The JARL NEWS
Vol. 10, No. 1; January 1997

MPT Revised Amateur Band Plans
JARL's Appeal Realized

To respond recent variety of modes in amateur radio communications, JARL has been soliciting members' opinions and then asking Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) continuously to revise amateur band plans. In consequence, on December 27, 1996, MPT has accepted the appeal and new Band Plans were announced by an official gazette (extra edition). Major points of above mentioned amendment, effective as of April 1, 1997, are as follows.
  1. Image Communication (SSTV, FAX) and Phone Communication will share same segments and Data Image segment will become exclusive use for digital. Image Communication is permitted also in WARC bands and Satellite segments.
  2. Wide-band digital segment will be expanded, and F1 type of emission will be added to that segment to accommodate high speed packet communication (9600bps. etc.)
  3. FM (phone, CW, image) segments on 144MHz and 430MHz bands will be expanded by 100kHz respectively.
  4. In accordance with IARU Beacon Project, frequencies for beacon will be designated in 18, 21, 24, 28MHz bands in additions to existing 14MHz band.
  5. Repeater frequencies segments will be added in 5600MHz and 10.1GHz bands.
You Can Obtain Your Old Expired Call Sign
For radio amateurs, call signs are surely more than just a combination of letters and numbers. Many hams are even known by their call signs!! However, after the station license has expired for some reason, and if the license is left as expired for more than 6 months, any radio amateurs has no way to retain his/her old call sign.
There are a lot of hams who want to re-open amateur stations with the same call signs as their old ones. JARL has been asking MPT on behalf of such radio amateurs to re-issue their old call signs.
In consequence, MPT has accepted the JARL's appeal and the service will start on April 1, 1997. But, it is possible that in such area as 1 (Kanto), 2 (Tokai) and 3 (Kansai), where there are too many radio amateurs, those expired call signs have been already assigned to new-comers. JARL therefore is going to establish a "Reference Center" at its headquarters in Tokyo in February, with cooperation of MPT and the Japan Amateur Radio Development Association (JARD), to check whether the expired call sign is in use or not.
Apologies
In the section giving 1995 amateur population figures, on page 8, in our publication titled "Amateur Radio in Japan" which we distributed all member societies and people concerned at the end of 1996, Canada was omitted. The total population of radio amateurs in Canada in 1995 was 45,000, exceeding Russia, Argentina, Italy and Brazil. Therefore, please read the top ten countries at the end of 1995 as follows:
1) Japan1,365,0006) Spain47,500
2) USA714,0007) Canada45,000
3) Germany76,5008) Russia38,000
4) England63,0009) Argentina30,000
5) Indonesia60,5009) Italy30,000
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Copyright © 1997 by
The Japan Amateur Radio League, Inc.