ofcom whats happening

hi i still dont know what i am supposed to do hope this gets sorted my life is ham radio take care stay safe do radio paul m0kbd 73s

Don't think we have anything to worry about well that is the way i see it.

Well ,you should by now have run the RSGB calculator to get some idea if your antennas/pwr and operating habits (mode/tx time ) are compliant . Once the final version of the calculator is ready you would simply record the information ( screenshot/pdf etc ) keep it and tick the box when you have to revalidate your licence which we all will have to do soon.
In the future watch out for the ambulance chasers and where theres a blame theres a claim brigade
unless you can prove compliance ( to far fetched ? who knows )

Amateur radio is a burden Ofcom can do without and our spectrum and power levels are not set in stone . German's have had to do this and more since 2002, Sweden reduced their pwr to 200w without a station review and a paid for licence a couple of years back I think (?) and we could go the same way !

Not sure if 5th July is a bit late but might be of interest to some https://rsgb.org/main/blog/tonight-at-eight/2021/03/05/5-july-2021-assessing-your-station-against-icnirp-emf-levels-by-rsgb-emc-chair-john-rogers-m0jav/

Update to EMF guidance
Ofcom has published simplified guidance on its new electromagnetic fields (EMF) licence condition.
On 1 March 2021 we published an update on the new condition we are proposing to apply to spectrum licence holders using equipment that can transmit at power levels higher than 10 Watts EIRP (or 6.1 Watts ERP).
We also published detailed guidance on how licensees can ensure they comply with the new condition as well as an updated version of our EMF calculator, which helps licensees assess their compliance.
Today we have published additional simplified guidance for spectrum licensees including:
Simplified guidance for all spectrum users
Additional guidance for maritime radio users
Additional guidance for amateur radio users
This update includes tailored guidance for specific radio users designed to help them comply with the new licence condition. It also includes instructions on how to use our EMF calculator. The guidance is currently in draft form and we welcome feedback on these documents by 16 April 2021.




[url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/emf/calculator?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Update to EMF guidance&utm_content=Update to EMF guidance+cid_cc9b2a22e95247f3481625f4bace809e&utm_source=updates&utm_term=EMF calculator]EMF calculator - Ofcom[/url]

Whats different in that guidance pdf for Amateurs to what I understood is that the seperation distance is not from the feed point or mast as a center but from the nearest part of the antenna ( turning circle) . Off to look for a paddle as I seem to now be up a creek without one !

But what if you don't have a radio, or at least you don't OBVIOUSLY have a radio? Suppose you've got a license but either haven't bought a rig yet or you only have one in your car or only have a handheld in a box in the garage or something? Are they still going to demand that you "comply" even if you don't have anything to comply with?

Seems to me there's a lot of flaws in the whole affair. Looks to me like they're trying to target the obvious radio people with obvious antennas outside their houses as a first wave of attack, and then probably later declare all Ham radio use illegal and shut it down just so they can show the world that they've done something about the country's EMF footprint. Never mind all the phone towers and that sort of thing going up everywhere, those things generate revenue.

stinkybob wrote:

But what if you don't have a radio, or at least you don't OBVIOUSLY have a radio? Suppose you've got a license but either haven't bought a rig yet or you only have one in your car or only have a handheld in a box in the garage or something? Are they still going to demand that you "comply" even if you don't have anything to comply with?

Well, as I'm overseas and hence not operating in the UK, when I have to update my license (Assuming they ask, given the overseas address), then depending on the wording of the question, I would state I am compliant given I won't be giving off any EMF, never mind EMF above the limits!

Jeff,

It's all a bit of a storm in a teacup mate. 
We 'accept' the 'terms and conditions' of our Radio Amateur licencing requirements whenever we register on the OfCom site for new licence, change of details, etc. etc. (How many have read them though? )

As this was a fairly substantial change for the UK licencing there's been a lot of info surrounding what is expected of us. At least they've given us a calculator to make it nice and simple, better than enforcing us to buy equipment or undertake a measured survey(!)

At best case we have nothing to worry about, do our calculation as a responsible licenced operator, download the updated licence and move on.

