General |
| 1. |
The BCARCC does not "grant" or "approve" coordination
of fixed frequency Amateur stations, but does register coordination.
The final decision regarding operation of a fixed-frequency Amateur radio
station lies with the federal government licensing authority (currently
Industry Canada), and ultimately involves only the licensing authority
and the licensee. However, the BCARCC exists as a voluntary coordinating
body set up by and for Amateurs, whose purpose is to gather and make available
information regarding current and proposed use of fixed frequencies for
operations in the Amateur service in and adjacent to British Columbia.
The BCARCC, through its appointed Coordinators, is able to provide advice
and assistance regarding the selection of frequencies, sites, antennas
and other technical details relative to establishing a fixed-frequency
Amateur radio station in a manner which will avoid or minimize interference
between Amateur operations.
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| 2. |
BCARCC Coordinators are appointed by the directors of
the Council on the basis of the Coordinators' knowledge and experience
in spectrum utilization, including propagation of radio signals at VHF
and higher frequencies, knowledge of the geography and terrain of the area
for which they are responsible, and their ability to manage a complex database.
That knowledge, experience and ability is made available for the benefit
of all Amateurs. Amateurs wishing to operate fixed-frequency stations
are encouraged to take advantage of the services of the Coordinator in
their area before applying for a licence, both to minimize the potential
for interference to existing operations and to provide a basis for avoiding
future interference to their own operations.
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| 3. |
Frequency coordination is a process through which the
licensee of a radio station proposing to operate on a fixed frequency agrees
to use a selected:
- transmit and receive operating frequency;
- location (geographical coordinates and ground elevation
above mean sea level);
- coverage pattern (antenna elevation above ground level,
directivity, and effective radiated power);
- mode of operation (voice, packet, etc.); and
- access coding, if applicable
such that the potential for interference between users of the coordinated
radio station and users of other stations using the same or adjacent frequencies
is minimized.
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| 4. |
From time to time, the BCARCC will publish a list of
stations which have already been coordinated, with their frequencies and
general locations, and of frequencies which are otherwise not available
for coordination in certain areas. Amateurs desiring new or
changed coordination may request coordination of any frequency not on that
list in their coverage area. Coordinators may help to select a frequency,
if requested to do so and if they have time available.
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| 5. |
A successful frequency coordination will be evidenced
by a Coordination Letter issued by the BCARCC. A copy of the Coordination
Letter will be sent to Industry Canada. Industry Canada may, at its
discretion, give precedence to a holder of a Coordination Letter in authorizing
an Amateur radio licensee to operate a station on a fixed frequency at
a specific location.
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| 6. |
Coordination Letters remain valid as long as all of the
conditions listed in paragraph 13. and described in the Coordination Letter
remain unchanged. Holders of Coordination Letters are encouraged
to apply for a revised letter if any listed condition is changed, in a
spirit of cooperation so the coordination data base can be kept up to date
and accurate.
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| 7. |
Coordination is based on the best data available to the
Coordinator at the time a Coordination Letter is issued. A Coordination
Letter is not a guarantee of a clear frequency. The licensee of a
coordinated fixed-frequency station, like all other Amateurs, is responsible
for avoiding interference and has a duty to cooperate with other users
to mitigate interference if it occurs. YOUR BEST PROTECTION AGAINST
UNINTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE IS ACCURATE INFORMATION IN THE COORDINATION
DATABASE.
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| 8. |
The boundaries for coordination activity of the BCARCC
are the boundaries of the province of British Columbia. The BCARCC
makes a best effort to communicate with Amateurs in the Yukon, Alberta
and the northwestern U.S.A., but cannot give any assurance regarding frequencies
in use in those neighbouring areas at the time of coordination or in the
future.
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Request for Coordination
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| 9. |
A request for coordination may be submitted to the BCARCC
Coordinator for the area in which the station to be coordinated will be
located. Coordinators' mailing addresses, coordination areas, etc.,
will be published along with the list of coordinated frequencies.
