From: geertj@ica.philips.nl (Geert Jan de Groot)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: (european comment on) 430mhz band under thread
Date: 29 Dec 92 01:40:20 GMT
Organization: Philips Consumer Electronics, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

andyw@aspen32.cray.com (Andy Warner) writes:

>[loads of repeater-ese deleted...]

>So if I remember correctly, the original poster was talking about
>the potential loss of 430 throughout Europe. Does anyone
>know any more about this ?

Andy,

I am glad you asked. With utter astonishment I saw Pat G3IOR's scream for
help change in a repeater cost war. We Europeans don't even _have_ closed
repeaters. Can't afford it. Read on, and I hope you understand why.

Information on the 70cm grab is still scarce. It seems the 70cm band isn't
taken (yet), but incompatible services added. In short:

The European 70cm band is, at most, 10 MHz wide (430-440). Some countries 
have taken off the lowest 2 MHz (430-432, or the highest (438-440), or both.
Yet, others do allow the full 10 MHz but give secondary rights to part of
the band.

In these 10 (8?) (6?) MHz we have to do 'everything': repeaters, local traffic,
low-noise DX traffic, EME, satelite traffic, ATV, packet, everything.

But there are other problems. The band is shared with various other services,
like SYLEDIS, which is a wide, high-power homing service. It seems mostly
used around the North Sea, so Dutch, British, Belgian, French and
others have much harm from this system. The 'preferred' Syledis frequency
is right in the middle of the DX band. Fortunately, we usually were able
to QSY those devices to other parts of the band (436, 438 MHz)

Then, there is the ISM allocation. 433.920 MHz plusminus .87 MHz is shared
with 'Industrial, Scientific, Medical' applications. A few years ago, I
heard heart monitor transmitters from the nearby hospital (I could tell
to which TV program they were looking: on an exciting moment, the beeps
went faster!). Also, things like high-frequent welding, wood drying,
all fall under ISM. Not all of these are Xtal-controlled!
'Interference from ISM-applications must be accepted'.

But, the European Community, in its Infinite Wisdom, announced that those
ISM allocations can also be used for low-power home applications, like
burglar alarms, garage door openers, etc. So far, they are limited
to 10mW of power, internal antenna, so they should not go far, but they
are there EVERY BLOCK. Your neighbour will have one, his neighbour, etc.
I shudder by the idea that in a few years time, with my experiments on
70cm, I could trip the alarm (of course, preferred at 3.00 AM).
While we amateurs, so far, are 'preferred' above these applications,
in interference problems, I don't expect to get much help 
from the authorities telling my neighbour to scrap his just-bought, 
new and expen$ive wireless alarm because of me.

And then, there are some countries that are allowing high-power 'alien'
applications in 'our' 70cm band. Pat G3IOR reported of some Military 
activities, I have heard of similar activities in Germany.

While we probably don't 'loose' the band in a year time (though, that might
happen!) we will certainly loose it by this kind of noise-generating 
activities. 

What we can do against all these activities? I really don't know. Some
Ham Clubs are negoitating, but I am afraid of the future.

73,
Geert Jan PE1HZG
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc