This page contains information about
frequency coordination with MetroCor.
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Spectrum Management or frequency
coordination in the Amateur Radio Service is administered by Amateur Radio
Licensees, who voluntarily assist in the continuing effort to achieve optimum
spectrum use and minimal interference for all members of the Amateur community.
Coordination grants do not
confer, or warrant the exclusive use of any frequency, nor does it preclude the
possibility of some amount of co channel activity. The goal is to allow for
constructive use of ALL available frequencies, for the most effective sharing
of a limited resource.
MetroCor does not warrant
any frequency to be suitable for any usage; it is the sole responsibility of
the applicant to determine the suitability of your choice of frequency before
beginning operation.
The role of coordination is a
"balancing act", where the interests of all spectrum users are taken
into account. The ongoing needs of the Amateur Radio community have caused this
role to evolve from simple FM repeater, link and control channel coordination
into one of more efficient spectrum management. Spectrum management must now
account for the needs of weak signal, FM simplex, ATV, packet and other new
technology spectrum users.
METROCOR
MetroCor, Inc. is the NFCC recognized spectrum management body in the
For administrative purposes, MetroCor is
divided into Regions. These Regions are:
1. Northern New Jersey ARRL Section (NNJ)
2. New York City and Long Island (NLI)
3. Westchester (ENY)
The MetroCor Executive Board
The Executive Board is composed of both
elected and appointed officers. The elective offices are President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Directors are elected by
vote the Executive Board.
The President appoints coordination
committees for the various bands and modes. Committee appointees� duties on
behalf of their local area appointment include verifying operations of systems
as well as being advocates for system operators. Committee appointees are also
available to assist in mediation of frequency disputes, as well as in assisting
the ADR Committee.
The FCC has encouraged the development of
coordination bodies as part of the Amateur Radio community's effort at
self-regulation. Where an interference matter exists between amateur radio
repeater station systems, the FCC requires the operator of an uncoordinated
system take full responsibility for resolution of any interference issues
affecting the operations of the coordinated system.
When considering fixed frequency operations,
such as those identified above, Amateur operators should contact MetroCor to
determine if there is any possibility of interference to a coordinated system.
For modes where there is no individual station coordination, MetroCor can
provide guidance on current activities by referencing the MetroCor "Band
Plans". MetroCor�s Band Plans are regional refinements of the ARRL
National Band Plans, which supersede the National Plans in MetroCor�s coverage
area.
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Publication of Coordination Data
The coordination process depends on both the
cooperation of the Amateur community and the availability of information to the
Amateur community. The Amateur Radio coordination process is the management of
the PUBLIC radio spectrum resource on behalf of the Amateur community. As such,
those who have been granted coordination are accountable to that community for
the relatively exclusive use of that spectrum associated with their
coordination. As MetroCor is a membership organization, MetroCor will publish
and disseminate information pertaining to coordination grants made to MetroCor
members.
In order to provide a balance of
accountability and privacy, MetroCor will publish coordination lists
limiting public access to certain coordination elements, under the following
column headings:
Frequency of operation.
Mode/Use.
Access,
PL, DPL, etc.
County of operation.
Municipality of operation.
Name and call sign.
MetroCor will NOT publish link
frequency lists, but will make them available to other coordination bodies on an as-
needed basis. All control and/or link frequencies must be coordinated; this
information will be used by MetroCor to help prevent interference to other repeater
systems; which might use control or link frequencies. All such frequencies must
comply with existing band plans and technical parameters as set forth herein. A
functional diagram of all such link/control frequency use shall accompany the
repeater station coordination application as an attachment.
MetroCor has established guidelines for the
transfer of frequency coordination grants from one Trustee to another.
Coordination may be transferred to a new Trustee under only two conditions:
Club/Organization. The coordination grant(s) to a system(s) is/are
held by a club/organization. The club/organization wishes merely to change
Trustees. In order to maintain coordination of the club/organization system(s),
the succeeding Trustee must provide documentation proving active membership in
that club/organization.
