New rules published by South Africa's telecommunications regulators now allow amateurs there to use up to 1000 watts of output power on most bands (with Class B licensees getting a boost to 100 watts), along with an expansion of the 160-meter band all the way to 2 MHz. This, according to the South African Radio League.
A
few thousand miles to the north, full-license hams in parts of the United
Kingdom and its "Crown Dependencies" will soon be gaining data
privileges on the 4-meter band, from 70.5 to 71.5 MHz. This band has long been
available to amateurs in many European countries, but not those in the
Americas, where 70 MHz was used for commercial television broadcasting.
According to Newsline, hams in most of the UK (excluding Scotland) will
be able to apply for "Notices of Variation" to permit operation on 4
meters. The allocation is not permanent and is subject to reassignment on 12
months' notice.
