430-440 MHz Medical Capsule Endoscopy Application

The CEPT ECC have published a report titled 'Coexistence of Wideband Ultra-Low Power Wireless Medical Capsule Endoscopy Application operating in the frequency band 430-440 MHz' 
 
The CEPT Electronic Communications Committee approved ECC Report 267 on September 29, 2017.
 
The report was prepared by the ECC Working Group Spectrum Engineering (WG SE) in order to consider the ETSI System Reference Document TR 103 451 [1], which requested regulatory action to allow spectrum access for a new generation of professional medical Short Range Device (SRD) application termed Ultra-Low Power Wireless Medical Capsule Endoscopy (WMCE) and designed to be operated in 430-440 MHz.
 
The WMCE application is designed for professional medical use, to provide a convenient tool for diagnosis and treatment of human gastrointestinal (digestive) tract diseases. Its main benefit compared with endoscopy tools traditionally used for this purpose is to offer an option of non-painful and non-invasive procedure with very low risk of bleeding or other side effects. WMCE application consists of two elements:

• a disposable miniature optical imaging camera implemented in the shape of a capsule - Capsule Camera (CCam), which is swallowed by the patient and transmits imaging data;
• a wearable Data Recorder (DR) placed on the patient to receive and store the imaging data transmitted by CCam.

The report notes there is a marginal risk of interference into DR receivers in case they happen to operate in close proximity to high power stations using the same band, such as Amateur Radio or radiolocation.
 
Download ECC Report 267 - http://www.erodocdb.dk/Docs/doc98/official/pdf/ECCRep267.pdf
 

New Digital Modes Changing Complexion of Bands and Ham Radio?

The ARRL have suggested that new and evolving software-based digital modes over the past several years has altered the atmosphere of the HF bands
 
There have been suggestions that the popularity of modes that make it possible to contact stations neither operator can even hear has resulted in fewer CW and SSB signals on bands like 6 meters and 160 meters. Traditional modes require far more interaction and effort on the part of the operator; the newer digital modes not so much.

The recent advent of the still-beta “quick” FT8 mode, developed by Steve Franke, K9AN, and Joe Taylor, K1JT — the “F” and the “T” in the mode’s moniker — has brought this to a head. Some now wonder if FT8 marks the end of an era and the start of a new, more minimalist age.
 
“We’ve been as surprised as anyone about the rapid uptake of FT8 for making QSOs on the HF bands,” Taylor told ARRL this week. Rather than viewing FT8 as a total game-changer, he sees a dividing line between such digital modes and more traditional modes. 
 
“SSB and CW are general-purpose modes,” Taylor asserted. “They are good for ragchewing, DXing, contesting, emergency communications, or whatever. FT8 and the other modes in WSJT-X are special-purpose modes. They are designed for making reliable, error-free contacts using very weak signals — in particular, signals that may be too weak for the more traditional modes to be usable, or even too weak to hear.”
 
Full Story - http://www.arrl.org/news/view/new-digital-modes-changing-complexion-of-bands-and-perhaps-of-ham-radio
 
WSJT-X weak signal modes software, covers FT8 - https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

Hams in Argentina get 5 MHz and 472 kHz bands

The Radio Club Argentino, IARU Member Society has succeeded with its petition to their local communications authorities gaining 630m and 60m bands and extension of 160m, 80m and 30m
 
The new allocations are the final result of efforts made by the RCA during its participation in the preparatory meetings of WRC '07, '12 and '15; and will be effective in 90 days.

New Argentian Amateur/Ham Radio Allocations

630 m  - 472 – 479 kHz
60 m  - 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz

Extended Argentian Amateur/Ham Radio Allocations

160 m - 1800 – 2000 kHz
80 m  - 3500 – 4000 kHz
30 m - 10100 – 10150 kHz
 
Radio Club Argentino - http://www.lu4aa.org