Individual. The coordination grant(s) to a system(s) is/are held
by an individual station Trustee, who wishes to transfer a coordination to
another individual station Trustee or club Trustee, provided that
The re-coordinated system will continue to
serve the same user base.
The new Trustee must be able to document
frequent personal use of that system for a minimum of one year, prior to the
request for a change of Trustee.
In situations where either of these two
conditions cannot be met, the frequency pair is declared available for reassignment.
MetroCor will maintain its band plans for
those bands where the membership has decided to adopt them. Where no MetroCor
band plan has been adopted, the ARRL National Band Plan will be used. MetroCor
currently maintains band plans for the following Amateur frequency bands: 28
MHz, 50 MHz, 144 MHz, 222 MHz, 420 MHz, 902 MHz, and 1240 MHz. These band plans are to be carried as appendices to this
document.
28 Mhz: ten-meter pairs are issued with low input, high
output, with a 100 KHz offset. Tone control is mandated. Channel spacing is 20
KHz.
50 Mhz: six meter pairs are issued as low input, high
output with a 1 MHz offset, Channel spacing is 20 KHz.
144-148 MHz. 2-meter pairs
are issued with a 600 KHz Offset. From 144 to 146 MHz, channel spacing is 20
KHz. From 146 to 148 Mhz
channel spacing is 15 KHz. NO 1 MHz offset pairs will be considered at this
time.
222 Mhz, all 222 MHz pairs are issued with a 1.6 MHz
offset, and 20KHz Channel spacing. Output is high; input is low on all pairs.
440 Mhz: all 70cm. pairs are issued with a 5 MHz offset,
and 25 kHz Channel spacing. Channels ending with a �5� as the last significant
digit shall be low input, high output. Those channels ending with a �0� as the
last significant digit shall be high input, and low output.
902-927
MHz: 12.5 KHz spacing of channels, 25 MHz TX-Rx separations, low input, high
output. Click
the link in the first paragraph of this section for the entire band plan.
TONE/DPL control shall be
required on ALL repeater stations to be coordinated.
Channel spacing, and
station spacing distances for coordinated systems may be adjusted by the chief
coordinator on a case-by-case basis due to several factors, including terrain,
area of coverage, antenna height, gain, and power output, both actual and ERP.
The goal of MetroCor is to provide the greatest number of usable frequency
pairs with the minimum amount of interference possible.
Separation Requirements in Miles (see notes
that follow):
|
Band
|
Co-Channel |
First Adjacent Channel |
Minimum Coverage Radius |
|
28 MHz |
125 |
50 |
50 |
|
50 MHz |
125 |
35 |
35 |
|
144 MHz |
70 |
10 |
15 |
|
146 MHz |
70 |
25 |
15 |
|
222 MHz |
70 |
10 |
15 |
|
420 MHz |
70 |
10 |
15 |
|
440 MHz |
70 |
15 |
15 |
|
902 MHz |
50 |
10 |
10 |
|
1240 MHz |
50 |
10 |
10 |
Notes:
|
Band |
Design Goal |
Minimum Requirement |
|
28 MHz |
+/- 150 Hz |
+/- 292 Hz |
|
52 MHz |
+/- 150 Hz |
+/- 292 Hz |
|
146 MHz |
+/- 150 Hz |
+/- 292 Hz |
|
220 MHz |
+/- 150 Hz |
+/- 448 Hz |
|
440 MHz |
+/- 150 Hz |
+/- 980 Hz |
|
902 MHz |
+/- 1.3 kHz |
+/- 2.60 kHz |
|
1240 MHz |
+/- 1.3 kHz |
+/- 2.60 kHz |
Repeater System Considerations
1.
Duplexers with
"band-pass" and band reject, rather than "band reject" only
characteristics are preferred since they attenuate frequencies on both sides of
their pass-band.
