Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society
G0MWT, GX0MWT, GB5HF & M2T

Consultation Surveys



Latest Changes
20th April 2007 Changed heading Call-signs at request of Ofcom.   Added DTI £100 Fine Consulation.

Closing Dates for Consultation Documents

79GHz Car Radar 14th January 2005
Spectrum Framework Review 15th February 2005
Ofcom 2005/6 Annual Plan 3rd March 2005
DAB Digital Radio 7th March 2005
Digital TV Switchover 21st March 2005
Ultra WideBand 24th March 2005
Spectrum Framework Implementation 24th March 2005
Prof Martin Cave's Audit of Public Sector Spectrum 10th April 2005
Impact Assessments 15th April 2005
Ships Radio Licensing 3rd May 2005
24GHz Car Radar 23rd May 2005
Future Amateur Radio Licensing 18th August 2005
Cave Audit-2 - Emerging Spectrum Issues 1st September 2005
DAB Licensing Policy for VHF Band III 16th November 2005
UWB - CEPT Consultation 24th December 2005
DTI - Fixed Penalty Notice Fines for Amateurs 31st March 2006

CARS and CARS Members have submitted a Response to every Ofcom Proposal - this is a record not approached by any other business or organisation.


Click on the links below. Having looked at them, click on your Browser's BACK button (top left) to come back to this Web Page.

  • Ofcom & DTI proposals for the Future of Amateur Radio

  • Ofcom proposals for Digital TV Switch-Over & DAB Radio
  • Ultra WideBand & 24/79GHz Car Radar
  • Ofcom Deregulation of Ship Radio Licensing
  • Link to view the Communication Act 2003



  • Ofcom Spectrum Framework Review

    This is "Ofcom's Consultation of how Radio Spectrum should be managed".
    It is written quite well but in typical Media jargon "means all things to all people".

    Click for:   Ofcom's Consultation

    Issued 23 November 2004 - 320KB in PowerPoint Format.


    Letters to & from MP

    CARS requested that Radio Amateurs should write to their MP to draw attention to the dealings of Ofcom.
    Mr G Mills, G3EDM wrote to Mr John Whittingdale, OBE, MP for Maldon & East Chelmsford. Mr Whittingdale in turn wrote to Ofcom and after discussing the situation, produced a very interesting letter from Mr Dominic Morris, CBE, Director, Ofcom Chief Executive's Office.

    Click for:   copy of Mr Whittingdale's letter

    written 11th April 2005 - 98KB in PDF Format.
    Reproduced by kind permission of Mr John Whittingdale.


    Click for:   copy of page 1 of Mr Morris's reply
    125KB in PDF Format.

    Click for:   copy of page 2 of Mr Morris's reply

    written 30th March 2005 - 36KB in PDF Format.
    Reproduced by kind permission of Mr John Whittingdale.


    AMSAT USA FCC Submission

    The American equivalent of Ofcom is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They also are involved with Licensing Cognitive Radio Systems, Software Defined Radios, UWB etc to the detriment of other Licenced radio users.

    Click for: AMSAT USA Response

    Written by Dr Perry Klein, W3PK & issued May 2004. 125KB in PDF Format.


    DotEcon Analysys Mason Report for Ofcom

    This is a Consultant's Report of 410-425, 876-921 & 2010-2300 MHz Bands.
    It provides a mass of information on 86 pages aimed at how Ofcom can Auction these bands. The Radio Amateur only gets a casual mention.

    Click for:   Ofcom's Consultation

    Issued Feb 2005 - 400KB in PDF Format.


    Report of January 2005 Meeting:-
    Tuesday 4th January, 2005.
    Ofcom's Spectrum Review
    By Murray Niman, G6JYB
    We were priviledged to have had Murray, G6JYB present the introduction to Ofcom's raft of consultations. These are produced to cover their ideas about ripping up the agreed Radio Frequency Allocations which have been produced over the past 100 years or so. It smacks of a greedy Government Department being given "The Crown Jewels", namely to sell Radio Frequencies to the highest bidder.

    To try and redress the balance a near up to date record is reproduced for all to see with the request - get your pen to paper & respond to Ofcom & your MP.

    Murray, G6JYB

    Murray standing to the side of the Ofcom slide
    Photograph taken by Trevor, M5AKA

    Thank you for your involvement with the Spectrum Framework Review.
    This closing date was 15th February, 2005.

    It should be realised that Ofcom is now largely staffed by broadcasters and business school people, rather than Engineers or Radio Amateurs, who are attracted by the possibility of charging someone £1m/MHz. By the time that Ofcom realise their errors, the spectrum will be fragmented and the damage will be done.

