Australian Band Plan Gets Sweeping Review

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The last major changes to Australia's national band plan were put in place nearly a decade ago, prompting the Wireless Institute of Australia to launch a sweeping review of everything, proposing changes across almost all bands.

Regulatory changes and shifts in on-air activity are two of the major drivers behind a wide-ranging overhaul being considered for Australia's ham bands. The WIA's Technical Advisory Committee opened a community consultation on the 17th of October and is expecting hams who have made requests over the years to formally weigh in on these proposals until the deadline on the 12th December 2025.

The proposed changes accommodate growth in the use of new modes and new areas of interest, particularly those involving the use of digital technology. They include revising ATV segments based on widespread adoption of Digital ATV modes; a review of repeater sub-bands considering the growth of digital voice hotspots on 2m and 70cm. Band plan data for the Microwave bands between 24 and 134 GHz are also being reviewed.

On HF, the proposal will try to achieve better alignment of band plans, including 630 metres and 160 metres.

The WIA is seeking responses only from licensed hams and clubs based in Australia. Revisions are expected to be published by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Mountain Radio Challenge Tests Skills, Propagation

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Mountain Radio Challenge Tests Skills, Propagation

In Australia, CB radio enthusiasts and hams are taking to the mountains for an annual challenge.

What started as an experiment between two teenagers in Australia, testing the range of their walkie-talkies, later grew into a test of CB radios' range in young drivers' cars. The activity, which began formally in 1987, is known as the Mountain Radio Challenge, and it is a test of what a radio operator can accomplish using only line-of-sight communications.

This year's challenge is taking place on Saturday, the 29th of November. Instead of school kids on beaches, this growing challenge attracts CB radio operators on 27 MHz and amateur radio operators on the ham frequencies, many of whom are also activating SOTA summits.

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DRM Says It’s the Best Choice for Digital Radio in India

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India’s broadcast regulatory body recommended the adoption of a single national standard for digital radio in the VHF Band II (the so-called FM band 88–108 MHz). Now, in a new press release, Digital Radio Mondiale says it is the only technology fit for the job.

“With strong industry readiness and proven public-service integration, DRM is the only technology that satisfies both the letter and the spirit of the regulator’s roadmap,” said DRM in the release.

DRM can deliver a unified digital radio ecosystem that supports every broadcaster category [and] can enable true simulcasting, expanding free public access to information, education and emergency warnings through an open technology. DRM can ensure spectrum and energy efficiency, affordability and long-term sustainability across the country.”
— Digital Radio Mondiale

In October, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released recommendations to allow analogue FM band stations to add digital services, as reported by the Economic Times. At the time, TRAI recommended that India adopt a single digital radio technology standard for the FM band, but it did not specify which one.

Over several years, advocates for both Digital Radio Mondiale and HD Radio have made pitches for their respective technologies to be selected. In this case, the DRM Consortium says that adopting DRM as India’s single, digital radio standard will ensure a “unified, secure and future-proof national broadcasting ecosystem.”