With
the next World Radiocommunication Conference approaching in November, it
appeared in late summer that there might not be a consensus on proposals for a
worldwide secondary amateur allocation on 5 MHz, also known as 60 meters. In the
U.S., the band is currently available to hams on a very restricted basis, with
five discrete channels and limitations on modes and power that are not found on
other amateur bands.
According to the ARRL, as of late August, proposals from
various countries were "all over the map," and it was beginning to
look like there might not be a unified proposal for the WRC delegates to
consider. Options ranged from no change to a 175-kHz wide option between 5275
and 5450 kHz.