    The phrase "If you don't use it, you'll loose it" will apply unless YOU put pen to paper.

    With this in mind, Murray's Ofcom Report is now presented.

    Ofcom:-

    Murray summarised Ofcom's 23rd November 2004, proposals for Licences and spectrum.

    o Spectrum Framework Review with a Deadline for replies by 15 February, 2005.

    Note, it is important that YOU do REPLY to the questions posed by Ofcom and do not simply write an "open letter" as it will be disregarded. It MUST also have the Ofcom "Front-sheet" attached as it as this contains the Legal publication release permission.

    o Advocates total disregard of all International rules in the interest of National flexibility

    o Suggest that 60% of all spectrum is tradable

    o Is in favour of Software/Cognitive Radio that might operate on top of Radio Amateurs

    o Proposes to withdraw from CB, Amateur, Maritime licensing

    o Proposes to simplify access to entrants - barely after the new Licence structure is in place

    o Has caught RSGB totally off guard, with a weaker structure

    o Original Documents on www.ofcom.org.uk
    Be warned this is a massive document which seems as thought it has been made deliberately big - the cynical would say "to stop people reading it"! It is OK for Broadband users.

    o Easier to download from www.essexrepeatergroup.org.uk

    The above Web Site has a potted version of the original large Ofcom document.


    Many of the issues are TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) so here are some:-

    o BPL - Broadband over Power Lines - USA
    o PLT - Power Line Telecoms - UK

    o PSB - Public Service Broadcasting
    o DTT - Digital Terrestrial Television
    o DRLs - Digital Replacement Licences
    o SFN - Single Frequency Network - BBC & National-One DAB is a SFN
    o DVB-T, DVB-H - Digital Video Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Handheld)
    o DAB-S, DAB-T - Digital Audio Broadcasting (Satellite, Terrestrial)

    o SFR - Spectrum Framework Review
    o ACC - Adaptive Cruise Control, - uses SRR and LRR
    o SRR/LRR - Short /Long Range Car Radar on 79 or 24GHz
    o SDR - Software Defined Radio

    o UWB - Ultra Wideband

    Here Ofcom propose to allocate 3 to 10.6GHz to Ultra Wideband users.
    CARS believe this is too wide as it covers Amateur Radio Bands on 3.4, 5.6 & 10GHz. It will also raise the Radio Noise floor to the detriment of all users and urges mitigation measures to be put into the regulations.

    For example a higher rf noise floor will force Mobile Phone handsets to raise their transmitter power levels, increasing human exposure to rf radiation..


  • Cave Audit of Public Sector Owned Spectrum

    Link to Professor Martin Cave's website, Click below :-

    http://www.spectrumaudit.org.uk/


  • Spectrum Part-2 - Framework Implementation Plan

    Ofcom Link, Click below :-

    http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/sfrip/

    Click below for responses:-

        UK Microwave Reply to Implementation Plan - in PDF


  • Ofcom 2005/6 Annual Plan

    CARS Reply to Ofcom 2005/6 Annual Plan - in PDF


  • Better Policy Making: Ofcom's approach to Impact Assessments

    Ofcom Link to see what they propose, Click below :-

    http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/ia_guidelines/


    CARS Formal Response Impact Assessment - in PDF - 32KB - April 2005

    Ofcom Link to see all 11 Responses, Click below :-

    http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/ia_guidelines/reponses/

    (Note, the URL typo in "reponses" is deliberate)


  • Spectrum Review Part 1

    If you would like to see some of the Responses to the Spectrum Framework Review which closed 15th February, 2005, from CARS Members and others, click below.
    They are generally in Word (or as stated) so that you can copy them & use bits from them as you feel fit. They are all about 50 KBytes so will download quite quickly.

    Click below. Having looked at them, click on your browser's BACK button (top left) to come back to this Web Page.

       Formal Spectrum Response - G8DET in Doc.
       Draft Spectrum - G0GJS.
       Formal Spectrum Response - G0IPU in PDF - 27KB
       Formal Spectrum Response - Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society in Doc.

       RSGB - Spectrum Comments in Doc.
       Formal Spectrum Response - RSGB in PDF.
       Draft Spectrum - CRA.
       Draft Spectrum - DRM in PDF.  Prepared by 85 Members from 27 Countries.
       Draft Spectrum - G5HF in JPG.
       Draft Spectrum - G4NNS - Andover in Doc.
       Formal Spectrum Response - RAYNET in PDF.
       Formal Spectrum Response - M0KGK in Doc.
       Formal Spectrum Response - BATC in Doc.
       Formal Spectrum Response - AMSAT-UK in Doc.
       Formal Spectrum Response - Microwave Group in PDF.




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