Jim Hampton wrote:
The HF bands are, many times, international in scope. This story is not
about the FCC, it is about international agreements.

It's about both, really.

What is said in the story is true; many 3rd world countries would love 80
meters as it would provide cheap communications (they don't have to pay to
build all the infrastructure of a telephone system to cover their country).
If the world community decides that 80/75 meters is to no longer be an
amateur allocations, the FCC will have nothing to say about it.

The US delegation to the radio conferences looks to FCC for input,
though. (Not just FCC, of course.) There's a big difference between
what happens if FCC says that 75 is such a mess it isn't worth
defending at the conferences versus the reverse.

I think the main point of all this is that it's really up to *us hams*
to
show that we're worth our allocations. That's one reason on-air
behavior really matters!

There's also a lesson in human nature in there, too. When Rudy Giuliani
was elected mayor of NYC, one of his priorities was enforcement of
"minor" laws,
like going after turnstile-jumpers, graffiti and trash/rubbish
violations. Some people asked if tax money wouldn't be better spent
going after drug dealers and murderers. RG's theory was that if you
allow the "little stuff" to get slack, the big stuff gets slack too. In
any event, NYC's crime, large and small, went down.

Same principle applies on the ham bands. But FCC can't do it all -
there's the question of what we hams consider acceptable behavior. FCC
enforcement is complaint-driven - just ask K1MAN. A key factor in his
case is that many,
many hams complained about his violations over a long period of time.

If you look at cell phones, you might get an idea of the extent of the
problem. In developed countries, cell phones have become big business. In
the U.S., every teenager "needs" one. It takes a lot of cell phone towers
to provide service, not to mention ever increasing needs of frequencies.

Right - but those will be VHF/UHF, not HF.

I believe that when I was first licensed (in 1962) amateurs could use any
frequency above 30 GHz. There was little gear that could function at all at
that frequency and dx records could be measured in yards or a few miles.
Nowadays, there are some amateur bands intermingled with other segments
going up to 300 GHz, at which point amateurs can use anything above 300 GHz.
300 GHz in far infra-red light!

Sure - but isn't that the way it's always been?

Back in 1912, hams had access to "200 meters and down" (note - that did
not mean any ham could use any frequency above 1500 kHz! It meant that
individual hams could apply for, and receive, licenses to use specific
frequencies above 1500. So could anyone else, but the professionals and
experts of the time thought those frequencies were useless for
long-distance communications.

When HF was carved into bands, US hams had lots of room. Before 1929,
40 meters was 7000 to 8000 kHz and 20 meters was 14,000 to 16,000 kHz -
exact harmonics of 80!

Somehow, communications devices are going to have to become more efficient
at using available frequencies (amateurs included). Even assuming they do
(and they have become more band-width friendly), there will be pressure on
all users to use it (effectively) or loose it.

I agree up to a point.

Most of the communications revolution has nothing to do with radio.
It's all about fiber optics. Heck, I bet that the vast majority of
telecommunications today (in terms of bits/mile) does *not* go by
radio, but by copper or glass. Cell phones, Wi-Fi, etc. are simply a
way of getting the last mile without a wire or fiber. Broadcasting as
we knew it will probably morph into something aimed mostly at mobile
users.

Heck, the real value of HF (as perceived by regulators) is demonstrated
by BPL.

As to the FCC, they can easily reassign users at VHF and above as it doesn't
carry world-wide.

*Some* of our bands are not protected by treaty, others are. 144-146 is
worldwide exclusive amateur, FCC can't touch it without a treaty
change. 146-148 could be reallocated whenever FCC feels like it.

Those segments are also in jeopardy by big business.
Note that the Supreme Court ruled that local governments can exercise their
right to take property (with compensation to the owners) and sell it to
someone else.

They took eminent domain to a new high - or low.

Think what it means! Once it was the case that your house could be
taken to build a public works project (road, school, bridge) on the
theory that the public good demanded it. Now the Supremes are saying
that "the public good" includes a *private industry* developer who
wants to put up McMansions.

Big business and the Republicans rule.

"What's good for General Bullmoose...."

Next time be careful of who you vote for.

I've always been careful that way...

But the Dems have a way of nominating candidates that too many people
won't vote for. They're well on the way to doing it again with Hillary.
She's the best friend the 'pubs ever had!

Friend of mine once said that if you gave the DNC the job of organizing
a firing squad, they'd put the squad in a circle around the condemned
person.


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA

73 de Jim, N2EY