Taken from HSOZCW's post on DX News Listserv
[quote]
Thailand's Intermediate and Advanced class radio amateurs are now permitted to operate on the so-called WARC bands (10-, 18- and 24-MHz) as well as in windows in the CW portion of the 80-metre (3.5-MHz) and 160-metre (1.8-MHz) bands on a permanent basis.
The authorisation, granted in a new Act governing amateur radio in Thailand by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), follows years of lobbying by the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST). The details were published in the Royal Gazette on October 11, 2007, becoming effective the following day.
Up until this announcement, which is part of a complete revision and consolidation of amateur radio regulations by the NTC, Thai radio amateurs had only been able to operate on the 80- and 160-metre bands during international contests on weekends, while the WARC bands had been only authorised by the Thai authorities for use during certain special event stations on a few occasions.
Special permission to operate on the low bands during contests had been sought by RAST on an annual basis for more than five years to allow its members to compete internationally while also serving to demonstrate that there was no interference to other services.
Specifically, the increase in HF spectrum allocated to amateur radio in Thailand is from 1.800 to 1.825MHz, 3.500 to 3.540 MHz, 10.100 to 10.150 MHz, 18.068 to 18.168 and 24.890 to 24.990 MHz and operators should respect the International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 band plan.
No changes were made to the VHF bands, where 6-metres (50-54 MHz) and 1,240 MHz are still off-limits and 430-MHz (70-cm) is authorised for monitoring only, such as to listen to satellite downlinks. Two metres
(144-MHz) is channelised and minor amendments were made to repeater allocations.
The full 37-page announcement of the NTC's Amateur Radio Act of 2007 is published in the Thai-language on the web at
http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2550/E/152/10.PDF.
The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand, which is under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, will make an unofficial translation available soon as well as explaining some of the points in more detail at its website:
www.qsl.net/rast Under the new regulations, all club stations in the provinces were also given 180 days to register as a society which must have a minimum of 20 members, while there is a requirement that each club station must operate for at least three hours a day, which is a reduction from eight hours under the previous regulations.
The syllabus for the amateur radio examination has been revised and a new requirement for Intermediate class operators who are able to operate on HF frequencies is that they must be at least 15 years old.
Morse code is retained as a requirement for the Intermediate class licence with the proficiency in sending and receiving being set at eight words a minute.
As word of the new regulations and of activity by HS and E2 stations on the WARC bands spread after several of Thailand's amateur radio operators began making contacts, so the pile-ups began. Thailand and CQ Zone 26 are in high-demand by award-chasers, both on the WARC bands as well as 80- and 160-metres.
Prepared by Tony, HS0ZDX
RAST International Liaison
October 16, 2007
Relayed by
Charles Harpole, HS0ZCW
k4vud@hotmail.com[end quote]