That information also will be available from the secretary of the BCARCC.
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| 10. |
Requests for coordination should be made using BCARCC
form RFC-32 (Request for Frequency Coordination), signed by the Amateur
who will be responsible for station operation. (RFC-32 is an adaptation
of Industry Canada Form TR32A (12/79), with some additional information
requested. If the Amateur is submitting a Form TR32A to Industry
Canada, it is sufficient to submit a completed copy of that form and attach
it to Form RFC-32, completing only the second part of RFC-32 and signing
it.) Amateurs should make a best effort to provide all information
requested on the form, but Coordinators may allow some latitude at their
discretion. If missing information is deemed essential by the Coordinator,
the Coordinator will request the needed information after reviewing the
initial request for coordination, and will assist the Amateur to understand
the need for, and the means for obtaining, that information.
The RFC-32 forms are available from the secretary of the BCARCC and
from individual Coordinators. Requests for forms should include a
self-addressed 9x12 return envelope with adequate postage on it; or stamps,
a cheque or money order for $1.50 to cover stationery and postage.
Members of the BCARCC are entitled to a small supply of forms at no charge
on joining.
Requests for coordination may be submitted by mail or by facsimile (packet
radio, e-mail and other electronic forms presently do not reproduce signatures
so cannot be accepted).
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Fees |
| 11. |
The BCARCC may request Amateurs to pay a nominal fee
to cover the out-of-pocket costs of processing an request for coordination.
This fee will be adjusted annually on the basis of cost experience in the
previous year, and is subject to approval of the membership. The
fee for requests submitted by facsimile must be received within 7 calendar
days or the application will be dated on the day of receipt of the fee.
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Conditions Applicable to Coordination |
| 12. |
The BCARCC will process requests for frequency coordination
of fixed-frequency stations from individuals or from sponsoring organizations.
However, where an organization sponsors the request, the coordination holder
must hold an Advanced Amateur operating certificate or approved equivalent,
and be appointed by the organization to be the coordination holder.
The Coordination Letter will be issued to that appointed coordination holder.
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| 13. |
All registered coordinations are for a specific:
- transmit and receive frequency;
- transmitter location (latitude, longitude, and ground
elevation above mean sea level (AMSL)) (AMSL is shown on standard topographic
maps);
- antenna elevation above ground, antenna gain and radiation
pattern;
- feed line configuration (filters, duplexers, feeder
type and length);
- effective radiated power (ERP);
- mode of operation;
- method of repeater access; and
- sponsoring organization and station licensee.
This information will be on the Coordination Letter, but not all will
be considered public information (see "Confidentiality of Information").
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| 14. |
The BCARCC recommends that all new coordinations use
continuous tone coded squelch systems (CTCSS, DPL, etc.) as a means of
repeater access. However, the BCARCC recognizes that in many cases
carrier-operated-squelch will not result in undesirable station or system
operation or complaints of interference, and does not intend to require
CTCSS for coordination in the foreseeable future. It remains the
responsibility of Amateur Radio licensees to avoid creating interference,
and to take all reasonable steps to avoid being interfered with.
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| 15. |
The BCARCC is not concerned with the ownership or control
of transmitter or receiver sites.
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| 16. |
Registered coordination will be evidenced by a Coordination
Letter issued by the BCARCC. It is the responsibility of the coordination
holder to notify the BCARCC immediately when the coordinated frequency
is activated (put into use), and to submit a revised request for coordination
if any of the coordination conditions listed in the letter is changed subsequently.
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| 17. |
FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUR COORDINATION, YOU MUST KEEP
US INFORMED. The licensee of a coordinated station (the coordination
holder) is advised to keep the BCARCC informed as to the status of the
station and any associated system by having an up-to-date Request for Frequency
Coordination on file with the BCARCC Coordinator in his area at all times.