2.
Antennas should
have VSWR of 1.25:1 or better on transmit and receiver frequencies at a duplex
site in order to properly terminate the duplexer.
3.
Ferrite-Isolators:
should be used on transmitter final outputs prior to the duplexer in order to
reduce IM products, spurious emissions, and improve RF stability. A low pass, or notch type filter should be used after an isolator
to prevent unwanted 2nd. order products
from being emitted.
4.
Telephone
Interfaces: levels and frequencies per BTL standards, 0 dBm
max, 1 MW, 600 ohms balanced (0.775 Vrms).
5.
6.
TOR, PL &
ANTI PL Control Systems: must be utilized for effective spectrum utilization on
repeater pairs.
BW
13 kHz (+/- 6.5 kHz) - 6 dB
BW
30 kHz (+/- 15 kHz) - 100 dB
In-Band Ripple +/- 1.5 dB max
Satellite Receivers, Link and Control
Technical Parameters
The following additional technical
requirements/parameters are required of systems of this type:
1. Directional Antennas *
2. Non-carrier squelch
3. Minimum required power
4. Satellite Receivers included as a part of a repeater
system must be listed on an additional sheet of paper to be attached to the
coordination request. The frequency, access type and code, exact location,
antenna type, gain, and orientation and manner in which the signal is to be
conveyed to the repeater shall all be included along with a functional diagram
of the system.
5. This information is for MetroCor�s
use only, satellite receivers are not coordinated.
6. MetroCor reserves the right to request any additional
data we deem necessary, in order to properly consider any and all coordination
requests.
*
Directional antennas are not required for voting/satellite receivers.�
ADDITIONAL COORDINATION
REQUIREMENTS
1)
Upon receipt of your coordination approval
notification from MetroCor, you will have a 120-day time period to make your
station operational within the parameters so noted on the coordination
application(s).
2)
Upon
your station�s operational startup, you must notify MetroCor, in writing,
within 10 days of the operational start up and the stations compliance with the
coordinated parameters.
3)
Should
your start up be delayed beyond the 120-day initial period, you must notify
MetroCor in writing, before the expiration of the 120-day period, with the
reasons for the delay. An additional period of up to 90 days may be granted, at
the option of MetroCor�s representative.
4)
Stations
that do not meet these requirements, nor comply with the furnishing of the data
requested will automatically lose their coordinated status and the frequency(s)
be made available for reassignment.
A trustee of a coordinated
repeater shall notify MetroCor, in writing, within 10 days of any change of
their mailing address. MetroCor must always have a valid, direct, means of
contacting the trustee of a coordinated repeater. If a trustee is not reachable
either by telephone, or US Mail within 20 days of such attempt, it shall be
construed that the repeater is operating in violation of it�s
coordination, and de coordination procedures may be instituted.� Trustees shall notify MetroCor, in writing,
within 20 days of cessation of repeater�s operation for any cause. If a
repeater permanently ceases operation, or is sold or otherwise conferred to
another person or organization, the trustee shall notify MetroCor of such
action within 20 days of the event. Such cessation shall be construed as to
mean that the trustee has relinquished their coordination to the assigned
frequency pair(s).
Station Coordination Document Parameters
This document contains the administrative
and technical parameters necessary for coordination grants by MetroCor.
It will contain the necessary signature
lines for:
 |
The preliminary
coordination signature (by a MetroCor authorized representative), |
|
The operational notice
signature (by the applicant), and |
|
The final verification
signatures (by both the applicant and the President). |
The coordination document will also include
the parameters listed below, as well as any additional documentation as
required for a specific system.
