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==> 60-METER RULES ADD NEW RECORD-KEEPING REQUIREMENT<==
(From “THE ARRL LETTER” Vol. 22, No.25, 20 June 2003)
When the five new 60-meter channels become available to US Amateur Radio
operators at midnight (12 AM) local time on July 3, the rules will impose
a new record-keeping requirement for hams. The requirement applies only to
those using something other than a simple half-wave dipole for an antenna
on the 5-MHz allocation.
According to §97.303(s), a half-wave dipole on the 5 MHz allocation will
be presumed to have a gain of 0 dBd. "Licensees using other antennas must
maintain in their station records either manufacturer data on the antenna
gain or calculations of the antenna gain," the newest addition to the
FCC's Amateur Service rules says.
Because the new rules also require hams to run no more than 50 W effective
radiated power (ERP) on the new channels, the choice of antenna becomes an
important compliance factor. The FCC rules stipulate, "For the purpose of
computing ERP, the transmitter PEP will be multiplied with [sic] the
antenna gain relative to a dipole or the equivalent calculation in
decibels."
If you use a half-wave dipole--about 87 feet 3 inches for the "middle"
channel according to the formula--setting your transmitter's power output
power at up to 50 W peak envelope power (PEP) should ensure compliance.
Under no circumstances may amateurs on 5 MHz radiate more than 50 W ERP in
any direction, so those choosing to employ gain antennas will have to "do
the math" and calculate their ERP. They also will have to keep a record of
such antenna gain calculations on file. This might include documentation
such as output from a computer modeling program for a homebrew antenna
design. For example, an amateur using an array for 5 MHz exhibiting a
calculated or modeled gain of 3 dB would have to cut power to 25 W PEP to
comply with the new rules.
Operating on 60 meters is the subject of the July 2003 QST "It Seems to Us
. . ." editorial <http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/07/01/1/>
by ARRL
CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "If we demonstrate that we can use [the 60-meter
channels] responsibly, cooperatively and in the public interest, there is
no reason we cannot seek expanded access at an appropriate time," Sumner
wrote. "If your personal operating practices are inconsistent with that,
please do yourself and everyone else a favor and confine your operating to
the traditional bands."
The FCC Report and Order in ET Docket 02-98 is available on the FCC's Web
site <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-105A1.doc>.
The ARRL has posted a list of frequently asked questions concerning 5 MHz
operation on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/faq.html#sixty>
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