A change of any of the parameters listed on the Coordination Letter without
prior coordination by the BCARCC may cause the Coordination Letter to become
invalid because of incorrect information in the coordination data base,
which could lead to other stations being coordinated incorrectly.
The BCARCC recommends that updated Request for Frequency Coordination forms
be submitted about every 2 years. COORDINATION REQUIRES COOPERATION!!
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| 18. |
Except in special circumstances, all correspondence
from the BCARCC will be directed to the coordination holder. To facilitate
this correspondence, the address used by the coordination holder must be
his/her home address or personal post-office box.
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Trial Period |
| 19. |
Normally there will be a six-month "trial period" during
which other users of the coordinated frequency who experience interference
will advise the coordination holder and the BCARCC Coordinator for the
area, and those users and the coordination holder are expected to make
best efforts to resolve the interference during that period, using common
sense and in a spirit of good will. The BCARCC has no authority to
resolve interference issues, but may offer mediation if requested by the
parties involved. If substantial interference to a previously coordinated
station or system occurs and cannot be resolved, the Coordination Letter
for the new station may be withdrawn (cancelled), on the principle of "first
in has priority".
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| 20. |
During the trial period the coordination holder may
find it necessary or desirable to make changes to the conditions of the
station from those under which the original coordination request was made
(e.g., change antenna pattern, add filters, reduce transmitter power, etc.)
These changes may be made without immediate reference to the BCARCC if
they do not result in harmful interference. The coordination holder
should keep a log of hours of operation (by date and time), of all complaints
received, and of all changes, including the time and date when the changes
were activated or cancelled. If changes are made, the coordination
holder should protect the coordination by submitting a revised request
form to the BCARCC Coordinator within a reasonable time (preferably within
a month) after the end of the 6-month trial period.
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Guidelines for Sharing Frequencies |
| 21. |
The following general principles apply as guidelines
for coordination:
- fixed separation distance cannot be used as a criterion
for re-use of co-channel or adjacent channel frequency assignments -- natural
geographic barriers and terrain characteristics must be taken into account;
- receiver coverage may be a significant factor in determining
system coverage, but systems using multiple voting receiver sites, or using
receiving antennas sited higher than the transmitting antenna need not
be given extended coverage protection, unless the system fits within the
definition of a "wide-coverage system" (to be defined);
- receiver coverage overlap will be based on the 50% probability
of a mobile with omnidirectional ERP of 25 watts causing a response; i.e.,
producing a received signal greater than 0.5 microvolt at more than one
repeater over a significant area;
- repeaters operating with transmitter ERP greater than
100 watts may be requested to reduce output if required to provide reasonable
coordination with other systems, either co-channel or adjacent channel;
and
- although repeater DX'ing by users may cause unintended
interference to co-channel systems, such operation is not a matter for
BCARCC action;
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| 22. |
Where it appears that a proposed new coordination may
result in interference between the new or modified station and an existing
station or system, the Amateur requesting coordination should make a reasonable
attempt to obtain, and submit with the request for coordination, letters
of concurrence from current holders of Coordination Letters for the desired
frequency. This requirement may be waived by the Coordinator if the
Coordinator is convinced there will in fact be little or no interference.
If harmful interference is likely and no letter of concurrence is submitted
with the application, the Coordinator may recommend an alternative frequency
or other parameter, or decide the new request can not be coordinated.
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| 23. |
The BCARCC coordination data base will provide for a
number of Shared Non-Protected (SNP) repeater pairs, intended for use with
purely local-area repeaters. SNP systems will be coordinated as for
other systems, except that the guidelines for coordination will be as follows:
- all repeaters must use tone-coded squelch (CTCSS or
DPL) or other approved (by the BCARCC) means of limited access - no carrier-operated
squelch is permitted;
- applicants for SNP coordination shall propose a CTCSS
tone for their system, and the BCARCC will keep and publish a list of tones
which have been coordinated;
- users are required to share the frequency, without protection
from co-channel users;
- SNP systems shall be operated without causing interference
to regularly coordinated systems - in case of complaint from a regularly
coordinated system, the SNP system shall immediately cease operation until
the interference cause is eliminated;
- SNP systems shall be limited to voice, non-data and
non-linked operation; and
- ERP of transmitters in SNP service shall be limited
to 20 watts for ANTENNAS less than 500 feet AMSL, limited to 10 watts for
ANTENNAS between 501 and 1,000 feet AMSL, and as determined on a case-by
case basis for ANTENNAS higher than 1,000 feet AMSL.
