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Coordinating random but expected interference from sources supposedly prevented from causing interference by international law (ITU) and treaty should not be necessary. In a perfect world anyway. As the Personal Radio Association, Inc. recently discovered however, that frequency coordinators responsible for the business pool in the FCC R&R 90.350 may need to do just that. Keeping FSI in mind when granting a license may be particularly necessary since despite the international protections the vast numbers of foreign scofflaws limit the FCC’s response to interference to an education campaign.

The Commission at first was not empathetic with GMRS licensees but has since agreed to assist where they could through informal contacts, memos, and even on some specific complaints against known ships and shipping companies. In the PRA’s view this was preferable to doing nothing considering the unfair impact FSI has on fee-payers in the General Mobile Radio Service. To the Enforcement Bureau’s credit that is a significant concession. When a person looks at an AIS screen of Maryland, D.C., Delaware, and Virginia there are hundreds of ships from foreign countries in US waters. The Enforcement Bureau cannot track and board every scofflaw. It is not possible.

International vessels entering US waters continue to use frequencies in the GMRS and in the IG pool. Yesterday at PRA HQ a ship was logged transiting the Chesapeake Bay using 457.550 MHz as a repeater output channel with a CTCSS of 94.8. In Maryland the following seventeen companies and agencies are licensed to use 457.550 MHz:

Call Sign/Lease ID Name FRN Radio Service Status Expiration Date

1 KD28523 PENINSULA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 0005181599 IG Active 06/07/2013
2 KD3058 PENINSULA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 0006675151 IG Active 04/02/2012
3 WPBY458 Broadcast Sports, Inc. 0002147817 IG Active 07/20/2013
4 WPLL596 UNIVERSAL MARITIME SERVICE CORPORATION 0008781239 IG Active 04/23/2013
5 WPMJ822 MONTGOMERY COUNTRY CLUB 0009516733 IG Active 08/14/2013
6 WPMS858 G L CORNELL COMPANY 0009578345 IG Active 12/03/2013
7 WPNS918 THE BEACH CLUB 0010652816 IG Active 06/01/2014
8 WPNV274 BETHESDA COUNTRY CLUB 0010978112 IG Active 07/01/2014
9 WPOB979 FURNACE BAY GOLF CLUB 0009982273 IG Active 01/22/2014
10 WPOC426 COUNTRY CLUB OF WOODMORE 0009587189 IG Active 02/26/2014
11 WPPN841 Town of Ocean City 0002135184 IG Active 12/29/2014
12 WPPX245 MARLBOROUGH COUNTRY CLUB 0011432275 IG Active 02/24/2015
13 WPPX961 HUNTERS OAK GOLF CLUB 0010791069 IG Active 03/08/2015
14 WPTN610 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 0005563499 IG Active 11/08/2011
15 WPYF299 WASHINGTON, COUNTY OF 0008789521 IG Active 07/30/2013
16 WQCH234 TRANSOCEANIC CABLE SHIP COMPANY DEPOT 0012597415 IG Active 03/02/2015
17 WQHB503 Berlin Steel Inc. 0016494049 IG Active 06/19/2017

At PopularWireless we don’t know any IG coordinators or what their guidelines are regarding assignments on these channels aside from any footnotes in FCC R&R 90.350. We just know that according to 90.350:

(12) This frequency may not be used aboard aircraft in flight.
(47) This frequency may be used for mobile operation for remote control and telemetering functions. A1D, A2D, F1D, or F2D emission may be authorized. The use of the continuous carrier transmit mode for these purposes is permitted only for stations authorized and continuously licensed since before May 21, 1971.
(60)(i) This frequency is available for voice or non-voice communications concerned with cargo handling from a dock or cargo handling facility, a vessel alongside the dock, or cargo handling facility. The effective radiated power (ERP) shall not exceed 2 watts. Mobile relay stations may be temporarily installed on vessels located at or in the vicinity of a dock or
cargo handling facility. The center of the radiating system of the mobile relay shall be located no more than 3 meters (10 feet) above the vessel’s highest working dock.

(ii) This frequency is also available for low power non-cargo handling operations, both voice and non-voice, on a secondary basis to cargo handling communications. Such operations are not subject to the power limitations in paragraph (c)(60)(i) of this section on the following frequencies: 457.525 MHz, 457.550 MHz, 457.5625 MHz, 457.575 MHz, 457.5875 MHz, 457.600 MHz, and 457.6125 MHz. This frequency will not be assigned for non-cargo handling operations at temporary locations.

(iii) For mobile relay operations under paragraph (c)(60)(i) of this section, frequency pairing is as follows:
Mobile relay (MHz)^1 Mobile (MHz)
457.525 467.750
457.53125 467.75625
457.5375 467.7625
457.54375 467.76875
457.550 467.775
457.55625 467.78125
457.5625 467.7875
457.56875 467.79375
457.575 467.800
457.58125 467.80625
457.5875 467.8125
457.59375 467.81875
457.600 467.825
457.60625 467.83125
457.6125
457.61875
The mobile relay frequencies may also be used for single frequency simplex.

Interestingly we note that this channel is allocated to cargo handling. Our International treaty does not specific 457.550 as one of the two channels allowed for use in the USA by the NTIA. PopularWireless wonders if the FCC expects ships to use the channel anyway and why the specifics associated with cargo handling are included for this and other frequencies?

The magazine would like to hear from coordinators responsible for coordinating business users on this channel. Fill us in. What are the rules? Here is a partial lists of frequencies that may be found on international vessels. Bold channels are GMRS channels.:

* Channel A: 467.525
* Channel B: 467.550*
* Channel C: 467.575*
* Channel D: 457.525(1)
* Channel E: 457.550
* Channel F: 457.575(1)
* Channel G: 467.525 457.525 T/R
* Channel H: 467.550* 457.550 T/R
* Channel J: 467.575* 457.575 T/R

* Additional Channels used on UK Ships : 457.5375  457.5625 467.5375 (Unoccupied GMRS band-edge channel in US)
* 467.5625 (FRS channel 8 in US)