1. The desired band or frequency of the desired
coordinated operation;
2. Mode/use;
3. The name, call sign, address and telephone of the
Trustee and one additional contact;
4. Sponsoring organization and address;
5. The type of operation;
6. The longitude and latitude, and the address of the
site;
7. The height above the ground and above sea level;
8. The planned power output and antenna system
characteristics;
9. Intended coverage/service area;
10. The current operational status;
11. Access method PL, or DPL
An applicant�s individual coordination
documentation may have additional parameters, subject to the same
administrative requirements as those listed above.
If use of CTCSS, (PL) DPL, Touch Tone, or
any other means of effecting limited access is specified as a condition of
assignment, assignments adjacent to the affected system shall consider the use
of such equipment as being implemented and protection afforded as such.
Only those coordination grants confirmed on
this document in writing shall be considered official and binding.
Upon final approval and receipt of document
of coordination, the coordination will expire upon either the Trustee�s
expiration of the Trustee�s Amateur Radio License, or upon revocation by the
Federal Communications Commission.
There is a 6-month grace
period for late renewal of expired coordinations.
A sample Coordination Document is included
as an appendix to this document.
Exceptions to Coordination Guidelines
Exceptions may be made to the MetroCor
Guidelines as follows:
Notice
of the proposed exception shall be made in writing, either by email, or US
Postal Mail to any station deemed to be effected by the proposed exception.
Should the recipient station feel that they could provide sound technical
reasons to deny the proposed exception, they must do so, in writing within 20 days
of the receipt of the mailing. All technical documentation and submissions are
to be included in the reply to MetroCor. The Board of Directors and the Chief
Coordinator in keeping with MetroCor�s policy of
effective spectrum usage shall review the response. Both stations shall be
notified of MetroCor�s decision.
1.
The exception to
the Guidelines will require the written approval of both the authorized
MetroCor representative and the Executive Board.
Any exceptions to the guidelines made during
the coordination process shall be taken into account when the coordination is
presented for renewal.
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Changes to Coordination Parameters
MetroCor, prior to implementation, must
approve any changes to coordination parameters. Any unauthorized change to the
operating parameters as specified in the Coordination Document will cause the
coordination grant, as previously issued by MetroCor, to be void. It is the
responsibility of the Trustee or authorized representative of that coordination
grant to inform MetroCor of the need to change any coordination parameter.
These changes include any
change of transmitter location, antenna height, gain, or pattern, ERP or actual
RF power output.
Any of these changes deemed
to be significant by MetroCor will require the station trustee/owner to apply
for a modified/new coordination within 60 days of such change. Failure to do so
will result in the�
existing coordination being deemed� void.
Should the Coordination
Parameter change be of an exigent circumstance, MetroCor must be notified, in
writing, within 20 days of such change.
If the change(s) is/are consistent with the
guidelines, they will be noted by the authorized MetroCor representative and
accepted without further processing.
If the requested change(s) do not meet
MetroCor Guidelines or cannot be accommodated through the exemption process,
the Trustee will be required to control the system in a manner consistent with
the requirements of an uncoordinated system, as defined in the United States
Code of Federal Regulations (U.S. C.F.R.) Title 47, Part 97.
Modifications to Band Plans and
Coordination
METROCOR may modify the
coordination guidelines at will, and without prior notice, in order to properly
consider changes in the technical and regulatory environments.
Such modifications may take advantage of
current state of the art, i.e. � recognition of new technologies available for
use for the Amateur Radio Service by changes in FCC Regulations.
Current MetroCor band plans may also be
subject to modification due to Government mandated change in usable spectrum
made available for the Amateur Radio Service. This may necessitate the
modification of existing band plans and coordination.
All coordination grants expire upon either:
The expiration date of the Trustee�s
Amateur Radio License, after issuance of a coordination document, or
Notification by the FCC to the Amateur
Radio public of action taken by the FCC, resulting in the revocation of the
Trustee�s Amateur Radio License. MetroCor will deem such FCC action as
automatic revocation of any and all coordination grants issued by MetroCor to
the person and/or persons and/or club(s)/organization(s) who received such
coordination grant(s).
