50-52 MHz and closure of the last Ch.0 station

[VK2ZRH]

The last Channel 0 TV station - the NEN0 translator at Tamworth, NSW - is scheduled to close this month.

Following that event, limits on 6m access in the Amateur LCD for eastern states advanced licensees should become inoperative.

The WIA has sought clarification from the ACMA. However . . . see the fully story here: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2 ... /index.php

Posted in the interests of spreading the news.

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK5PJ]

Hi Roger,
I find it curious that the ACMA state on the linked page from the WIA web site article that the LCD will be looked at after Dec 2012, so a year has past with no update from the ACMA I guess counting the money from all the recent spectrum auctions are consuming their time and they have forgotten us, then again it all goes into the fed's General Revenue for they did not get a cent from it.

These power and mode restrictions will apply until the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination No. 1 of 1997 (LCD) is amended. Work to amend the LCD will commence after the switchover process is completed in December 2012.

Thanks for keeping us informed.

Peter, vk5pj

[VK2XSO]

The last Channel 0 TV station - the NEN0 translator at Tamworth, NSW - is scheduled to close this month.

The coverage from this transmitter is so bad I doubt anybody will notice !

I just checked and there's no signal on ch0 and the translator is located about 5km line of sight from my turret tuner.
So either it's business as usual, or it's long gone. It's so hard to tell the difference.

[VK2ZRH]

Oh dear! It seems that ". . . the wick in the engine's gone out, Henry . ." [quote from a Goon Show].

Call CQ on 50.110 MHz and see what happens

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK3AUU]

From ACMA

" (3) If the licensee operates the station in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory, the licensee must operate the station:

(a) in the frequency band 50.000 MHz to 50.300 MHz only, using:

(i) emission mode 200HA1A and a maximum transmitter power of 100 watts pY; or

(ii) emission mode 1K12F1D and a maximum transmitter power of 30 watts pY; or

(iii) emission mode 4K00J3E and a maximum transmitter power of 100 watts pX; and"

Seems to me that until the LCD is actually amended, we are still restricted to the above conditions.

David

[VK2ZRH]

Hi David,

If there's no Channel 0 TV station on-air, Sections 15, 36 and 43 of the Amateur LCD are (likely to be) void.

From the ACMA's own documentation - "Broadcast Services (Simulcast Period End Date - Remote Licence Areas) Determination 2012, Section 5" - the close-down of NEN0 would be 10 December 2013.

Section 15 of the Amateur LCD says:

(1) Subsections (2) and (3) apply if the licensee operates a station to which this Part applies in the frequency band 50.000 MHz to 52.000 MHz.

(2) The licensee must not operate the station to which this Part applies if it causes interference to the reception of the transmissions of television channel 0.

Logic says, if there is no Channel 0 transmission, there can be no interference and, therefore, Section 15 (3) is inoperative.

QED.

Nevertheless, the WIA wrote to the ACMA seeking advice to clarify/confirm this. It's the Irish Philosophy - to be sure, to be sure

Nothing heard from the ACMA . . . to date.

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK6ZFG]

Hi

Under the wording used in the LCD while subsection (2) clearly no longer applies. However subsection (3) still does, though its reason for existance has clearly disappeared. It is quite specific as to the states it applies to.

Extract from LCD:

15 Operating an amateur advanced station in the frequency band 50 MHz to 52 MHz

(1) Subsections (2) and (3) apply if the licensee operates an amateur advanced station in the frequency band 50.000 MHz to 52.000 MHz.

(2) The licensee must not operate the station if it causes interference to the reception of the transmissions of television channel 0.

