ARLA/CLUSTER: Africa do Sul: Repetidores devem cumprir com espacamento de 12, 5 kHz em VHF

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Amateur radio repeaters must comply with 12.5 kHz channel spacing

South Africa's regulator ICASA confirmed on Friday at the quarterly
SARL - ICASA Liaison meeting that amateur radio repeaters must comply
to the 12,5 kHz channel spacing. A notice to this effect was issued by
the Postmaster General, the regulatory authority before the
establishment of SATRA and then ICASA.

The notice published by the Postmaster General in the Government
Gazette stipulated the following: "As from January 1991 all radio
apparatus for new radio communication systems as well as expansion or
replacement of existing systems in the 136 - 174 MHz part of the radio
spectrum must be equipped to work with 12,5 kHz channel spacing." The
changeover of all existing radio communication systems in this part of
the radio spectrum must be completed by the end of 1994.

While most repeaters operating in the two metre band today comply with
12,5 kHz spacing there are however still a few repeaters that operate
on 25 kHz spacing.

The South African Radio League (SARL) and ICASA will meet during March
for a workshop to address repeater frequency coordination and other
operational issues.

The meeting also discussed the publication of the revision to the
regulations. The SARL delegation urged ICASA to consider the table of
amateur frequency allocations, which is an addendum to the
regulations, as a separate document and to expedite its publication in
the government gazette. The full set of changes to the regulations
will be subjected to a public comment period which is only expected to
happen in ICASA's new financial year starting on 1 April 2014.

ICASA confirmed at the meeting that it will extend the SARL 5 MHz
licence on a month by month basis till the proposal for a long term
experimentation period, which is suggested to expire when the WRC15 is
held in November 2015, has been approved by the ICASA Council.

The SARL was represented at the meeting by ZS6AKV, ZS6SF, ZS6FZ,
ZS6COL and ZS6PX. The next liaison meeting will be held on Thursday 10
April.

The South African Radio League