[UK-CONTEST] Ofcom/RSGB meeting

[Colin G3PSM]

Those of you that are dying to learn the outcome of yesterdays meeting
with Ofcom will no doubt be please to learn that it was very successful
and major steps were taken towards a final version of the BR68(Of178)
that will be acceptable to the majority of Radio Amateurs.   The
following major changes to the latest Ofcom sample were agreed but are
subject to Ofcom solicitors agreement -

The use of suffixes i.e. /A, /M, /MM, /P will not be mandatory.   The
wording relevant to this subject will be moved to the Notes to the
licence and made recommendations.

The additional Club prefixes will remain but the usage will be
optional.   These again will be moved to the Notes to the licence.

Clause 10 on Unattended and remote control operation will be re-written
in plain English so that it can be understood.   Even Ofcom agreed that
they were not sure what they had written!

We are going to take yet another look at Clause 13 - Identification and
the various interpretations that can be used.

In the Tables to Schedule 1 the column headed 'permitted types of
Transmission' will be deleted as will the 'Types of transmission' table
in Schedule 2.   It was agreed that these were inhibiting factors and
not in line with current Ofcom and European policy of 'Technology
Neutrality'.

Finally it was a concensus view of the meeting that Foundation licencees
will be permitted access to the Amateur Satellite Service as well as the
10GHz microwave band.   Obviously the Foundation licence course work
will need reviewing.

There were many other issues discussed both on the BR68(Of178) issue and
other subjects but the above represents the major chunk of the work
dealt with.

73

Colin, G3PSM