Call to urgent action on 5 MHz

While Radio Amateurs in the UK are experimenting on the 5 MHz band, South Africa are still awaiting the answer to the South African Radio League's request to ICASA to allocate one or more 5 MHz channels.

This week, RSGB news reported that their popular Sunday evening 5 MHz Sunset Net is changing frequency. The net, as its name implies, meets around UK sunset time on Sunday evenings to compare propagation with that during the 5 MHz GB2RS News earlier the same day. It has for some time met on the UK's 5 371,5 kHz channel.

Following a number of reception reports from amateurs in the Republic of Ireland, the net participants have decided to move the Sunset Net's frequency to 5 398,5 kHz, with a backup of 5 278,5 kHz, beginning today, 18 November, as both these latter two channels are available to EI amateurs.

We, in South Africa, need your action this weekend and on Monday and Tuesday. Monitor the channels between 5 250 and 5 450 kHz and report any transmission heard. We need the date, time and ID of the station or any information that may assist in identifying the organisation licensed.

The SARL needs this information in preparation for the meeting with ICASA on Thursday this week. Mail your findings to artoday@sarl.org.za

White Space Devices Consultation

Ofcom has published a consultation on a framework for the operation of white space devices in the UK.

A white space device uses gaps in radio spectrum, called ‘white spaces’, which exist in between frequency bands that have been reserved for TV broadcasting. Use of these white spaces would allow devices to transmit and receive wireless signals for applications such as broadband access for rural communities or innovative ‘machine-to-machine’ networks.

The consultation includes proposed regulatory requirements and technical specifications for white space devices - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/whitespaces/

TV white spaces - A consultation on white space device requirements - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/whitespaces/summary/condoc.pdf

Mysterious Chinese signals on radio bands

Wolf, DK2OM, Coordinator IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS) Region 1 reports on strange Chinese signals in the amateur radio bands.

Since 25 October 2012, the bands are suffering from mysterious Chinese signals on 7000, 14000, 21000 and 21010 kHz. At first the A3E signals were sounding like grunt or moo, however stations are receiving very strong multitone signals with a carrier and both sidebands every morning.

The signals are also audible on 15000 (disturbing the time signal from RWM Moscow), 18000, 19000 and 20000 kHz. The purpose is unknown, perhaps a special kind of encrypted broadcast or a new generation of OTH radar?

For further details visit - http://www.iarums-r1.org/ and look under "Latest Intruder News".

There are also reports that a taxi company in the Russian Federation is transmitting FM on 21404.2 kHz daily and all day. He says you can often hear a female voice organizing the business. Please use this frequency for amateur traffic daily.

Please log your reports of Amateur Band intruders online - http://peditio.net/intruder/bluechat.cgi

Monitor the short wave bands on-line with a web based SDR receiver - http://www.websdr.org/

IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS) - http://www.iarums-r1.org/