Comreg Amateur Radio License Negotiations

On September 10th 2021 ComReg published in document 21/90 inviting comments on their proposed strategy for managing the spectrum in the years 2022 to 2024. The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) and a number of clubs as well as individual amateur licensees submitted comments. ComReg published an assessment of these comments on December 17th 2021 in document 21/136a. Highlights of the document are as follows.

Novice/Entry Level License

Probably the biggest news is ComReg’s change of position on the issue of Novice or entry level licences. They say that taking into account the support expressed for entry-level or novice-licensing and the strong justifications given in the submissions, ComReg will seek, in the timeline of this strategy statement and subject to resources, to put in place a framework for novice licensing in Ireland.

Power Increase

Submissions were made for an increase in power levels for all amateurs.

ComReg say that they will consider further the matter of a general increase in permissible power for all licensees and/or individual authorisations for licensees wishing to operate at higher powers. Included in these considerations will be the matters related to compliance with non ionising radiation, spurious emissions and measurement of power.

5MHz

The IRTS proposes to transfer five specific frequencies between 5280 kHz and 5405 kHz from A1.4 of the guidelines (use requires additional authorisation) to A1.3 of the guidelines (available for general use). The IRTS contends that this would provide more flexibility for amateurs operating on a secondary basis to avoid interfering with primary services. ComReg agrees with this proposal and will adjust the guidelines to make these five spot frequencies available to all licensees.

Other issues raised by IRTS included the amateur services’s status in CEPT, self regulation, representation on the Spectrum Intelligence and Investigation Operators Forum, WARC 79 GHz microwave allocations, the 50 to 54MHz bands, Quiet Zones and WRC-23.

Use the following link to the IRTS website for a more detailed report. www.irts.ie/comreg21136

IRTS welcomes the positive views and new assessments in the ComReg document and will engage with ComReg and members to work on these plans.