It is not a matter of "giving" frequencies, the frequencies in
question can already be legally used for repeaters (http://www.zerobeat.net/part97/c.html#205
), it is only tradition that has simplex operating there. Any amateur
of the proper license class can put a repeater there, its a matter of
whether a repeater council will provide coordination. If a repeater
council will not provide coordination then the operator of the
repeater is in legal compliance but the council has not performed
their duty.
Rule 97.205(c) - Where the transmissions of a repeater cause harmful
interference to another repeater, the two station licensees are
equally and fully responsible for resolving the interference unless
the operation of one station is recommended by a frequency coordinator
and the operation of the other station is not. In that case, the
licensee of the noncoordinated repeater has primary responsibility to
resolve the interference.
This rule clearly states that coordination gives one repeater some
advantage over another repeater. If a repeater is legally
transmitting on say 147.54 and a simplex user happens to be there, he
has the same standing as a simplex operator operating on 146.94.
I am not advocating that people should just drop repeaters on these
frequencies. A good, civilized approach is for the councils to adopt
a plan to coordinate 12.5 khz spaced pairs in this spectrum and give
notice to their served communities that this portion of the REPEATER
sub-band is going to start having repeaters coordinated with a
recommendation that simplex users in the spectrum relocate to
145.5-145.7 and other non-repeater frequencies. Make the notice in an
advance of any coordination in the spectrum (say 3-6 months) and have
official observers monitor the frequencies in question, notifying any
users of the pending change. At the same time recommend analog FM
simplex users move to narrow band FM.
To Jay's point, no you don't put up a 2 meter repeater if there are no
pairs available -- but all pairs must be made available and some
shouldn't be held out to simplex use just because that's how old band
plans were set up. Repeater councils can make sure newer technology
such as D-STAR have access to those pairs by only coordinating 12.5
khz channels in that spectrum. I personally prefer 70 cm for D-STAR,
but in areas like Utah, Colorado, and Nevada where you can obtain
5000' HAAT antenna mounts and there are vast areas of the state that
have a lot of recreational or primitive land the extended coverage of
2 meters has appeal. Then you have urban areas like southern
California where almost every 70 cm pair is held by a private/closed
repeater, or the areas affected by Pave Paws where 70 cm is severely
hampered by amateur radio's secondary status, in these areas 2 meters
needs to be more efficiently utilized. We could also use more cost
effective 23 cm radios as well as 223 mhz and put some of the activity
there.
On May 5, 2010, at 9:16 AM, bruce mallon wrote:
Ok being serious ....
There is NO repeater councle that would stick there necks out and
give the simplex frequencies to d-star .... you want a frequency war
you would have it ......
John D. Hays
Amateur Radio Station K7VE
PO Box 1223
Edmonds, WA 98020-1223 VOIP/SIP: [email protected]
Phone: 206-801-0820
801-790-0950
Email: [email protected]
