On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 19:05:16 -0700, Richard Clark
wrote:


What do I imagine? Amateur TV Broadcasting! Remember the ill-fated
neighborhood FM? Interest groups sank that idea like a rock in the
ocean. What does "Amateur" mean in this context? Discard the notion
of transmitting only to exchange QSL cards and start pumping music and
game shows produced at the community level. The prohibition against
transmitting entertainment is a antediluvian appeal to the 1930s.
"Amateur" in this context means non-commercial. Not even appeals for
donations. Do it on your own or go back to vaudeville.

My notion to re-invigorate Amateur radio is to expand neighborhood TV
transmission (small service area, AKA Pirate TV) making Hams the
non-profit extension of the FCC for site review and inspection. Boost
the technical requirements (sort of a low grade General
Radiotelephone) for non-profit transmission testing and monitoring.
Develop an association for granting area and frequency coverage (just
like repeater associations have been doing for years) to co-ordinate
allocations. There should even be provisions for networking.

Somehow I think what industry has in mind are ways to tap into "unused
spectrum space" dynamically and exploit it for Internet access
services. You don't need to look very far into their proposed method
of operation to see that a squat on a frequency band soon makes it
unused by anyone else.

Aren't the IEEE working on standards for such spectrum exploitation?

These ideas share a bit in common with the BPL menace, uncoordinated
access to spectrum, and put the onus on the licenced service subject
to interference to follow a regulatory maze to regain access to their
licence entitlements.

Owen

PS: "unused spectrum space" means not licenced to the squatter, and
not carrying enduring signals sufficient in strength to interfere with
their squat.
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