Coordination for systems existing when
MetroCor approved the Coordination Guidelines shall also be subject to expiration.
Said expiration will also be the expiration date of the Trustee�s Amateur Radio
License.
Those Amateur Radio Licensed Trustees
possessing a coordination grant(s) must be notified of the impending expiration
of said grant via regular mail, six (6) months prior to the expiration. A
renewal notice will include a new coordination form, which is to be completed
by the Trustee and returned by US Mail. If the Trustee or representative has
not responded within 60 days prior to expiration, the package will be re-sent
by certified US Mail return receipt requested to the Trustee or representative
with a warning that loss of coordination grant would follow on a specific date.
Such date will be determined from information derived from the FCC database
showing expiration of the Trustee�s license.
Coordination may be renewed if the current Coordination Guidelines so
permit. In the event that the current Coordination Guidelines no longer permit
such a coordination to be renewed, then the coordination may be provisionally
renewed for a period not to exceed five years from the date of the change to
the Coordination Guidelines, which invalidated the then current Coordination
Guidelines. This ensures that a reasonable period of use has justified the
time, labor, and expense associated with the deployment of a coordinated
system.
Revocation of Coordination/ Revocation
Process
The revocation process has several distinct
conditions:
1.
Expiration of
coordination due to changes in the Guidelines
2.
For cause.
3.
Cessation of
Station Activity
4.
Expiration of
coordination due to changes in the Guidelines.
The first condition is implicit and does not require a formal process. It is
the responsibility of the trustee to remain current with MetroCor guidelines.
Therefore formal notification of revocation of coordination due to guideline
changes is not required.
2. For cause.
Revocation of coordination for cause requires MetroCor to perform the following
actions:
a. Notice of system activity not in compliance with the
guidelines must be made in writing to the system trustee and/or secondary
contact, via ( US MAIL).
b. If after thirty (20) days from the date of the first
mailing, if the system trustee and/or secondary contact has not responded, a
second and final notice may be issued with a second (20) twenty day response
period. This is to be made by certified US Mail, delivery receipt requested.
c. If, after the second (20) day period, the system
operator has not brought the system into compliance, or received a written
extension from the authorized MetroCor representative, the authorized MetroCor
representative may, in writing, request approval of the Executive Board for
revocation of MetroCor�s coordination grant for that
trustee.
d. Withdrawal of a coordination will require the system
operator to remove the system from the air or resolve any received interference
e. complaints as required of uncoordinated systems in US CFR Title
47, Part 97.
If
the existence of a working, coordination compliant, system cannot be confirmed,
or, if the coordination holder cannot comply with the request of the frequency
coordinator to demonstrate the operational status of such system within 3o days
of a request to do so, or, If a working system is not on the air and the owner
or trustee has not notified MetroCor, in writing, including requesting a
construction extension, the channel assignment shall be deemed void and the
coordination canceled without further notice.
The Coordination Guidelines may be changed
in accordance to the MetroCor Constitution and By-laws.
If a proposal(s) for change(s) to the
Guidelines is to be presented for adoption by vote of the Membership,
notification of said proposal(s) must be issued in accordance to the MetroCor
Constitution and By-laws.
If so adopted, the effective date of
the change(s) will be immediate except in cases where MetroCor so directs.
Should any part of these
guidelines be adjudged in a court of applicable jurisdiction, as unenforceable
or not in concurrence with Federal Communications Rules and Regulations, only
that part shall be struck. All other parts contained
herein shall remain in full force and effect.
All those amateur radio licensees granted
new or renewal coordination will sign the coordination document (s) for their
system (s), which will include a statement that they have read, and agree to
abide by, the current
Coordination Guidelines, under the terms
their coordination has been issued by MetroCor, Inc.
To download a .pdf copy (Adobe Acrobat Reader) of the Coordination Guidelines.
click here.
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All Rights Reserved
by MetroCor
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