Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Jul 07 2023 07:23:21 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2384, for Friday, July 7th, 2023 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2384, with a release date of Friday, July 7th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Gains in attendance at Europe's largest hamfest. Sri Lanka loses a respected member of the amateur community -- and there are big plans ahead for radio at Scout camps. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2384 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** GAIN IN ATTENDANCE AT HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to Germany. With Ham Radio Friedrichshafen (Pron: Freed Ricks Harfen) completing two weeks ago, the attendance figures have been announced and there's some good news. Over to our European Correspondent Ed Durrant, DD5LP, who attended. ED: This year's attendance at Ham Radio, Europe's largest Hamfest, was up by 10% to 11,100 and the number of traders by 15% compared to last year, despite predictions that Hamfests may suffer due to the increase in online sales during and following the pandemic. It was clear there was an increase in the number of people both at the indoor flea market halls and in the main trader and exhibitor hall. While there were no new major radio announcements -- other than we already know of from Hamvention -- it was good to see Kenwood back with a stall but a shame that only Yaesu's agents represented them. ICOM was there with their usual impressive large display area and competing in size was a new company to the amateur radio market - Aaronia a manufacturer of high quality test equipment. All in all, it was a very uplifting event. Just as important was the announcement that the required legislative document had just been signed to implement the new German entry level "N class" amateur radio licence. The regulations will come into force on the 21st of June 2024, the week before next years "Ham Radio" event between the 28th and 30th and indeed the very first examinations for this new class of licence will take place at "HAM RADIO 2024." The new licence will allow access to 70cm, 2m and 10m running a maximum of 10 watts and will conform to CEPT specifications for an entry level licence. This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP. ** FCC SEEKS INPUT ON COMMERCIAL USE OF HF SPECTRUM STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Following years of experimental use of the frequencies between 2 and 25 MHz - a range the FCC considers underutilized - members of the Shortwave Modernization Coalition have asked the agency for rule changes that would permit fixed, long-distance, time-sensitive transmission of data by commercial entities. The FCC is requesting public comment on the proposed rule change, which the Commission said would not have an impact on that part of the spectrum used exclusively by amateur radio, maritime or aeronautical services. A rule change would make the frequencies available to regular commercial operations. At present only 61 of the 21,507 active licenses for frequencies between 2 and 25 MHz are for industrial and business use, according to the FCC. The businesses seeking access have relied until now on satellite, fiber, microwave and millimeter wave wireless transmissions. Shortwave Management Coalition members, who include such entities as companies in the financial markets, believe a rule change could widen access to other industries such as mining, petroleum and manufacturing. Comments are due to the FCC within the month. (FCC, SWLING POST) ** FCC TO CONSIDER KEEPING FM6 RADIO FOR LOW-POWER TV STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In other action in Washington, it is shaping up to be a busy month for the Federal Communications Commission, which is considering whether low power analog TV stations that have a Channel 6 allocation can continue to broadcast analog FM radio. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us what's behind the issue. KEVIN: In a small number of US markets, FM broadcast audio has long been available from TV stations making use of a subcarrier 250 kHz from the top of the Channel 6 frequencies. At the FCC's open meeting on July 20th, the FCC will look at an option it favors: permitting these low-power TV stations to continue this practice as a supplementary service even after the TV stations' conversion to digital. The FCC believes that preserving the operations for those 13 low-power stations would benefit the public interest, noting as well that there is no record of TV interference with the adjacent FM channels, known as FM6 stations. The FCC wrote in a fact sheet on its website that it has not received complaints with credible evidence showing anything to the contrary. FM6 radio is permitted to operate only on 87.75 MHz and the service may only be offered within the low-power TV station's coverage area and on a non-interference basis. This is Kevin Trotman, N5PRE. (FCC) --- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .