Doug Smith W9WI wrote:

Ruud Poeze wrote:
This is not just an UK or Ofcom thing, but an international agreement.
Also in Holland mateurs wil be allowed to use an extend 40m band.
As for broadcasting the 41 meterband will be stretched to 7400 kHz.

I thought it was a few years before the expansion becomes official?
(that the countries that allow 7100-7200KHz are using some kind of
"escape clause" that allows them to ignore international regulations if
no interference results?)

Anyway, it's a very welcome change. I'm looking forward to working some
European stations on 40m SSB without having the press the SPLIT button!

Some more info:

** U K. UK AMATEURS POISED TO GET BIGGER 40-METER BAND (SEP 29, 2004)

Amateur Radio operators in the United Kingdom hope to soon
have a bigger 40 meter band. UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom
has announced plans to extend 40 meters by an additional 100 kHz to
7000-7200 kHz for Foundation, Intermediate and Full Amateur Radio
licensees in the UK. Ofcom says the band extension would be a
secondary allocation to the Amateur Service on the basis that
amateurs not cause interference to other services within or outside
the UK. Allowable modes would include CW, phone, RTTY, data,
facsimile and SSTV. Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Spectrum
Forum Chairman and HF Manager Colin Thomas, G3PSM, says that barring
the unlikely event of an objection, the additional 100 kHz should
become available to UK amateurs Sunday, October 31. Ofcom has invited
comments on the proposal until October 23.--The Daily DX; RSGB (via
ARRL main page via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD)

Well, of course, any hams using 7100-7200 kHz are bound to cause
interference to (and suffer interference from) broadcasting stations
in Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific. Isn`t this patently obvious? What
dimension are these people living in??? Have sesquidecades of
experience in how well sharing does NOT work in the Americas had no
impact whatsoever?? It can only be worse in the UK, since the hams and
broadcasters will be on the same band in the same continent! The
broadcasters will before long be vacating 7100-7200, so what`s the big
hurry? (Glenn Hauser, OK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)

dxAce
Michigan