The SNP frequency pairs which currently are available are 144.53/145.13,
144.69/145.29, 223.12/224.72, 223.24/224.84, 445.00/440.00, and 448.00/443.00.
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Conflicting Requests |
| 24. |
Requests for coordination will be dealt with in the
order of receipt of completed requests (i.e., the earliest complete request
for coordination has precedence). However, conflicting requests received
during any 24-hour period will be treated as though received simultaneously.
The BCARCC does not accept responsibility for resolving conflicts between
requests when a second or later request is received while an earlier application
is pending.
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| 25. |
If asked to mediate between parties in a case of mutually
conflicting requests for coordination, factors raised by the Coordinator
for consideration may include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- limiting the potential for interference with other Amateur
operations;
- giving preference to serving a larger number of potential
users, including proposed operation of an open rather than a closed system;
- avoiding duplication of coverage of an existing system
in the same band, or providing new coverage for an area not presently covered;
- preferring diversification rather than concentration
of coordination holders except where there is substantial benefit to the
community from concentration;
- giving preference to applicants with a satisfactory
record for resolution of previously reported problems; and
- recognizing any potential for enhancement of the hobby
through use of advanced technology or operating features.
The Coordinator may suggest that greater weight be given to items in
the order listed (e.g., more weight to avoiding duplication than to potential
for enhancement of the hobby).
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Transfer of Coordination |
| 26. |
Coordination of an existing frequency can be transferred
to another individual or organization provided:
- the party wishing to have the coordination transferred
requests the BCARCC to register the transfer, and includes a letter from
the present coordination holder agreeing to the transfer;
- there will be no changes to the operating parameters
of the station as set out in section 13, a. through h., or that any changes
requested receive prior coordination from the BCARCC (if the changes include
a change of frequency or a change of station location which will cause
a significant change of coverage area, the request for transfer will be
treated as a new request for coordination, subject to any prior request
for coordination in the same general coverage area.)
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Denial or Limitation of Coordination |
| 27. |
The Coordinator may decide that the BCARCC should not
register coordination as requested, or may recommend one or more of the
following as a condition for coordination:
- use of a less congested band for operation;
- limitation of antenna height;
- limitation of antenna gain and ERP, generally or in
specific directions;
- use of a special access code or other limited means
of access; and
- such other technical requirements as deemed necessary
to limit interference to existing users.
The Amateur requesting coordination is under no compulsion to accept
any or all of the recommendations of the Coordinator. However, if
the Amateur proceeds to obtain a licence and to operate contrary to the
recommendations of the Coordinator, the BCARCC will record the existence
of the station in its data base with the notation "Not Coordinated".
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De-registration of Coordination
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| 28. |
Under any of the following circumstances the BCARCC
may elect to de-register the coordination of a fixed-frequency station,
and to record the station as "Not Coordinated" in its data base:
- non-operation of the coordinated station or system for
any period longer than 3 months unless the BCARCC has been advised in writing
before the end of the 3-month period of the reasons for non-operation and
the expected date (within 6 months of the original shutdown) when operation
of the station or system is expected to resume;
- non-operation of the coordinated station or system for
any period longer than 6 months;
- failure to provide notification to the BCARCC of any
substantial change to any of the parameters set out in the Coordination
Letter or of the operational status of the station or system within 3 months
of such change;
- persistent refusal to cooperate with another holder
of a Coordination Letter or other licensed radio user over a period of
3 months, or refusal to take reasonably prompt steps to mutually resolve
harmful interference; or,
- operation not in accordance with the Radiocommunications
Act or General Radio Regulations, or cancellation by Industry Canada of
the station licence or operator's certificate of the coordination holder.
