FCC Orders Amateur Access to 3.5 GHz Band to “Sunset”

The FCC ruling on the 3.5GHz band has been released, and it is unfortunately, though not surprisingly, bad news for us amateur radio operators.

http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-orders-amateur-access-to-3-5-ghz-band-to-sunset

 

Coming soon to a 70cm and 2 meter near you!

 

The people Won/ they want their cell phone coverage and Internet, amateur radio losses and there will be more to come. Follow the $$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

ARRL response: we missed this boat so send more $$$$ so we can defend your amateur frequencies!

 

That contradicts what is stated in the news release.

 

"ARRL argues that amateur operations should be permitted until and unless an actual potential for interference exists."

 

Some confusion as to exactly how the band will be used.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2020/10/05/is-spectrum-shortage-a-thing-of-the-past/

https://www.lightreading.com/security/trumps-chaos-spills-into-5g-/a/d-id/764485?

 

Doubtful about 2m. It's too low to be that useful for most of what commercial interests might want.

70cm maybe a bit more useful but still low-for-use. No one wants an antenna sized for 70cm on their cell phone.

I'd be more concerned about 1.2Ghz, which is, to my knowledge anyway, used a lot more also. (Though I may be wrong about that, I have no idea what anyone in ham radio may be doing on 3 Ghz. I do know there are 1.2Ghz repeaters in many places.)

 

The 23cm band (1240 to 1300 MHz) is fairly safe. It's adjacent to the GPS downlink at 1227.6 MHz. After the Light Squared/Ligado fiasco, nobody will suggest that band for 5G.

I'd say the next band to be worried about is 3cm (10.0 to 10.5 GHz).

Current 9cm usage is mesh networking with Ubiquiti M3 Rocket routers, ATV and some weak signal work including EME.

 

How many hams use 3.5 GHz on any regular basis? How many people are going to use 5G?

Pretty simple.

 

I don't think there's a lot of standard ham activity like contesting or dxing on these bands. Maybe some fixed point to point links and such.

 

It has always been an odd ball band compared to the others.

The loss is no big deal except for a tiny few on EME and of course just a few contests which do not generate enough activity to justify keeping it. Leave it to the ARRL to keep beating a dead horse and losing points with everybody.

I equate it with GM or Ford if they kept the Buick and Mercury just because some old folks bought them.

 

Not only that, how many hams actively push newer hams to get off VHF/UHF and onto the HF bands as if the higher bands are for children or unserious hams?
New Ham: The bands are dead, I don't hear anyone on 2m
Old Ham: You need to get on HF

Chris

 

It is time to change our strategy. It's time to "grow up". We need to speak the language of business.

Example: When I get a "car", I am expected to "pay" for it. When I "pay" for it, I also pay a "tax".

In this case, it's not a "car" it is spectrum.

People will bid for it and the winning bidder will pay the government. The government isn't obligated to give us anything so let us tell them that (1) they need to and (2) how to do it without costing them anything! Read on...

Think: "1% sales tax". Let's strongly lobby the FCC to add a 1% surcharge to the winning bid. The money must go to a 501(c)3 whose purpose is to help hams who invested in 3GHz equipment migrate to other frequencies *and* money left over would go to support the mission of the 501(c)3; including educating Technicians about the real benefits of VHF+ operation (beyond repeaters) and establishing a *real* spectrum defense initiative as a minimum.

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/10217149504084

It *can* be done. But only if we are willing to create our own future.

Lobby the ARRL politely and firmly to adopt this strategy. Please? The existing strategies are not working any longer.
http://www.arrl.org/pages/complete/568/3-ghz-band

Let your ARRL Division Director know, too. They are the ones that mandate ARRL action.

It may be too late for 3.4 GHz, but it may not be too late. Act now, please?

 

And that's just it. Very few of us occupy a large chunk of bandwidth that is potentially useful to a couple hundred million people. Just a guess, but I would be shocked if more than 500 hams use 3.5 GHz on any sort of regular basis in a given year. And even that number is probably way too high. We just can't expect to keep these bands when they go unused year after year.

And I will admit that I am just as guilty. I personally didn't get into ham radio to talk a couple counties up the road. I got in to work the world. I definitely don't take the negative attitude that it is for unserious hams.