SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

ZCZC AG13
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 13 ARLB013
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT April 16, 2004
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

The FCC has adopted a somewhat limited proposal to permit deployment
of RF Identification (RFID) tags on the 70-cm band at much greater
duty cycles than current Part 15 rules permit for such devices.

Among other applications, RFID tags are used to track shipments and
packing containers. A Third Report and Order (R & O) in ET Docket
01-278--approved April 15 but not yet released--follows a 2000
petition by SAVI Technology to revise FCC Part 15 rules to
accommodate such devices in the vicinity of 433 MHz. The ARRL has
consistently opposed the proposal, but the FCC just as unfailingly
has gone along with it. FCC Office of Engineering and Technology
(OET) Chief Ed Thomas said RFIDs provide important public benefits.

"This device is designed to increase homeland security at ports,
rail yards and warehouses," Thomas told the FCC open meeting. "It
will foster the development of more powerful and advanced RFID
systems that can identify the contents of shipping containers and
determine whether tampering has occurred during shipment." Thomas
said the devices also would increase efficiency in shipping
operations and inventory control.

In requesting Commission adoption, OET's Hugh van Tuyl provided the
broad strokes of the Part 15 rule changes, which, he said, would
apply specifically to shipping containers "in commercial and
industrial areas." In certain cases, he asserted, current Part 15
requirements aimed at preventing interference to licensed services
"may unnecessarily constrain the operational range of RFID systems
as well as the speed and quantity of data that can be transmitted."

The Third R & O would increase the maximum radiated field strength
permitted for such devices as well as the maximum permissible duty
cycle--from one second to one minute. The longer duty cycle would
allow an RFID to transmit the contents of an entire shipping
container, van Tuyl said. "We therefore believe there will be no
significant increase in the potential for interference to authorized
services," he concluded.

The Third R & O reflects certain accommodations to the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which
expressed "grave concerns" about the proposal in 2002. The R & O
limits the operating band for such RFID tags to 433.5 to 434.5 MHz,
instead of the 425 to 435 MHz SAVI originally asked for. It further
prohibits operation of RFID tag systems within 40 km (about 25
miles) of five government radar sites. Manufacturers of 433 MHz RFID
systems would have to register the locations of their system base
stations to aid in interference resolution.

Since SAVI first approached the FCC in 2000, ARRL has maintained
that the RFID tags the company proposed would represent a
significant source of potential interference to sensitive receivers
and be incompatible with ongoing requirements of incumbent services.

More than 130 amateurs filed comments in opposition to SAVI
Technology's RFID tags proposal, and most supported the ARRL's
position that the proposed rules were flawed and should not be
adopted.
NNNN
/EX



SB QST @ ARL $ARLB012
ARLB012 FCC proposes wide-ranging changes to Amateur Service rules

ZCZC AG12
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 12 ARLB012
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT April 16, 2004
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB012
ARLB012 FCC proposes wide-ranging changes to Amateur Service rules

The FCC has released an "omnibus" Notice of Proposed Rule Making
(NPRM) that seeks comments on a wide range of proposed Amateur
Service (Part 97) rule changes. The FCC also denied several
petitions for rule making aimed at altering portions of the Amateur
Radio regulatory landscape and ordered minor changes in Part 97. The
NPRM is a result of a dozen petitions for rule making, all filed
more than a year ago and some as long ago as 2001.

Comments on the proposals put forth in WT Docket 04-140 are due by
Tuesday, June 15, with reply comments by Wednesday, June 30. Among
other changes, the FCC has recommended adopting the ARRL's "Novice
refarming" plan, which can be seen on the web at,
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/refarm/.

"Because the ARRL petition addresses the operating privileges of all
classes of licensees on these Amateur Service bands, we believe that
the ARRL petition provides a basis for a comprehensive restructuring
of operating privileges," the FCC said.

The ARRL referenced its Novice refarming proposal in its recent
Petition for Rule Making, RM-10867, which, along with three other
petitions remains open for comment until April 23.

The FCC also has proposed essentially eliminating its rules
prohibiting manufacture or marketing of Amateur Radio Service power
amplifiers capable of operating between 24 and 35 MHz. The current
rules "impose unnecessary restrictions on manufacturers of Amateur
Radio equipment and are inconsistent with the experimental nature of
the Amateur Service," the FCC said.

The FCC proposed amending Section 97.201(b) of the rules to permit
auxiliary operation on 2 meters above 144.5 MHz, with the exception
of the satellite subband 145.8 to 146.0 MHz, in addition to
frequency segments already authorized.

The FCC proposed extending the bands available for spread spectrum
experimentation and use to include 222-225 MHz as well as 6 and 2
meters. Current rules limit SS emissions to frequencies above 420
MHz.

