==WE NEED A BANDWIDTH-BASED FREQUENCY PLAN==
FOR THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO

Bravo! for the new ARRL proposal in the works for code-free
license restructuring. It is long overdue, and it is a
great step forward!
ARRL: Thank you for all your work...

Please consider that, due to recent radio technology and
the proposed changes to licensing structure, we desperately
need a better frequency plan than the olde "Novice Refarming
Proposal" from the 1990s that was pulled off a dusty shelf.
Instead, we need a "Bandwidth-Based Frequency Plan" for the
next decade or more.

DIGITAL MODULATION IS THE FUTURE
Digital modulation and processing is changing the way we
communicate and coexist in the HF frequency spectrum.
With the multitude of new digital and analog modulation
schemes, including "digital voice", there are compelling
reasons to integrate voice, CW, data, image, and
keyboarding "modes".
Hams want to be able to use existing technology to
simultaneously keyboard, exchange multimedia files,
and talk by voice with each other on the same frequency...
something our present rules prevent on HF.

MODE IS NO LONGER A VALID DEFINITION
Due to technology changes, the old definitions of what
a "mode" is are now blurred beyond recognition.
Existing band/mode rules are stifling creativity.

ARE WE NOT COMMUNICATORS?
One example of how our present plan stifles communication
is by keeping USA amateurs segregated and actually
preventing us from communicating with the rest of
the world on the 40 and 80/75 meter bands.
Hams want to be able to communicate via voice
internationally on the 40m and 80m ham bands.

HF FREQUENCY PLAN BY EMISSION BANDWIDTH - NOT MODE
If we are to continue to advance amateur radio into
the future, we need MODE FLEXIBILITY.
Otherwise, we will be faced with the need to be
constantly generating new proposals to the FCC to
accomodate new technology. The simplest and best
way to solve this problem is to divide the HF bands
according to "emission bandwidth" for better
distribution of spectrum activity.
This will not only encourage new research and
development in modulation techniques, but it will
help amateurs to communicate with each other by
breaking down the frequency/mode/band barriers
which have confounded us on some bands for the
past 40 years.

Here is a better HF Frequency Plan for Amateur Radio in USA.

MODE-BASED HF FREQUENCY PLAN USA

kHz
1800 to 2000 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
1830 to 2000 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
3500 to 4000 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
3600 to 4000 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
5MHz channels - mode 2.8kHz bandwidth
7000 to 7300 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
7075 to 7300 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
10100 to 10150 any mode 500kHz bandwidth
10115 to 10150 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
14000 to 14300 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
14075 to 14350 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
18068 to 18168 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
18080 to 18168 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
21000 to 21450 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
21100 to 21450 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
21350 to 21450 any mode 10kHz bandwidth
24890 to 24990 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
28000 to 29700 any mode 500Hz bandwidth
28100 to 29700 any mode 3kHz bandwidth
28600 to 29700 any mode 10kHz bandwidth

NEW AMATEUR EXTRA - ALL FREQUENCIES - ALL BANDS.

"NEW GENERAL" and "NEW NOVICE" BANDS
ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY PLAN:

kHz
1800 to 2000 GENERAL
3510 to 3600 GENERAL AND NOVICE
3650 to 4000 GENERAL
3700 to 4000 NOVICE
5MHz channels GENERAL
7010 to 7075 GENERAL
7025 to 7075 NOVICE
7100 to 7300 GENERAL
7150 to 7300 NOVICE
10100 to 10150 GENERAL
14010 to 14075 GENERAL
14025 to 14075 NOVICE
14150 to 14350 GENERAL
14250 to 14350 NOVICE
18068 to 18168 GENERAL, NOVICE
21010 to 21100 GENERAL, NOVICE
21100 to 21450 GENERAL
21250 to 21450 NOVICE
24890 to 24990 GENERAL, NOVICE
28000 to 29700 GENERAL, NOVICE


BY YEAR 2010, 30% OF ALL HAMS WILL BE NOVICE OPERATORS
Under the new ARRL proposed license restructuring plan,
the number of amateur radio operators on HF will
increase dramatically. This is good.
We need this to preserve our frequency allocations.
We will see a vast increase in the number of "New Novices".
The new Novice operators will be valuable emergency
communicators, so we need to make room in our bands
for them to communicate.


73---Bonnie KQ6XA
ARRL Member





























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