Hi All,
Hope you are keeping well and most of all enjoying your radio.
Some will think this old chestnut has been roasted to death but here goes anyway :-
(The following contains titles and references to documentation rather than internet links due to the capricious nature of the beast.
)
I wonder how many of you contemplating the Amateur Radio route or even indeed started on their journey have asked the question of whether you are able to build your own transmitter or convert commercially available equipment. I also wonder how many have been quite often slapped in the face with the following....
UK Licence Terms & ConditionsUK AMATEUR RADIO LICENCE Section 2 - OfcomSection 7 - Equipment7(2) Where the Licence is a Foundation Licence, the Licensee shall only use commercially available Radio Equipment which satisfies IR2028. Foundation Licence holders may also use Radio Equipment constructed using commercially available kits which satisfy IR2028I bet many have and any further discussion stops there!
If you follow the 'bread crumb trail' to IR2028 you'll find the following documentation....
UK Interface Requirements 2028 Amateur Radio Licences - Ofcom
This document makes reference to the "
European Radio Equipment Directive" on many occasions, (more on this in a moment), as well as the UK Amateur Radio band plan for the appropriate licence 'classes'. Each of those make reference to multiple ETSI - EN standards which upon closer inspection relates to "
Commercially Available Amateur Radio Equipment".
If you follow these bread crumbs the Radio Equipment Directive is actually the....
DIRECTIVE 2014/53/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCILWhich contains so much legal blurb many will give up reading it!
It does however state that 'commercial equipment' are items made to be available on the 'market' with a lot of references to the protection of the free trade market. Sensible really.
It also contains the following section which raises interest....
ANNEX 1
EQUIPMENT NOT COVERED BY THIS DIRECTIVE
1. Radio equipment used by radio amateurs within the meaning of Article 1, definition 56, of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Radio Regulations, unless the equipment is made available on the market.
The following shall be regarded as not being available on the market:
(a) radio kits for assembly and use by radio amateurs;
(b) radio equipment modified by and for use of radio amateurs;
(c) equipment constructed by individual radio amateurs for experimental and scientific purposes related to amateur radio.
etc. etc.
For reference the Article 1, definition 56, of the ITU is as follows...
1.56 Amateur Service; A radiocommunication service for the purpose of self training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, by duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
Quite interesting I'm sure some will agree as according to the oft quoted documentation it seems that 'kits', and 'modified radios' are excluded in the 'Commercially available Radio Equipment" category.
Hmmmm - Not quoted that one much are we?
Honestly, putting aside probable misunderstood differences there are many things you can build should you wish in your pursuit of radio enjoyment and I'd recommend them all before even contemplating construction of a transmitter. Antenna systems can be complicated enough for most let alone constructing a fully fledged multi-band SSB transceiver or other such.
However, 'kits' have been and are available on the market which are so well designed utilising modern technology that they simply have to be put together like Lego and pretty much guaranteed to work let alone 'conform' to technical 'standards'. (Spurious emissions, harmonics, etc.)
Probably far more so 'compliant' than many neglected, let alone unserviced and unaligned second hand junk transceivers that appears on the market.
All the very best and enjoy your radio pursuits,
Victor
Today at 5:25 am by 
Subject: Foundation Licence and IR2028 
