ir_2028.pdf

Comments on the original July 4th Draft BR68 that this replaces:
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/july2006/br68_first_impressions.htm

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