Plus … an Update on Murphy at W3TS and a New World Record on 2200 Meters
In April 2017 when I wrote my first CQ column about 630 and 2200 meters, even before amateurs had spectrum access, it was a daunting task to prioritize just what topics were most important to present first. At the time, rumors from conversations with FCC staff in the Office of Engineering and Technology suggested that the bands would be opening under Part-97 rules sometime in fall 2017. Time was short so a lot of information was presented in those first few articles so that operators not already on the air as Part-5 experimental stations could be ready for the inaugural season.
Now that nearly six years have elapsed, it’s probably a good time to rehash some of those early topics associated with station-building for both bands. As I write this article, there have been recent online discussions that suggest a new crop of prospective operators is beginning to seriously consider the possibilities of their own activity on 630 and 2200 meters. A few updates may help avoid reinventing the wheel.
The very first thing I would recommend to a prospective operator is to submit your obligatory notification to the Utilities Technology Council (UTC)1 that you intend to operate on 630 or 2200 meters or both. The agreement with the UTC stated that amateurs’ intent on operating on these bands would submit notification 30 days prior to beginning their operation from a location. You
