[VHFcontesting] Contacts using "Light"

[Ev Tupis]

----- Original Message ----
From: Dustin Williams dustin at k5rnt.com

(with regard to "light frequencies"...)
How do you know the frequency that you  are "transmitting" on? 
...
So I ask again how do you know where you are both for FCC 
compliance and contest credit?
---------------------------

Hi Dustin,
While these are two different questions, they certainly deserve an answer.

To the first...

As you know, the easiest way to determine frequency is through optical observation, since the color of the light is directly proportional to its' frequency.  "Red" is relatively narrow band, while "White" is relatively broad band.  It is all in the THz range.  Determining one's frequency of operation visually is not prohibited by ARRL rules (nor, should it be).

It would be very difficult to legislate a rule to change that, given human nature.  [Dear CAC: p-l-e-a-s-e don't consider changing this. We need to encourage experimentation within the means of the common Amateur, not discourage it.]

As for the second...

Certainly, even broad-band THz ("white light") radio-based (electronically detected) communications is sufficiently above the band edge to know one is "in-band" (for the 275[FCC]/300[ARRL] GHz and above band), without issue.

On a related item, our 146.550 MHz FM signals are rarely exactly on 146.550 MHz.  We still count them for 2-meter contest credit.  Of course, operation nearer to the "band edge" is quite possible and the source of much discussion even among HF contesters as to both FCC and ARRL compliance.

To restate, operation using even broadband "white" RF in the THz range easily complies with both FCC and ARRL frequency-of-operation rules.

Cheers,
Ev, W2EV