Irish Hams set for VHF expansion

[MrWeetabix]

The Irish regulator Comreg has agreed to amateur access, on a secondary basis, to an extensive amount of VHF spectrum including 30-49MHz and 54-69.9MHz. In addition, their existing 4m band has been widened to the full 69.9-70.5 MHz CEPT range. It is expected that this will facilitate a number of innovative developments, including digital amateur television and new or realigned VHF propagation beacons.

So keep your ears peeled for new activity people....

[pete_uk]

Good grief!

30-49 Mhz? really? That would be fun.

[silverspring]

I'm not sure what real use this expansion has as there's such little activity on 6m and 4m as it is. OK for wideband amateur TV I suppose, but again, not a lot of demand.

[RadioPixie]

Get yer Clansman's out lads

(Said in an Irish accent)

[RadioPixie]

http://armyradio.com/Clansman-PRC-349-- ... eiver.html

[paulears]

I like it - it gets experimenting back oil the agenda - no buying cheap from china and just expecting results. A band where a bit of effort could work very well. ~Clearly you need to understand the bands, understand the radios and how to get the best out of them. Ideal for ex-military kit.

[M3HIM]

Well put Paulears!

If ComReg have moved Business Radio off Low-Band VHF then there may also be ex-business kit available for use on the new allocations. I see lots of old Pye equipment being dusted off and fired up!

It's an incredible release of spectrum to the amateur community, albeit on a secondary basis, but it should hopefully generate good old-fashioned experimentation and construction. It will also give great opportunities to study the propagation characteristics of these hybrid frequencies which are effectively between HF and VHF.

The only downside is that there isn't anyone else with whom to carry out these experiments until the UK and other CEPT countries make the same allocations available for amateur use. Of course we could ask amateurs in other jurisdictions to listen and report and this could even extend to the crew of the ISS!

We live in interesting times!

[RadioPixie]

Does anyone know the number of amateur license's presently issued in Ireland?

Nice as it seems, what will be the typical uptake of these frequencies? Probably not a lot.

Perhaps in the UK, we should have 69.9 MHz part of the 4m band, in line with other European countries.

[Farty]

I can't wait to buy a cheap radio from China and have a play on these new bands!

[grafter]

Hopefully this expanded allocation will still be around come next solar cycle, and if Comreg allow personal ionosondes there could be some very interesting F2 propagation studies.

[pete_uk]

You can get DMR radio's from out east that operate down there...

https://comart.en.made-in-china.com/pro ... -Mode.html

[Kaliphan]

You can get DMR radio's from out east that operate down there...

https://comart.en.made-in-china.com/pro ... -Mode.html

Comes with Blue Toot, the only toot I've ever seen was white...

[M5AKA]

IRTS have issued bandplans for the new Amateur Radio 30-49 MHz (8m) and 54-69.9 MHz (5m) allocations.
Download from http://www.irts.ie/dnloads/New_Band_Pla ... rum_v1.pdf