Among other things, the FCC also proposed to prohibit acceptance of
more than one application per applicant per vanity call sign; permit
retransmission of communications between a manned spacecraft and its
associated Earth stations, including the International Space
Station; allow current amateurs to designate a specific Amateur
Radio club to acquire their call sign in memoriam; eliminate Section
97.509(a) of the rules, which requires a public announcement of
volunteer examiner test locations and times; and add to Section
97.505(a) to provide Element 1 (5 WPM Morse) credit to any applicant
holding a Technician license granted after February 14, 1991, and
who can document having passed a telegraphy examination element.

The Commission ordered some changes in Part 97 without requesting
comment. It ordered, among others, the revision of the definition of
an "amateur operator" in Section 97.3(a)(1) to reflect that entry in
the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS), not a license document,
determines whether a person is an Amateur Radio operator.

The FCC adopted a technical change to specify that the mean power of
any spurious emission from a new amateur station transmitter or
amplifier operating below 30 MHz be at least 43 dB below the mean
power of the fundamental emission.

Among other petitions, the FCC turned down a proposal to establish
distinct CW and phone segments in the 160-meter band. Also denied
were petitions that would have imposed restrictions on the time,
length or transmission frequencies of bulletins or informational
transmissions directed at the amateur community and a request to add
to the special event call sign system certain call sign blocks
designating territories and possessions that lack mailing addresses.

The FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making, on the web at,
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...CC-04-79A1.doc,
in WT Docket 04-140, is available on the FCC Web site.

As soon as the document has been posted, comments on the NPRM may be
filed via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System at,
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/. Click on "Submit a filing." To view
filed comments, click on "Search for filed comments." In either case
enter the NPRM number in the "Proceeding" field as "04-140" (without
the quotation marks).
NNNN
/EX

In article t,
w4nti@get says...
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

It's use it or loose it. I've turned on the rig several time during
commute and during the day when I get a chance. The 70cm band in RI/SE
MA is dead. Throw a call out, hear nothing back.

2M is pretty much the same. It's just too bad.

Tony P. wrote:

In article t,
w4nti@get says...


SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz



It's use it or loose it. I've turned on the rig several time during
commute and during the day when I get a chance. The 70cm band in RI/SE
MA is dead. Throw a call out, hear nothing back.

2M is pretty much the same. It's just too bad.



IIRC, 434 MHz is in the middle of an ATV channel, not the repeater sub
band. Part of
me would be willing to concede (on a 2nd or 3rd basis) 434 for a horse
trade deal to
avoid BPL. But there is also the aspect of the camel's nose getting
inside the tent....
(I also realize that the RFID people are not the same as the BPL people).

There are airport radars at around 445MHz that look for wind shear. The
government
IIRC did go out of their way to avoid interference to the ham repeaters
in the area at each
such equipped airport.

"Tony P." wrote in message
.. .
In article t,
w4nti@get says...
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

It's use it or loose it. I've turned on the rig several time during
commute and during the day when I get a chance. The 70cm band in RI/SE
MA is dead. Throw a call out, hear nothing back.

2M is pretty much the same. It's just too bad.

Well the freqs being used for the RFID tags are not in the FM segement. But
I do agree with your point.

We have three strong and high repeaters in my immediate area. Hardly any
activity at all.

Dan/W4NTI

In article ,
says...
Tony P. wrote:

In article t,
w4nti@get says...


SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz



It's use it or loose it. I've turned on the rig several time during
commute and during the day when I get a chance. The 70cm band in RI/SE
MA is dead. Throw a call out, hear nothing back.

2M is pretty much the same. It's just too bad.



IIRC, 434 MHz is in the middle of an ATV channel, not the repeater sub
band. Part of
me would be willing to concede (on a 2nd or 3rd basis) 434 for a horse
trade deal to
avoid BPL. But there is also the aspect of the camel's nose getting
inside the tent....
(I also realize that the RFID people are not the same as the BPL people).

There are airport radars at around 445MHz that look for wind shear. The
government
IIRC did go out of their way to avoid interference to the ham repeaters
in the area at each
such equipped airport.

Oh - those are the Doppler radar units, particularly the one in Chatham
in my area, although I'm on the southwestern fringe of it.

And all they did was create quiet zones around many of them, for a
radius of 30mi. in some cases.

In article ,
says...
On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 19:15:59 GMT, Tony P. wrote:

In article t,
w4nti@get says...
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

It's use it or loose it.

I thought it was use it or lose it.

Ooops.

"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message
nk.net...

Well the freqs being used for the RFID tags are not in the FM segement.
But
I do agree with your point.

We have three strong and high repeaters in my immediate area. Hardly any
activity at all.

Dan/W4NTI


Hello, Dan

It really depends upon your area whether you'll find a lot of use or very
little. Someone in North Dakota might not even have a repeater available,
yet if he fires up on 75 meters in the evening - wow! It's busy! Likely no
one is near him, he simply hears a ton of stations via F layer reflection.

