Do not shoot the messenger; these are "straight from the horse's mouth", full of officialese and with absolutely no unnecessary ease of use.
Here's the RSGB's summary of the changes, now a fact: With this in mind, the current UK Band Plans are, according to RSGB:
2024 Band Plans
In this edition of RadCom are the 2024 Band Plans (see pages 56 to 61). These incorporate a series of changes that have been developed
in liaison with Spectrum Forum members to accommodate the new Ofcom Amateur Licence, as well as new band plans for millimetre
waves.
The 2023 IARU Region 1 General Conference also considered some changes, but few have been confirmed so far. It is conceivable
though that we will consider a mid-year update if these progress, or we determine that further changes or guidance are needed to support
the ongoing Ofcom licence opportunities.
The Band Plans are also available on the RSGB website in various formats, where more detailed change notes can also be found to
guide users. In summary the changes for 2024 are:
• HF: Editorial changes have been made in 472kHz where
there are no longer additional schedule conditions and 28MHz as a
result of the licence changes. For now, IARU has deferred a planned re-balance between CW/SSB versus digital usage, so there
are no other HF updates at present.
• VHF/UHF: In order to accommodate licence-driven changes, the 144MHz band sees the introduction of a brand-new category –
two new 5W erp max ad-hoc repeater channels; as well as an extra gateway channel and a move to 12.5kHz channelling in the
all-modes section. The 70cm UHF band also sees a long overdue recognition of 12.5k channelling, which has been used by ETCC
and IARU-R1 for some time. This will also assist coordinated interleaving with the Primary User. The intention is that 70cm will
be better able to accommodate demand in future for both current uses and emerging data systems.
• Microwaves: Numerous bands have had their licence and coordination notes editorially updated. For the first time, there are now
full entries for the 122, 134 and 248GHz millimetre-wave bands. Other changes may be considered in a future update. One other
comment is that the revised Foundation licence gives access to 2.4, but not 2.3GHz.
In addition to the Band Plans, other operational and licensing aspects have changed, including the treatment of some beacons, airborne
usage, and maritime usage outside of UK territorial waters. So it is important that all amateurs familiarise themselves with the new licence
conditions (including the new Ofcom Coordination notice) as well.
As band plans do change over time, please ensure you only refer or link to the current ones on the RSGB website and remove any
older ones you have locally. Unfortunately, we still note some websites and unofficial usage charts have obsolete information and urge that
these are removed. The latest band plan information, including the master Excel files, can be found on the Operating section of the RSGB
website – and if you are unsure, by all means contact the relevant Spectrum Manager: hf.manager@rsgb.org.uk,
vhf.manager@rsgb.org.uk or microwave.manager@rsgb.org.uk
RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB
Ofcom changes and Band Plans
at the Spectrum Forum
A busy year has seen several online Spectrum Forum meetings. Two meetings held in January considered the Ofcom notice period for
‘representations’, areas where band plan adjustments would be needed, as well as more regular items such as annual group reports.
The RSGB website now has these details online. Our reply to Ofcom has been added to our special focus page on the Ofcom licence
review. Along with other recent representations, this will enable Ofcom to finalise the new licence for the end of February.
The Spectrum Forum pages have also been updated with the 2024 group reports and meeting notes, whilst this edition of RadCom has
the revised band plan details (pages 56 to 61).
These useful shortcuts will guide you to the relevant online information:
• https://rsgb.org/spectrumforum
• https://rsgb.org/licence-review
• https://rsgb.org/bandplans