Changes to 23 cms amateur allocation

[g4saq]

I have just read a post on the Amsat UK website regarding 23 cms restrictions in Europe. It says, "The United Kingdom informed the meeting that it will implement decides 1 (designation of the frequency bands for Galileo) but will not apply the technical conditions on amateur and amateur-satellite in decides 2."
It has been well publicised that changes are afoot but the above seems to contradict other things that have been written.
Please can someone 'in the know' explain exactly what our 23 cms allocation and limitations will be after all this comes to pass?

Regards,
Russ, G4SAQ

[G4IUG]

Also power for Moonbounce, it looks like a few 100 watts into a yagi is no longer allowed ??

73 Dave

[g0mjw]

I have just read a post on the Amsat UK website regarding 23 cms restrictions in Europe. It says, "The United Kingdom informed the meeting that it will implement decides 1 (designation of the frequency bands for Galileo) but will not apply the technical conditions on amateur and amateur-satellite in decides 2."
It has been well publicised that changes are afoot but the above seems to contradict other things that have been written.
Please can someone 'in the know' explain exactly what our 23 cms allocation and limitations will be after all this comes to pass?

Regards,
Russ, G4SAQ

We don't know yet - Ofcom regulate amateur radio in the UK, so it is up to them.

Mike

[g4saq]

Ok, thanks Mike. I had presumed that Ofcom was the body making the statement that I quoted from (I guessed they were the UK representatives at the meeting) and on that basis, some decision had been made. Perhaps that's too much to hope for!
BW
Russ.

[g0mjw]

Ofcom did decide, they specifically decided to not implement the CEPT decision decides 2. So that means the restrictions on the amateur services in CEPT countries that are listed in decides 2 do not apply in the UK. Whether Ofcom decide to implement other restrictions is not yet known.

From https://docdb.cept.org/download/4782

DECIDES
1. that CEPT administrations shall designate the bands 1164-1215 MHz, 1258-1300 MHz, 1559-1610 MHz for the use of the RNSS system, Galileo;

2. that CEPT administrations allowing operations of the amateur and amateur-satellite services across their territory in all or part of the frequency band 1258-1300 MHz shall use the technical and operational measures described in Annex 1 in order to protect RNSS (space-to-Earth);

3. that this Decision enters into force on 27 June 2025;

4. that the preferred date for implementation of this Decision shall be 27 December 2025;

5. that CEPT administrations shall communicate the national measures implementing this Decision to the ECC Chair and the Office when this ECC Decision is nationally implemented.”

So, that means the UK has not signed up to the restrictions in Annex 1.

for EME, the main impact will be a move to the upper part of the band as the limits in 1296 - 1298 MHz are only 50W.

q) For narrowband (bandwidth ≤ 150 kHz) applications operating in the amateur service:
i) 1258-1296 MHz: Maximum value of e.i.r.p.1 = −17 dBW;
ii) 1296-1298 MHz: Maximum transmitter power = 17 dBW;
iii) 1298-1300 MHz: Maximum transmitter power = 22 dBW.

For narrowband Earth-Moon-Earth applications in the amateur service using a symmetric high performance antenna (e.g. boresight gain at least 30 dBi) pointing at least 15 degrees above the horizontal:
iv) 1298-1300 MHz: Maximum transmitter power = 27 dBW

So between 1298 and 1300 MHz amateurs in the CEPT countries that have signed up are to be limited to 22 dBW on the Horizon up to 15 degrees and 27 dBW above 15 degrees. 27 dBW is 500W so more than we are currently allowed in the UK. 22dBW is 160W, same as on 4m currently.

but this doesn't apply in the UK (and presumably UK dependencies) at least not yet.

The EIRP limits in 1258MHz to 1296 MHz are extremely low, spitefully so. It implies Galileo PRS, a supposedly secure and high reliability service, has receivers that can't even handle low level interference. That's not true, the proponents simply wanted to set a precedent and evict the amateurs out of the band entirely. Given this band is also shared with other users, including quite high power radars, it is clear this proposal had little to do with a real problem of harmful interference. The conference recognised this and that's why they failed to get what they wanted at WRC-23 and ended up only with a footnote reminding administrations of the obligation to not cause harmful interference.

The greater restriction is for wideband services, e.g. DATV 150 kHz in the range 1258-1300 MHz the maximum value of e.i.r.p.1 = −17 dBW/1MHz. In effect that means DATV is to be banned in 23cm. I can see in those countries adopting 149.9kHz wide transmissions. You can get a good picture into that bandwidth, especially with 8PSK.

It is worth remembering that in the UK we also have access above 1.3 GHz, where most 23cm repeaters have their outputs.

Mike

[g4saq]

Mike, many thanks for your considered reply and insights. Given the pressures, I think we're lucky so far. Fingers crossed!
Russ.

[g6jyb]

There are still national steps to go thru , but most of Europe will be implementing it

Please bear in mind that Ofcom didn’t go for Decides-2, but already have significant amateur 23cm restrictions in the Coordination Notice section of the UK licence, and we have also agreed the removal of all wideband FMATV from 1258-1300 in the UK as part of an IARU Region-1 preparatory decision (taken just before the full CEPT one)

1240-1258 will see radar usage increase, so whilst that is free of the CEPT decision , remember we are still very much secondary

73

Murray G6JYB

[g4saq]

Thanks very much Murray. How strange that they used the word 'decides' when the rest of the text in is English!
73
Russ.

[g0mjw]

It is in English. These regulatory texts have a very specific format, e.g. Considering a, b, c ,d... Noting a, b, c, d,... Noting further, a, b, c, d..., recognising, a, b, c, d.... , decides...1, 2, 3....

Not all these are always used and decides becomes resolves if it is a resolution rather than a decision etc. There are also slight differences between the bodies, ITU, CEPT etc.

Resolution 750 from WRC19 is a good example https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/oth/0 ... 57PDFE.pdf

Mike

[G4IUG]

Sadly that looks like 500W to a yagi for EME is not on.

What with GB7MX causing deliberate interference to our local 50 year old net freqancy, I'm not sure about things these days...........

73 Dave