Rochester, NY, is hardly Chicago or NYC, but I've filled my limited memories
on my HTX-404 (10 memory channels plus 3 priority channels) - every one of
them usable. I've chatted at 3:00 am with a trucker in Toronto via the
Toronto repeater (linked to the Rice Lake repeater in Canada which I can use
very well). I've chatted locally at 2:00 am with a professor from the
University of Rochester. Usually, there is some activity on 440 almost
every time of day (with the exception that it does get quiet between
midnight and 5:00 am LOL).

We have a *ton* of repeaters (I can use more than the 13, but that is the
limit of memory on the old Rat Shack HT) around here. One of the repeater
systems has ports on every band from 10 meters to 1.2 GHz (including 900
MHz). I've chatted with Australia and England via the 10 meter port (whilst
I was on one of the 440 ports). It really all depends ....


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.659 / Virus Database: 423 - Release Date: 4/15/04

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...

"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message
nk.net...

Well the freqs being used for the RFID tags are not in the FM segement.
But
I do agree with your point.

We have three strong and high repeaters in my immediate area. Hardly
any
activity at all.

Dan/W4NTI


Hello, Dan

It really depends upon your area whether you'll find a lot of use or very
little. Someone in North Dakota might not even have a repeater available,
yet if he fires up on 75 meters in the evening - wow! It's busy! Likely
no
one is near him, he simply hears a ton of stations via F layer reflection.

Rochester, NY, is hardly Chicago or NYC, but I've filled my limited
memories
on my HTX-404 (10 memory channels plus 3 priority channels) - every one of
them usable. I've chatted at 3:00 am with a trucker in Toronto via the
Toronto repeater (linked to the Rice Lake repeater in Canada which I can
use
very well). I've chatted locally at 2:00 am with a professor from the
University of Rochester. Usually, there is some activity on 440 almost
every time of day (with the exception that it does get quiet between
midnight and 5:00 am LOL).

We have a *ton* of repeaters (I can use more than the 13, but that is the
limit of memory on the old Rat Shack HT) around here. One of the repeater
systems has ports on every band from 10 meters to 1.2 GHz (including 900
MHz). I've chatted with Australia and England via the 10 meter port
(whilst
I was on one of the 440 ports). It really all depends ....


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.659 / Virus Database: 423 - Release Date: 4/15/04


I am fully aware of that. There 'used to be' a LOT of 2 meter activity
around here. It all died away. There are 300 licensed hams in Calhoun
county. Maybe 30 are active.

Dan/W4NTI

"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message hlink.net...
"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...
We have a *ton* of repeaters (I can use more than the 13, but that is the
limit of memory on the old Rat Shack HT) around here. One of the repeater
systems has ports on every band from 10 meters to 1.2 GHz (including 900
MHz). I've chatted with Australia and England via the 10 meter port
(whilst
I was on one of the 440 ports). It really all depends ....


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA


I am fully aware of that. There 'used to be' a LOT of 2 meter activity
around here. It all died away. There are 300 licensed hams in Calhoun
county. Maybe 30 are active.

That's ten percent, that's not bad at all. But it depends on the
regional population density which varies enormously across the
country. We have individual suburban townships which have as many as
200 ham residents here in the Delaware Valley region of the NE
corridor. This county alone has 43 municipalities, etc. We still have
the old 2M packet spots system up and running from Virginia well into
New England.

I have no idea what the actual numbers are but it's probably safe to
assume that most of the repeaters in this region have hundreds if not
thousands of potential users each. If even ten percent of 'em got on
the machines there would be complete chaos never mind what would
happen if the whole pack fired up and "got active". My point being
that activity levels in terms of perceptions of activity levels varies
all over the map. Literally. e.g., this patch ain't Calhoun County!

A couple trends I think I'm seeing here at least on 2M are movements
back to FM simplex ops and a noticeable growth in the use of SSB which
is being fueled by the availability of affordable multimode rigs like
the 706 and the 817. Might be that after 35 years or so of repeaters
dominating VHF/UHF ham comms they've run their course for a number of
reasons, the costs of acquisition, installation, maintenance and
operation being what they are.

Another piece of this discussion I think involves what I call the
"Nocode Bubble". We all know that in some huge number of instances
these folk have come into the hobby, jacked up the total head counts
by very large percentages and have left never to be heard from again.
But they're still taking up space on the FCC license servers and
skewing the real-world data by inordinate amounts. Pull the nocode
data out of the mix when talking about activity levels vs. raw head
counts and you get a whole different and much more realistic picture
of ham radio as it really exists in this country.


Dan/W4NTI

w3rv

Tony P. wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 19:15:59 GMT, Tony P. wrote:


In article t,
w4nti@get says...

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB013
ARLB013 FCC okays RF identification tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz

It's use it or loose it.

I thought it was use it or lose it.


Ooops.

I thought it was oops.