Om nu USA får WRC-allokeringen på 60m, dvs. 5351.5-5366.5 kHz på sekundär basis så blir det samma premisser som när det gäller 30m och då kanske det kan bli ett DXCC-diplom också för  60m?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of

Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 21 April 2023 addressing possible changes

to secondary allocations for radio amateurs in the 60-metre band. The

FCC proposes to allocate 15 kHz under WRC-15, but makes no proposal as

to whether existing channels should continue to be allocated to amateur

radio or what the power limits should be.

In an earlier petition, the Amateur Radio Relay League ARRL already

urged that the existing use of the band by amateurs be protected if a

new allocation is decided at the international level. Currently, radio

amateurs in the US have access to five channels on a secondary basis:

5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5358.5 kHz, 5373 kHz and 5405 kHz. The channels are

limited to an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 W PEP.

The FCC is now proposing to allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth

between 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz on a secondary basis with a maximum power of

15 W EIRP. This global allocation was adopted at the 2015 World

Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15).

The US federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum. The

US federal agency responsible for spectrum use, the National

Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has spoken out

in favour of implementing the allocation adopted at WRC-15. This would

result in US amateurs losing access to four of the five discrete

channels and lowering the power limits from 100 W ERP to 15 watts EIRP

(9.15 W ERP). On the other hand, access to a new, contiguous 15-kHz-wide

60-m band would be provided.

Back in 2017, the ARRL petitioned the FCC to retain the four 60-metre

channels that would not fall within the new band and to maintain current

operating parameters, including the ERP limit of 100 W PEP. The ARRL

petition says, that such an implementation will allow radio amateurs

engaged in emergency and disaster relief, particularly between the

United States and the Caribbean region, to conduct these communications

reliably, flexibly and efficiently.

According to the ARRL, years of experience with the use of the five

discrete channels by U.S. radio amateurs has shown that the Amateur

Radio Service in the U.S. can co-exist with primary users on 5 MHz, and

that radio amateurs will comply with the regulations established for

them. The petition further states, ”Neither the ARRL nor the NTIA is

aware of a single reported instance of interference to a primary user by

a radio amateur operating on 5 MHz.”

In the NPRM, the FCC acknowledges that Canada has already adopted

60-metre allocations and associated rules consistent with those proposed

by the ARRL. The Commission wrote: ”In conclusion, we find that Canada

has adopted substantially the same rules as required by the ARRL.”

73 Tom DF5JL

IARU R1 HF Manager

(QSP IARU R1 HF-managers list)