[RAC-Bulletin] Progress Report from WRC-19: Week 2..

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WRC-19 Update: Week 2

Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN – RAC Special Advisor

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from October 28 to November 22, 2019. Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN, the RAC Special Advisor at World Radiocommunication Conferences, has provided the following update. We will also be including a report on the proceedings and outcomes of WRC-19 in a future issue of The Canadian Amateur magazine.

We are now two weeks into the World Radiocommunication Conference and the following is a quick summary of the status of the Amateur Radio issues which I outlined in my article in the November-December 2019 issue of The Canadian Amateur.

Six Metres for ITU Region 1

An allocation in six metres is taking shape. It has been a long and frustrating process and it is not quite over yet. Once it is “in the bag” I should be able to give you a definitive summary of what it will look like. Remember, our best case scenario has been that Amateurs in ITU Region 1 have a 4 MHz primary allocation similar to what has been available for decades in the other two ITU regions.

There are, however, a number of considerations which make this a difficult and unlikely outcome. The hoped-for allocation, however, should protect all existing arrangements while formalizing new options throughout the region. Hopefully, it will soon be possible to provide additional information.

47 GHz and 5G Mobile Telephony

The selection of frequency bands for 5G International Mobile Telephony continues to consume the time of many of the delegates to the Conference. The good news, however, and as reported earlier, is that the Conference has signed off with “No Change” for our primary allocation in 47 metres to 47.2 GHz.

Wireless Access Systems in 5 GHz

Our 6 cm secondary allocation in Region 2 is 5650 to 5925 MHz. Note: In the other two regions the upper limit is 5850 MHz.

For the 5850 – 5925 MHz segment the Conference has chosen “No Change” and this is a good outcome for Amateurs. The same outcome is hoped for the 5725 – 5850 MHz segment, but this is  still very much a work in progress as various footnoted exceptions are in discussion. Some of these are outcomes which Amateurs probably could live with as they restrict new mobile allocations to indoor use only and low (200 mW EIRP) power.

Other proposals are less welcome and we are hopeful the final verdict on this segment is either “No Change” as in the CITEL Inter-American Proposal or limited to tolerable changes of the type mentioned above.

Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles

This Agenda Item does not seek an allocation for Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles (WPT(EV)). Instead, it requests that studies identify which frequency ranges might be used with the least chance of causing harmful interference to radio services.

The Conference accepted the proposed frequency ranges, 19 – 25 kHz for “high” power and 79 – 90 kHz for “medium” power, and also the wording in the proposal emphasizing the need to continue studies into the interference potential of this technology to radio services at and above their operating frequencies. Essentially, this outcome has met the Amateur community’s objectives.

Agenda for Future Conferences (WRC-23 and WRC-27)

In a welcome departure from the process followed in previous Conferences, a review of the proposals for the next Conference planned for 2023 and, in certain cases, the Conference following – tentatively scheduled for 2027 – has begun early and with extensive involvement of the Conference delegations.

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in particular has followed carefully a proposal by the CEPT, the European association, to study the compatibility of the Amateur secondary allocation in 1240 to 1300 MHz with the receivers used with the Galileo RNSS (GPS) system. There has been at least one instance of such interference.

The Amateur community would much prefer that this interference case be dealt with using existing mitigation processes – as it has been – rather than four years of study over the appropriateness of the Amateur allocation. The verdict is still out on whether this viewpoint will prevail.

The IARU has also carefully watched a 2023 proposal for an Earth Exploration Satellite System (EESS) using space-based radars in 40 – 50 MHz. While there are references in the proposal for protection, we have concerns that the new radars adequately protect the work done by Amateurs in our adjacent 50 – 54 MHz six-metre band.

Finally, despite the exotic location of this Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, compared with the usual venue in Geneva, Switzerland it is worth mentioning that WRC’s are gruelling experiences for all the delegates including those who are here defending Amateur Radio. Time spent at the Conference Centre can routinely stretch to 8 to 12 hours a day and this has included Saturdays and Sundays. It is worth emphasizing, however, as I pointed out in my article “The Importance of Showing Up”, that Amateur Radio would probably not survive in its present form if dedicated Amateurs were not willing and able to participate in these processes.

And, while I will return to this at the conclusion of WRC-19, I would like to acknowledge that once again, as in all previous ITU Conferences, the Canadian Delegation has extended every courtesy and accommodation to me and to our work for Radio Amateurs, and for this Canadian Amateurs are truly blessed.

Canadian Amateurs make this possible through the Defence of Amateur Radio Fund (DARF) so as to be able to cover the transportation and living expenses of our delegate at World Radiocommunication Conferences and at the Preparatory Meetings in Geneva in the intervening years. Try to think of this when you renew your RAC membership or when your club has some funds to spare.

Ma’a Salama from WRC-19 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN
RAC Special Advisor

A Remembrance Day Story

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The following is not radio related, but it is a bit of history that should not be forgotten.

