60m Access for Dutch Amateur / Radio Hams

Amateur / Ham radio operators in the Netherlands have gained access to 5350 to 5450 kHz at 2300 UT from Tuesday 2nd December 2015 

The 5350 to 5450 kHz band (60 meters) was incorporated into the Netherlands National Frequency Plan published in the Official Gazette on Monday 2nd November 2015, however official permission to use the band was not received until early December 2015.

Holders of the Dutch Full amateur licence are permitted to run up to 100 watts PEP. VERON is recommending that Upper Sideband (USB) is be used in the new band.

VERON News - http://tinyurl.com/VERON-news
VERON Twitter - https://twitter.com/VERON_Nederland

Dutch regulator Agentschap Telecom announcement - http://tinyurl.com/Netherlands-AT-5MHz

New Amateur / Ham Radio Band on 5 MHz

During the recent WRC-15 convention in Geneva,  a new amateur service allocation at 5 MHz was approved 

The small 15 kHz allocation between 5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz is the first new allocation at HF since the WARC of 1979.  

After intense pressure from the Fixed service primary user, power limits have been set at 15 Watts eirp in Regions 1 and 3, 20 Watts eirp in Mexico and 25 Watts eirp in Central America, South America and most of the Caribbean area.

Region 1 Member Societies not having an allocation under Article 4.4 of the Radio Regulations are urged to contact their administration to have this narrow segment included in their licence, although the new Radio Regulations will not come into force until January 1, 2017.

IARU Region 1 - http://iaru-r1.org/

New Amateur Radio Licence Guidance

Ofcom have  issued its long-awaited updated 'Amateur Radio – Guidance for Licensees' document 

The PDF document is intended to offer advice and clarification on the updated licence conditions.

Some Foundation and Intermediate holders had been under the mistaken impression they could not operate from a vessel in areas such as the Bristol Channel, the Solent, the Thames Estuary or the Wash. 

The guidance provides further clarification on this matter and references a map, The Territorial Sea Limits of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, which show the "Internal Waters" where Foundation and Intermediate Amateur Radio Licence holders can operate from a vessel.

In these water Foundation and Intermediate holders may either sign their home call sign or optionally add a /M suffix if they wish.

The Ofcom guidance can be download - http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/amateur-radio/licensing-updates/guidance-oct2015/

Territorial Sea Limit Map - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/447200/UK_TS_2015_A4.pdf