[600MRG] 2200 and 630 meters

[Pat Hamel]

For 2200 meters and 630 meters to succeed as ham bands, there must be an
ongoing education and possibly qualification effort provided to regular
weekend-wonder- testing hams.
QST seems to be the proper and appropriate place to do this.
The FCC should be informed of the training effort and possibly require that
a qualification certificate from the ARRL be one of the temporary
requirements (repeat temporary) to operate 2200 and 630 meters while
protecting the power grid. This should be a sunset requirement which will
allow the licensing textbooks and ham-experience-only instructors to learn.
The LOTW certificate security should be sufficient for online testing.
This would enable the FCC to more easily approve operation on the new bands.

I am an experimenter on 630 meters from a city lot and a former (1970s) AM
broadcast engineer. 
I had much to learn over and above what was covered on the test when I
became a broadcast engineer. 
IMHO The average ham will not have a chief engineer to teach him or the deep
pockets to hire one.

If the FCC specifies an EIRP limit, hams must know how to evaluate their
sites and decide the best way for the site to use and measure that limit. 
The classic vertical and the LARGE (400 foot) loop are proven to work. At
these frequencies, each type of antenna has limitations not seen on the HF
bands. 

There are several well-known experimenter-authors who could collaborate on
QST articles which would make up a future book and part of the manuals.
Addressing the technical training needs of the younger hourly-wage hams and
the old retired engineers is always difficult, especially with the
deficiencies in math of our schools today, but it can be done. 
I do not know if I still have the mental ability to contribute more than a
few general paragraphs on experiences at my type of site.

I believe that QST is the best first place to do it because the editors and
publishing mechanism already exists.

Thank you and 73,
Pat Hamel W5THT & WD2XSH/6