OFCOM Change Of Licence Requirement
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OFCOM Change Of Licence Requirement
.This received from OFCOM.
The Calculation for a Comm Radio is straight forward but does anyone know what the duty cycle is for a Transponder?
Dear Licence Holder,
We are writing to make you aware of some important changes that we are proposing to make to your Wireless Telegraphy Act licence(s) issued by Ofcom.
In February and October last year, we issued two public consultations on our proposal to formally require licensees to comply with the internationally agreed levels in the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines for the protection of the general public from electromagnetic fields (EMF). We refer to these levels as the ICNIRP general public limits. In October, we also issued a Statement setting out our decision to formally require licensees to comply with the ICNIRP general public limits and we recently published an update on how we propose to implement that decision.
We are now writing to you to inform you of our proposal to vary the terms and conditions of your licence(s) to require you to comply with the ICNIRP general public limits. In accordance with the Wireless Telegraphy Act and your licence(s), we are giving you notice of our proposal by publishing a General Notice on our website.
We’ve put all the relevant information about our proposal including the General Notice on a dedicated EMF webpage ofcom.org.uk/emf. Here you will find details of the licence variation process alongside the background to the changes and lots of FAQs to help you understand what our proposal means for you.
If, after reading the above information, you wish to make a representation to Ofcom in relation to our proposal to vary your licence(s), you have up until the 18 April 2021 to do so. However, if you do not wish to make a representation you do not need to take any action at this time. More information on the representation process can be found by visiting the Ofcom EMF webpage.
We will consider all representations before coming to a final decision on the variation of your licence(s). We will publish our final decision on the EMF page of our website by 18 May 2021. We will explain whether we have decided to vary your licence(s) to include the EMF condition. If your licence(s) has been varied we will send you an update of it or information on where a new version can be obtained from.
In future we intend to make greater use of General Notices published on our website and may not individually contact you to inform you that we have published one. We would therefore urge all licensees to regularly check the Ofcom website or subscribe to email spectrum updates by going to the following page on our website ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/email-updates.
If you have any questions about this change and what it means for you, further information can be found on the dedicated EMF webpage using the address provided above.
Yours faithfully,
Ofcom
The Calculation for a Comm Radio is straight forward but does anyone know what the duty cycle is for a Transponder?
Dear Licence Holder,
We are writing to make you aware of some important changes that we are proposing to make to your Wireless Telegraphy Act licence(s) issued by Ofcom.
In February and October last year, we issued two public consultations on our proposal to formally require licensees to comply with the internationally agreed levels in the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines for the protection of the general public from electromagnetic fields (EMF). We refer to these levels as the ICNIRP general public limits. In October, we also issued a Statement setting out our decision to formally require licensees to comply with the ICNIRP general public limits and we recently published an update on how we propose to implement that decision.
We are now writing to you to inform you of our proposal to vary the terms and conditions of your licence(s) to require you to comply with the ICNIRP general public limits. In accordance with the Wireless Telegraphy Act and your licence(s), we are giving you notice of our proposal by publishing a General Notice on our website.
We’ve put all the relevant information about our proposal including the General Notice on a dedicated EMF webpage ofcom.org.uk/emf. Here you will find details of the licence variation process alongside the background to the changes and lots of FAQs to help you understand what our proposal means for you.
If, after reading the above information, you wish to make a representation to Ofcom in relation to our proposal to vary your licence(s), you have up until the 18 April 2021 to do so. However, if you do not wish to make a representation you do not need to take any action at this time. More information on the representation process can be found by visiting the Ofcom EMF webpage.
We will consider all representations before coming to a final decision on the variation of your licence(s). We will publish our final decision on the EMF page of our website by 18 May 2021. We will explain whether we have decided to vary your licence(s) to include the EMF condition. If your licence(s) has been varied we will send you an update of it or information on where a new version can be obtained from.
In future we intend to make greater use of General Notices published on our website and may not individually contact you to inform you that we have published one. We would therefore urge all licensees to regularly check the Ofcom website or subscribe to email spectrum updates by going to the following page on our website ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/email-updates.
If you have any questions about this change and what it means for you, further information can be found on the dedicated EMF webpage using the address provided above.
