In article ,
Klystron wrote:

Icom has a band chart (made up by Gordon West) on its web site that
shows specific band segments designated for Digital, without further
explaining what the word "Digital" means (FM packet, DV or DD). This
makes sense, as you wouldn't want to hear squeaking, squalking digital
noises as you try to tune along an FM segment with an FM-only rig. My
hope is that some underutilized segments of the 440 band (such as the
ATV channel that covers 438 to 442) will be reassigned for digital use,
repeaters as well as simplex.

Here in the SF Bay area, that latter suggestion would probably renew a
nasty, bloody band-war :-(

As I understand the history - for quite a few years, there was no ATV
activity hereabouts. A lot of repeater owners made informal use of
the 438 ATV band for auxiliary and control links (reacting to the fact
that the primary 2-meter and 440 allocations around here are very full).

A few years back, an ATV interest group set set up an ATV repeater on
a local mountaintop and lit it up.

The repeater owners howled, asserting that the ATV system was
transmitting on top of ongoing communications without listening first
(a violation of the FCC rules). The ATV group asserted that the
repeater auxiliary links shouldn't have been there in the first place,
as that usage was contrary to the northern California 440 band-plan
which had been in place for years.

I understand that the issue was escalated all the way up to the FCC,
and the FCC declined to make a definitive ruling, stating that it was
really an issue for the local-area frequency coordinators to deal
with... and the coordinators came down on the side of the agreed-upon
bandplan.

There's still frequent use of the ATV repeater up on the hill.

The situation may be easier to deal with in areas that don't have an
active ATV community. The ARRL's bandplan for the 70 cm band states
that local bandplans and agreements override the national plan
recommendations, so it seems entirely possible for local coordinators
to agree to open up the segment you're speaking of to non-ATV uses.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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