(3) If the licensee operates the station in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory, the licensee must operate the station:

(a) in the frequency band 50.000 MHz to 50.300 MHz only, using:

(i) emission mode 200HA1A and a maximum transmitter power of 100 watts pY; or

(ii) emission mode 1K12F1D and a maximum transmitter power of 30 watts pY; or

(iii) emission mode 4K00J3E and a maximum transmitter power of 100 watts pX; and

(b) at a place that is:

(i) at least 120 kilometres from a television channel 0 main station; and

(ii) at least 60 kilometres from a television channel 0 translator station; and

(iii) at least 60 kilometres from a television translator station that has inputs on television channel 0.

Note For details of VHF television channel 0 stations, see Schedule 7.

Unfortunately the LCD wording does not take into account the situation where all the CH0 transmitters have closed down.

The ACMA needs to clarify the situation by deleting this section from the LCD or issuing a statement that is no longer applies until an updated LCD is issued by them. It is unlikely that the 50MHz Amateur LCD issue is high on their priority list.

The WIA path is clearly the way to go to get this clarified. Government bodies take more notice of organisations than indivuduals.

[VK2JDH]

I would read:
(b) at a place that is:

(i) at least 120 kilometres from a television channel 0 main station; and

(ii) at least 60 kilometres from a television channel 0 translator station; and

as it's OK now as everybody is now ( or soon will be) more that the prescribed distance from a Ch 0 station as the NEN0 license no longer exists.

[VK6ZFG]

Hi

Yes, under the LCD all advanced licence holders in the listed restricted states can now operate between 50.000 and 50.300 as there is no CH0 any longer in operation.

However the power restrictions, as listed in the LCD under 3 (a) still apply, though clearly it is a carry over from when CH0s were operating.

It just means that you miss out on operating between 50.300 and 52.000 and are limited to 100W SSB PEP. So in effect you have access to the parts of the band you need for DX and normal operation.

[VK2GOM]

I think that part needs a complete re-jig. There is also the talk of CW, AM and SSB ONLY, but then the bandplan talks about datamodes etc.

Perhaps something the WIA and ACMA can thrash out, given the new RF environment.

73 - Rob VK2GOM / GW0MOH

[VK2JDH]

Hi


However the power restrictions, as listed in the LCD under 3 (a) still apply, though clearly it is a carry over from when CH0s were operating.
.

I don't read it that way as 3(a) only applies if 3(b) is met, which it now does not.

[VK4GHZ]

If any part of a document can be interpreted more than one way, it's poorly worded.
Period.

To wit, I think the legal industry does this deliberately to ensure ongoing supply of work!

[VK4TIM]

A quick search on the ACMA's licence database online reveals that there are no licences remaining for channel 0 TV transmitters in Australia.

One could therefore conclude that as there are no licenced transmitters, that in fact there are none on the air, and that every Amateur licence holder in Australia is more that 120km from either a channel 0 transmitter, or translator input, or more than 60km from a low powered secondary station. This would satisfy that clause in the Amateur licence.

I would conclude that all (Eastern States) Amateurs would automatically have access to 50 to 50.3 with 100W right now, until we are granted the full 50-54 with full power...

There was no other low band TV licences showing in the databse, including the former channel 2 transmitters in the capital cities. There would be no likelyhood of causing interference to low band TV anywhere.

The ZL authorities have created an interim licence which grants full access to 50-51 to all ZL Amateurs with full power (1 kW), which will stand until such time as the existing management rights for the broadcasters expires in August 2015, when the Amateur GURL (class licence) will be ammended accordingly.
It seems for them it was a very simple task that was done in less than a week, and came into force as soon as all analog was turned off.

My 2c worth.

[VK3ZAZ]

The last Channel 0 TV station - the NEN0 translator at Tamworth, NSW - is scheduled to close this month.

The coverage from this transmitter is so bad I doubt anybody will notice !

I just checked and there's no signal on ch0 and the translator is located about 5km line of sight from my turret tuner.
So either it's business as usual, or it's long gone. It's so hard to tell the difference.

NEN0 WENT OFF ON 27th NOV 2012
WE WOULD LIKE THE BAND BACK before CYCLE 24 thanks

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