Yours faithfully,
Ofcom
I received the same Ofcom message. What the hell does it actually mean for the VHF radio and Mode S txpdr in my aeroplane? Should I burn the aeroplane or just nod gently?
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I received one yesterday, same text but I assumed it was changes to my amateur radio licence as it’s the only radio licence I possess (SLF).
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Just received this from LAA
Dear LAA Member
Many members have received a communication from Ofcom stating changes to radio licence conditions. This has caused significant disquiet, not least because even our technical experts have struggled to unravel the gobbledegook. A triumph of plain English it is not!
The Ofcom licensing changes are apparently driven by a need to meet internationally agreed guidelines on electromagnetic fields (EMF) to help ensure services operate in a way that will not adversely affect health. These guidelines include limits on EMF exposure for the protection of the general public, including a requirement to calculate a safe distance to protect the public.
Despite Ofcom's claims that there was prior consultation on these changes, the aviation community has not been approached. It is our intention to formally complain to Ofcom about this lack of consultation and their lack of clarity. We have also raised the implications of this with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority.
However, for most of us meeting the Ofcom requirement will be academic. An early review of typical transmitting equipment carried in light aircraft and microlights indicates that their power and duty cycle (how long a device is transmitting in a 6 minute period) may mean that little or no action should be required for most owners, other than recording the requirement and your compliance within your aircraft record pack.
We are continuing to review the Ofcom requirements and will inform you if we become aware of any further issues.
Light Aircraft Association
4th March 2021
Dear LAA Member
Many members have received a communication from Ofcom stating changes to radio licence conditions. This has caused significant disquiet, not least because even our technical experts have struggled to unravel the gobbledegook. A triumph of plain English it is not!
The Ofcom licensing changes are apparently driven by a need to meet internationally agreed guidelines on electromagnetic fields (EMF) to help ensure services operate in a way that will not adversely affect health. These guidelines include limits on EMF exposure for the protection of the general public, including a requirement to calculate a safe distance to protect the public.
Despite Ofcom's claims that there was prior consultation on these changes, the aviation community has not been approached. It is our intention to formally complain to Ofcom about this lack of consultation and their lack of clarity. We have also raised the implications of this with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority.
However, for most of us meeting the Ofcom requirement will be academic. An early review of typical transmitting equipment carried in light aircraft and microlights indicates that their power and duty cycle (how long a device is transmitting in a 6 minute period) may mean that little or no action should be required for most owners, other than recording the requirement and your compliance within your aircraft record pack.
We are continuing to review the Ofcom requirements and will inform you if we become aware of any further issues.
Light Aircraft Association
4th March 2021
I hope the major radio manufacturers will supply the data online for copying.
It would be crazy for every owner to try to do their own calculation using their own abacus, or whatever they normally use.
It would be crazy for every owner to try to do their own calculation using their own abacus, or whatever they normally use.
According to the calcs we did, for a normal light aircraft radio the relevant safety distance is around 0.9 m, Any member of the public that close has other worries!
A transponder pushes out a high but very short peak power pulse, so again effectively insignificant. Glad the LAA is complaining formally; Ofcom presumably forgot about light aviation altogether. (as ever?).
A transponder pushes out a high but very short peak power pulse, so again effectively insignificant. Glad the LAA is complaining formally; Ofcom presumably forgot about light aviation altogether. (as ever?).
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According to the calcs we did, for a normal light aircraft radio the relevant safety distance is around 0.9 m, Any member of the public that close has other worries!
A transponder pushes out a high but very short peak power pulse, so again effectively insignificant. Glad the LAA is complaining formally; Ofcom presumably forgot about light aviation altogether. (as ever?).
A transponder pushes out a high but very short peak power pulse, so again effectively insignificant. Glad the LAA is complaining formally; Ofcom presumably forgot about light aviation altogether. (as ever?).
The Ofcom calculator assumes a 100% duty cycle. They also state that you should take the duty cycle into account so it may be 0.9 metres if you never stop talking, but if you only transmit for 5 minutes in an hour (8% duty cycle) then considerably less than 0.9 metres. If your transmitter is < 6W you can ignore it anyway!