- Harmful interference, as referred to in section 28.d.,
means that which endangers the functioning of a radio navigation service
or of other safety service, or seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly
interrupts a radio communication service (including Amateur Radio) operating
in accordance with the General Radio Regulations. Hearing the output
of another co-channel repeater or radio on the frequency of a repeater
or system not in use is not harmful interference.
In the event of a perceived cause for de-registration
of registering or maintaining coordination as set out in section 28., the
secretary of the BCARCC will notify the coordination holder of the perceived
cause by mail or fax. If a satisfactory reply stating the action
which will be taken to maintain coordination is not received within 2 months
after the notification date, the coordination will be de-registered automatically,
and the coordination holder will be notified, again by mail or fax.
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Appeals |
| 29. |
In the event that a coordination is de-registered, or
a Coordinator denies a request for coordination or suggests technical or
operational limitations as a condition of coordination, the Amateur requesting
coordination or the coordination holder may appeal that action through
an informal appeal procedure by sending a letter to the secretary of the
BCARCC setting out the reasons why the Amateur believes coordination should
be registered or maintained. The secretary will inform the directors
and the policy committee of the contents of the letter. Within a
reasonable time thereafter, the policy committee will consider the reasons
for appeal and may confer with the Amateur and/or the Coordinator involved,
after which the appeal will either be upheld and the request for coordination
returned to the Coordinator for action, or refused and referred to the
directors for confirmation or further review if appropriate. However,
the BCARCC expects most disagreement to be resolved at the Coordinator
or Policy Committee level without intervention by the directors.
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Confidentiality |
| 30. |
The BCARCC recognizes and respects the right and the
desire of many licensees of fixed-frequency Amateur stations to keep most
of the information about the station confidential. For that reason,
published data will be limited to the following for general-use stations:
- transmit and receive frequency of known fixed-frequency
general-use Amateur stations in British Columbia, and whether or not the
station is registered as "Coordinated";
- the general location of the station (e.g, Mount Seymour,
Vancouver). The exact location will be in the BCARCC database but
will not be published;
- the general area of coverage of the station;
- the name of the sponsoring organization (e.g., Burnaby
ARC), and on some lists the name of the coordination holder or contact
person. The address, phone number, etc., of the coordination holder
will be made available only on request and only with the prior permission
of that person;
- the mode of operation of the station (e.g., voice repeater,
packet repeater, packet node, etc.);
- whether the station is "open" or "closed" (i.e., open
if any Amateur can access the station, closed if special access codes or
other means are required and available only to a limited number of Amateurs);
- any auxiliary services available (e.g., autopatch) which
have not been designated as confidential in the application; and
- means of accessing the station and auxiliary services,
only if the applicant has indicated on the application that such information
may be published.
Information from requests for coordination of stations used in inter-station
links or control links will not be published. However, the frequencies
used by such stations may be included in published lists with a notation
similar to "not available in the ...... area", or "coordinated for special
use in the .... area", where the area given will be very general.
Other data obtained by BCARCC from requests for frequency coordination
will be entered into the BCARCC data base and made available only to the
directors and the Coordinators (all of whom will sign non-disclosure agreements),
and to officials of Industry Canada, unless prior written permission is
obtained from the coordination holder to release the information.
BCARCC may request such permission from coordination holders from time
to time if assistance is requested by another frequency coordination body.
The foregoing policy of confidentiality applies only to information
obtained from requests for coordination. Information about non-coordinated
stations obtained in any manner not related to a request for coordination
may not be protected and may be made available to others in any manner
deemed appropriate by BCARCC.
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