Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FW: FCC Rescinds 146.52 MHz Advisory Notices

From: "Todd Ellis" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 07:27:42 -0400

I knew there was more to this story!!

Riley is an OK guy.  It takes a bigger man to fall on his sword over
something like this, and he's pretty tall to start with.

Interesting that newsgroups were mentioned in this article...

My earlier point was that there is so much stuff going on in all of the
other radio services, that citing hams for talking too long on a
long-designated (I think since 1971 - that's about when my dad got his Drake
22C) simplex frequency was kind of absurd.

I'd like to see more tower inspections (lights, paint, signage, license
posting) and illegal use of frequencies (non-renewed licenses).  I think
Riley's group could fund themselves for several years to come.

Todd Ellis

-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald Reams [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 7:25 PM
To: Triangle Hams
Subject:  FCC Rescinds 146.52 MHz Advisory Notices

ARRLWeb: FCC Rescinds 146.52 MHz Advisory Notices
FCC Rescinds 146.52 MHz Advisory Notices
NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 23, 2002--FCC Special Counsel for Enforcement Riley
Hollingsworth has told five amateurs in Ohio and Michigan to disregard his
earlier admonition to avoid lengthy QSOs on 146.52 MHz. That's the generally
recognized national simplex calling frequency and endorsed by the ARRL's
2-meter band plan. Acknowledging that some confusion exists within the
amateur community as to whether 146.52 is a national calling channel or just
another simplex frequency, Hollingsworth decided to simply rescind the five
advisory notices he'd sent October 15.

"We made an error in issuing that Advisory Notice, and you may disregard
it," Hollingsworth wrote today in letters sent to each of the affected
amateurs. Commenting to ARRL, Hollingsworth was blunt yet good-natured. "I
goofed," he said. "If I were worried about making a fool of myself from time
to time, I never would have become a lawyer in the first place."

Amateurs commenting to the FCC and on various newsgroups reportedly were
bewildered by the FCC advisory notices. An ARRL error apparently contributed
to the confusion. Hollingsworth did not find 146.52 MHz singled out as the
national simplex calling frequency in his edition of The ARRL's FCC Rule
Book (12th edition, 1st printing). The designation does appear in subsequent
printings of the Rule Book, however, as well as in recent editions of The
ARRL Operating Manual and The ARRL Repeater Directory 2002/2003.

Hollingsworth says that operation that does not comply with a generally
accepted band plan such as ARRL's is not illegal. He points out, however,
that band plans--to the extent that they're followed--do help to keep down
friction among various users and make his job a lot easier. In this case, he
said, it was unclear to him that everyone accepted the notion of 146.52 as
the national simplex calling frequency.

"I don't consider it a big deal. I was just trying to raise awareness," he
said, adding that the FCC has no intention of making band plan compliance
mandatory.

Hollingsworth told ARRL this week that he had initially written four
amateurs in Ohio and one in Michigan on the basis of complaints about
lengthy contacts on 146.52 MHz in late September and early October. Those
QSOs, he said, averaged 45 minutes and in some cases lasted up to an hour.
Two of the amateurs who had received the October 15 advisories already have
contacted Hollingsworth and agreed to cooperate with the original requests,
now rescinded.

"In an ideal world, stations making initial contact on 146.52 MHz probably
should move off to another accepted simplex channel to continue their
conversation," Hollingsworth said.

Band plans are informal agreements that outline how various segments of the
different bands should be used. Their primary goal is to minimize conflicts
among users of different modes.

For some time now, several manufacturers of VHF and UHF transceivers have
adopted certain band plan conventions and protocols, such as the 2-meter
standard "split" of 600 kHz and the split direction (plus or minus), into
their units as default values.

In addition to designating 146.52 MHz as the national simplex calling
frequency, the ARRL band plan calls for 144.200 MHz as the national calling
frequency on CW and SSB; digital simplex between 144.90 and 145.10 MHz; and
FM voice simplex between 146.40 and 146.58 MHz and between 147.42 and 147.57
MHz. In some parts of the country, however, some of the frequencies within
these ranges do serve as repeater inputs or outputs.

All ARRL band plans are available on the ARRL Web site.

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