Phil Kane wrote:
On Wed, 7 May 2008 18:37:43 EDT, Bill Powell wrote:

Public notice posted yesterday - proposal to use 430-448 MHz for
remotely-controlled surveillance robot:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-08-1077A1.pdf

Sigh...

Pikers! Why didn't they apply for 20 kW and REALLY cause
interference?? g It almost sounds like they are using something
"off the shelf" that is being used elsewhere where the ham band ends
at 430 MHz. I've seen this stuff before.

Good point: that explains a lot, doesn't it? It all comes down to money,
and given a choice between something ready-made and tested that can be
marked up 10,000%, or a one-of assembly that costs more than you'd ever
dare to charge, the choice seems obvious.

Hmmm, you know, that also explains why 146-148 MHz isn't available to
hams in large portions of the world. Lot's of rigs from the U.S. market,
easy to buy and use, can be plugged-and-played anywhere the governments
choose. Must have been a similar process for 220.

I guess we hams _have_ been experimenters after all: we provided the
funding to design and debug reliable gear that will now make life easy
for some entrepreneurs. It wasn't the kind of experiment I would have
chosen to start myself, but C'est la Vie.

My gut feeling is that with the present "leadership" at the FCC
(despite the fact that several good friends are in the Homeland
Security and Public Safety Bureau and wouldn't support it but for
pressure from above) it will be granted on a secondary priority behind
all the other secondary priority users. I hope that I am wrong and it
is denied.

Another reason to support the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund.

What ever happened to all that TV spectrum that's supposed to be made
available for "homeland security" next year? Does a bomb-sniffing robot
not qualify, or has the thought of participating in a spectrum auction
frightened the manufacturer into an attempted "land grab" instead?

The answer is obvious. You know, I'd like to see Michael Powell's
investment portfolio: I bet that there are a lot of good stock tips to
be gleaned from it.

W1AC

(Remove QRM from my address for direct replies.)