At worse, OfCom now have another tool in their arsenal with the legal standing to shut down nuisance stations.

Ive just had this email also, so had a little look.

It seems my Foundation licence does not really come into it being capped at 10w, however I did the flowchart/spreadsheet thingy anyway according to the max power of my two radios in the shack.

The max separation distance I could get for VHF/UHF was on 144mhz  at 50w and around 2.26m, the largest separation distance on HF was at 100w on 14mhz giving a distance of 3.41m

Oddly perhaps I'm missing something, I could not get the calculator to work for bands 80/40, it said invalid character? Im guessing the separation distance would be a little higher but not hugely judging on previous calculations.

My outside antenna are my verticals which are in a rear secluded garden and high up, so no one gets near them and the G5RV which is 30ft high, the pole at the back holding it up would be near the neighbours garden, 30ft equating to 9.4 meters. 

so I think im fine, according to the flow chart I need t do nothing due to mu capped output but I've kept screenshots of the calculator results of the radio maxes just in case.


Hoping I've done what I can.

Im to assume regarding the new licence we will be emailed again by OFCOM ?

Clear as
Many thanks
Well its a good exercise for me anyway

As a responsible operator you should have been doing this anyway to ensure that you don't expose people and passers by to dangerous levels of RF. Whilst I've not been using the OFCOM calculator, having  a small garden and now living in a house with a street and pavement passing the end of my garden I've always used an online one that's US based that will give you an output in mW/sq.m and whether it is within FCC safety guidelines which are very similar to these. And it works below 10MHz too.

Basically the people affected the most will be those using ground mounted vertical antennas and indoor antennas such as a dipole in the loft. General rule of thumb for an outdoor ground mounted vertical antenna using 100W is you want around 2.5 metres of clearance.

As a fully versed responsible operator, yes indeed.
Only being trained as an M3 I have no knowledge of this, also was not aware of the issues, this is stuff learned on the next part of the licence.

However at the first opportunity of awareness I’ve acted as required.

Life’s full of learning, it’s what we do with that information that matters

Did my calculations some weeks ago.
Got them on the shack computer and also printed out in my folder in there.
If anybody apart from the station commander get any where close to my aerials then they must be lost.
End bungalow in the far corner.

Did mine with the RSGB sheet a few weeks back.
Calculated with maximum power, for me 100watts and also calculated the power where I am compliant at 10Weirp, with my antennas this still works out at 40Watts.

This has been another exercise, to tick the right box for the EU, considering me are no longer a member ,we are still bowing down to them. its another chance to wake up The Radio Community to say ' Big Brother is watching" . 

IMHO OFCOM do not have the manpower to visit everybody property with a license in, they may now though visit if someone reports you for interference, this is a different issue especially if you have neighbours like here! 

I too have done my calculations recorded them and will as part of regular H&S Checks of my Shack record each time I do them.

EU? its a world wide procedure, its not just about ham radio or CB its about all types of transmissions and to protect the public. The same people who complain about it, would not want a mobile phone mast in there neighbours garden. Also if next door was slinging 400 watts into  a beam pointing into my child's bedroom and they got unexplainably sick, I know where I would start. Its not a big deal to fill the form in and print it out, if not, no one will police it anyway.As for big brother is watching.facebook,google,amazon ,twitter,watsapp,forums,youtube,covid passports,the end of cash.......sorry fallen off soap box.
take care
mark

BAREFOOT wrote:

This has been another exercise, to tick the right box for the EU

It has been mandatory to do it in the USA for years. Surely as a responsible operator you'd be doing it anyway? Having my antennas in my garden, often verticals/inverted L ground mounted or low height wires, I've always done it albeit using online calculators to ensure compliance with what the FCC deems as safe.

Northern Crusader wrote:

Surely as a responsible operator you'd be doing it anyway? 

Yes, as I stated in my previous post, I do regular checks on all my equipment including H&S, I have been doing this since 1978, with my first Midland Set, right up to my Extra responsibilities as a VHF Repeater Keeper for over 20 years and an RSGB Instructor for the last 10 years?

What I was getting at was that OFCOM, have had that many cuts to funding and loss of Staff, they don't need any of this to add to the workload.