I got a notice at work today from a frequency coordinator. The notice was to inform that a proposed microwave link network was to be built and they were checking to see if there were any objections due to possible interference.
I assumed the notice came to me at work as a result of our Public Safety microwave link or possibly our AM TIS or LPFM stations.
When I checked out all the info they sent there was a location file compatible with Google Earth. So, I plugged it in to see what they had plotted.
The map zoomed in on the proposed microwave system Showing the 4 nodes connecting the Cleveland area with Seven Hills, location of serveral commercial TV/Radio broadcast transmitter antenna sites.
As I zoomed out, son-of-a-gun, there was a Bulls-Eye on MRAM 1500! It shows a fair representation of my Part 15 coverage area. The notice was for my Part 15 station!
Weird! See map below...
I never would have guessed they would have been concerned about that.
It's half disarming and half alarming to hear that a Part 15 station (MRAM 1500) was notified in the way described and treated like... well, like a serious member of the broadcast community.
It is also half confusing, making three halfs, to learn that a Part 15 station operating according to the rules is even noticed or known about.
There is even a fourth half. Now we need an explanation of how it is that Part 15 stations come to be on the map in the FCC database, given our relatively small existence.
Maybe the gov really does know everything about us. I half wonder.
Well, it was fun while it lasted but I think the MRAM plot was left over from my own tinkering with Google Earth a few months ago.
As it turns out my station location is not part of the Google plot provided by Green PCN.
Oh well, it was fun to think someone knew I'm out there.
Such a request is likely to meet their requirements for filing for a license and you are probably on the list due to your city activities, but who knows for sure?
Before I left, our college was approached by one of the cell phone companies with a request to place a cell site on the roof of our particular building and two of us hams were asked to comment since the roof was occupied with two dipole antennas and a rotatable beam which were used for our campus ham station. The question was if their cell system would cause us a problem.
Our reply was that it probably wouldn't but they should be concerned about us interfering with their operations since we were operating multi-band, frequency agile, and high power transmitters. The request was immediately dropped and they went elsewhere.
I am still not shure what that was all about but was pleased that our administration saw fit to run it by us.
Neil