On November 7th, 1920, in strictest secrecy, four unidentified British bodies were exhumed from temporary battlefield cemeteries at Ypres, Arras, the Asine and the Somme.

None of the soldiers who did the digging were told why.

The bodies were taken by field ambulance to GHQ at St-Pol-Sur-Ter Noise. Once there, the bodies were draped with the union flag.

Sentries were posted and Brigadier-General Wyatt and a Colonel Gell selected one body at random. The other three were reburied.

A French Honour Guard was selected and stood by the coffin overnight of the chosen soldier overnight.

On the morning of the 8th November, a specially designed coffin made of oak from the grounds of Hampton Court arrived and the Unknown Warrior was placed inside.

On top was placed a crusaders sword and a shield on which was inscribed:

“A British Warrior who fell in the GREAT WAR 1914-1918 for King and Country”.

On the 9th of November, the Unknown Warrior was taken by horse-drawn carriage through Guards of Honour and the sound of tolling bells and bugle calls to the quayside.

There, he was saluted by Marechal Foche and loaded onto HMS Vernon bound for Dover. The coffin stood on the deck covered in wreaths, surrounded by the French Honour Guard.

Upon arrival at Dover, the Unknown Warrior was met with a nineteen gun salute – something that was normally only reserved for Field Marshals.

A special train had been arranged and he was then conveyed to Victoria Station, London.

He remained there overnight, and, on the morning of the 11th of November, he was finally taken to Westminster Abbey.

The idea of the unknown warrior was thought of by a Padre called David Railton who had served on the front line during the Great War the union flag he had used as an altar cloth whilst at the front, was the one that had been draped over the coffin.

It was his intention that all of the relatives of the 517,773 combatants whose bodies had not been identified could believe that the Unknown Warrior could very well be their lost husband, father, brother or son…

THIS is the reason we wear poppies.

We do not glorify war.

We remember – with humility – the great and the ultimate sacrifices that were made, not just in this war, but in every war and conflict where our service personnel have fought – to ensure the liberty and freedoms that we now take for granted.

Every year, on the 11th of November, we remember the Unknown Warrior.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

Story of The Unknown Warrior

[RAC-Bulletin] RAC Welcomes Directors for 2020..

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Each year, the terms of office of roughly half of our Directors end – four in even-numbered years and three in odd-numbered years. We have now completed the nominations and election process for Directors in the Alberta/NWT/NU, Ontario South and Quebec Regions. Ernest C. Clintberg, VE6EC (Alberta/NT/NU), Phil McBride, VA3QR (Ontario South) and Guy Richard, VE2XTD (Québec) have been re-elected as Directors for their Regions for a further two-year term beginning on January 1, 2020.
In Ontario South, RAC’s most populous region, this election once again brought out one of the highest turnouts showing the strong interest its members take in their national organization.
I’d like to thank the candidates willing to serve and the voting members for their participation in this important process.
Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRARAC President and Chair

SEA PAC 2020.

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Important SEA-PAC Announcements

The SEA-PAC Committee is already hard at work for SEA-PAC 2020, June 5-7, 2020. With a newly remodeled Seaside Convention Center, 2020 is sure to be a great year.

The 2019 Workshop, “Power and Communication When Everything Goes Dark”, was videotaped and the final production is available for viewing. The 5 workshop videos are now available on the SEA-PAC website (https://www.seapac.org ) on the “Workshops > Past Workshops” page along with the 10 sets of presentation slides that are available on the “Workshops>Past Presentations” page.

It’s with some excitement that the Committee announces the key note speaker for 2020’s Gala SEA-PAC Banquet, Dr. Scott Wright, K0MD, editor of ARRL’s National Contest Journal, “dedicated to covering the competitive contesting aspects of amateur radio.” Scott is a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and an active Ham since 1977. He travels the world as part of his medical responsibilities but this travel also affords him the opportunity to take Ham Radio with him around the world. Scott’s sure to have fascinating stories to tell about his life in Amateur Radio and his adventures in contesting. After Registration opens in February, buy your banquet tickets early as they always sell out before the convention.

And don’t forget the SEA-PAC Collector Pin design contest. Entries are due by March 1, 2020. Fire up your creativity and maybe you’ll win 2 tickets to the SEA-PAC Banquet. See the SEA-PAC website and click on the SEA-PAC Pins tab for more information.

SEA-PAC is totally volunteered-driven. The Committee has identified the following areas that need your support: Registration, Security, Exhibitor Hospitality, Prize Committee, Workshops, Seminars, Flea Market, Exhibitor Setup and VE testing. If you’re interested in helping to make SEA-PAC a continuing success, please send an email to volunteers@seapac.org and indicate your call sign, contact number and your committee preference, if you have one, so that a committee coordinator can call you.

As a reminder, SEA-PAC 2020 Registration will open on February 15th, so keep an eye out for the email announcement and https://www.seapac.org for more information.

See you at SEA-PAC 2020.