Missouri Repeater Council, Inc./Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc.
Coordination Guidelines

FORWARD

"Coordination is necessary to prevent Amateur Radio repeaters from interfering with each other."--FCC letter, 1984. Persons who willfully place an uncoordinated repeater on the air which causes interference to an existing coordinated repeater may be subject to fines and license revocation by the FCC. Users of the violating repeater may also be subject to fines and license revocation. The FCC has stated repeatedly (and acted accordingly) that in the case of conflict, it will ALWAYS be resolved in favor of the coordinated system.

The Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. (MACC), is a consortium of statewide repeater coordination bodies. These several organizations have banded together and agreed to follow compatible bandplans and standards. Each state entity retains the coordination function and duties, carried out under the umbrella of MACC. Every possible effort will be expended to accommodate a request for a frequency, but no frequency will be coordinated if it is believed that the use of that frequency might cause interference to another repeater system. It could very well happen on a given band, in a certain area, that NO FREQUENCY would be available. In this instance, a frequency on a different band is the most logical solution.

STUDY THESE POLICIES, BANDPLANS AND STANDARDS, then contact your frequency coordinator for help in completing your coordination.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the frequency coordination policy shall be to assist in the selection of a frequency according to the repeater band-plans adopted by the Missouri Repeater Council, Inc./Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. In the process of frequency coordination, the coordinator will strive to minimize interference between the various repeating systems and their users in, and adjacent to, the states which make up the Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc.

GOAL

The goal of the Missouri Repeater Council, Inc./Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. shall be to make the most efficient and interference-free use of our limited frequency spectrum for the benefit of the largest possible number of amateurs. Further, it shall be the goal of the frequency coordinator to provide assistance and guidance in the frequency selection process to assure operation within the spirit of Amateur Radio. In all cases, the frequency coordinator cannot, and should not, interfere with the internal operating policies of the individual repeater groups. His sole purpose is to provide assistance and guidance in the frequency selection process while allowing the repeater group to develop and implement it's own operating policies.

COORDINATION PROCEDURE

An individual or organization desiring to establish a repeater system should make a request for coordination, in writing, to the State Frequency Coordinator or the Kansas City or St. Louis Assistant Coordinator. These coordinators shall have responsibility for coordination within a 40-mile radius of the downtown area of either city. The names and addresses are listed at the end of these policies.

APPLICATION FOR COORDINATION

Upon receipt of a written request for coordination, the coordinator shall, within 30 days, respond with the following:

COORDINATION OF REMOTE RECEIVERS

All remote receivers must be coordinated as separate repeaters (cross-band repeaters).

REPEATER CONSTRUCTION PERIOD

After a frequency is coordinated, a construction period of 180 days is allowed to get the repeater in operation. Operation is defined as fully tested repeater operation from the final repeater location or site. If the system is not in operation after this construction period, the coordination is automatically withdrawn. The coordinator may immediately assign the frequency to another applicant. If, however, during this 180-day construction period, the applicant feels that he cannot get the repeater on the assigned frequency in operation, he may request an extension, in writing, from the state frequency coordinator. If, for good reason, the coordinator may grant an additional sixty-(60) days extension. If the repeater is still not in operation within this extended period, the frequency assignment is automatically withdrawn. The total length of time may not exceed 240 days from the date of the original coordination. The applicant may re-apply for coordination at any later date, but there is no guarantee that the previously coordinated frequency will be available. This allows for efficient use of valuable spectrum and ensures that frequency pairs are not wasted by holding assignments open for protracted periods when applicants fail to construct in a timely manner. Written notification, from the applicant, is required to be sent to the frequency coordinator, at the time the repeater is placed into regular service. This written notification is the final step in the coordination process. The letter of final coordination will not be issued until the coordinator receives this written notification of normal repeater operation. Repeater operation will be confirmed by independent means.

TRANSFER OF COORDINATED FREQUENCIES

Coordination is NOT transferable. If a repeater is moved, or its operating parameters modified without notifying the coordinator, coordination is automatically withdrawn. A new application must be made to the coordinator for the new location or new operating parameters. The coordinator shall, whenever possible, reassign the originally held frequency pair to the applicant. Application for modification of an existing coordination should be submitted in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to modification and the actual modification should not be preformed until written notification is received from the coordinator. In the event of the sale of a coordinated repeater, the coordination of that repeater shall have a pending status for a period of sixty (60) days, until the seller relinquishes the frequency coordination, in writing, and the buyer agrees to all coordination guidelines, and the unmodified coordination has been approved by the coordinator. If these terms cannot be mutually agreed upon by all parties, the coordination shall be considered to have been vacated. Many factors arise when repeaters are transferred to other individuals or moved. Therefore, the coordinator's decision on reassigning the frequency rests entirely upon his discretion when the new application is received.

REVOCATION AND TERMINATION OF COORDINATED FREQUENCIES

Licensees who terminate their coordination on assigned frequencies as a result of the sale of or transfer of their system or for other reasons with the intent of not resuming such operation shall notify the state frequency coordinator of such termination within thirty (30) days of the cessation of their operation and surrender the frequencies involved. The coordinator shall then entertain requests from other eligible applicants for the use of those frequencies, in the best interest of Amateur Radio and public service. If a repeater is inoperative for more than 180 days, the coordination is automatically withdrawn. No individual can hold a frequency pair for future use. The coordinator may immediately reassign the frequency. However, if the coordinator is advised, in writing, that the repeater is inoperative before the end of the 180-day period, he may, with good reason, hold the frequency for an additional period of time at his discretion.

INTERFERENCE TO COORDINATED REPEATERS

Co-channel and adjacent channel interference will occur at times due to band conditions. This short-term interference should not be considered a problem and should not be reported as interference. When continuous interference occurs between properly coordinated repeater systems, the implementation of CTCSS will be necessary before the coordinator will investigate the problem. The use of CTCSS on the input and output will eliminate most if not all interference between repeater systems.

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES

BANDPLANS: The coordinators shall adhere as closely as possible to the use of the various bandplans adapted by the Missouri Repeater Council, Inc./Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. Modification of adapted bandplans is at the option of the state coordinators.

GEOGRAPHICAL SEPARATION OF REPEATERS: The minimum geographical spacing between the two closest points of the systems in question shall be 90 miles. This spacing is considered valid for systems on the 144, 220, 440, 902, and 1215 MHz bands. The minimum geographical spacing between the two closest points of systems on the 52 MHz band will be 150 miles.

ADJACENT-CHANNEL REPEATER OPERATION: The minimum spacing between the two closest points of adjacent-channel repeaters will be as stated below:

These minimum distances have been chosen with as much, if not more, weight given to consequences of the transmission of fixed and mobile stations on the input frequency as the given to consequences of the output of the repeater.

Please direct your questions to your closest frequency coordinator: