[Lf] Re: [Lowfer] Experimental license for the group?

[Andre' Kesteloot]

Clifford Buttschardt wrote:

> [...]

>     As I understand it, any amateur related STA, although this is not
> strictly amateur usually is brought to the attention of Ray Rinaldo who
> edits the AMRAD newsletter.  Andre, CC'd above probably is the better man
> to comment on this approach.  I must insist that we apply for an
> authorization in which ANY experimenter can participate rather than the
> present AMRAD authorization which is limited to specific individuals.
> Cliff K7RR

******************************************8
Hello Friends,

Apologies for this late reply. I have just returned yesterday from a trip to Europe,
and am still wading through a zillion messages in my In-box  :-)

As I understand it, a STA can only be granted by the FCC as a temporary
authorization for amateur radio-operators to do something not normally authorized on
a ham-band .  (For instance, AMRAD received in the early 80's a STA to experiment
with Spread-Spectrum technology on ham bands).

As the 136 KHz sliver is not, at the present time, a Ham band, no STA can be issued
by the FCC for that frequency.

What AMRAD did, instead, was to request a "Part 5" license to operate on 136.750.
Such a license demands that the operators' names and locations be clearly spelled
out prior to the license being granted.
The members of AMRAD that are listed on the Part 5 license all happen to be amateur
radio operators, but cannot use that license to communicate with other operators not
listed on the license.  In other words, when we communicate with one another on
136.750 under that license, we are not hams, we are experimenters.  When I transmit
on 136.750, I am not N4ICK talking to WB3KDU, but WA2XTF/4 in contact with WA2XTF/6.

Meanwhile, the ARRL has also requested from the FCC  that both  the 135-137 band
(similar to the CEPT one available in Europe) and the present "Lowfer" band be
designated as amateur bands.  AMRAD had nothing to do with that request, as far as I
know.

Incidentally, the editor of the AMRAD Newsletter is Paul Rinaldo W4RI
(w4ri at amrad.org)

Hope this helps a little to clarify  the present situation  :-)
73
Andre'  N4ICK