The following are excerpts from Part 97 concerning the use of off the shelf Part 15 wireless ethernet cards for Amateur radio, which already use overlapping ham frequencies. As (unlicensed) Part 15 devices they have omnidirectional ranges up to about 5 miles, and directional ranges up to about 17 miles using high gain antennas. As Amateurs we are allowed to re-classify these devices under Part 97, We can then modify them for greater communications ranges (if necessary) by the use of pre-amps, RF amplifiers, and high gain antennas. Then by placing a central routing computer in the middle of town, or on top of a tall building or hill with an omni antenna, they can then serve as a high speed alternative to existing amateur packet technology. Full details on amateur implementation can be found at: http://www.qsl.net/kb9mwr/projects/wireless/plan.html NOTE: All FSS rules/bandplans below are curent as of July 2001 Amateur Radio Band Allocations 902 - 928 MHz Secondary to industrial, scientific and medical devices; automatic vehicle monitoring systems, and government stations. 2300 - 2305 MHz Secondary - No primary amateur service 2305 - 2310 MHz Secondary to fixed, mobile and radiolocation services 2390 - 2400 MHz Primary 2400 - 2402 MHz Secondary - No primary amateur service 2402 - 2417 MHz Primary 2417 - 2450 MHz Co-secondary with government radiolocation (industrial, scientific and medical are primary) 2450 - 2483.5 MHz No amateur - Industrial, scientific and medical *** 5650 - 5725 MHz Co-secondary with space research (deep space) service 5725 - 5850 MHz Secondary - No primary amateur service 5850 - 5925 MHz Secondary to non-government fixed-satellite service Speed / Bandwidth Constraints For Data 97.307(f)(1) Frequency Range Speed Limit for Maximum Bandwidth for Specified Codes Unspecified Codes 50.1 - 148 MHz 19.6 kilobauds 20 kHz 222 - 450 MHz 56 kilobauds 100 kHz Above 902 MHz No speed limit No bandwidth limit Part 97.311 Spread Spectrum FCC Rules for Ham bands 97.311 SS emission types (a) SS emission transmissions by an amateur station are authorized only for communications between points within areas where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC and between an area where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC and an amateur station in another country that permits such communications. SS emission transmissions must not be used for the purpose of obscuring the meaning of any communication. (b) A station transmitting SS emissions must not cause harmful interference to stations employing other authorized emissions, and must accept all interference caused by stations employing other authorized modes. (c) When deemed necessary by a District Director to assure compliance with this Part, a station licensee must: (1) Cease SS emission transmissions; (2) Restrict SS emission transmissions to the extent instructed; and (3) Maintain a record, convertible to the original information (voice, test, image, etc.) of all spread spectrum communications transmitted. (d) The transmitter power must not exceed 100 W under any circumstances. If more than 1 W is used, automatic transmitter control shall limit output power to that which is required for the communication. This shall be determined by the use of the ratio, measured at the receiver, of the received energy per user data bit (Eb) to the sum of the received power spectral densities of noise (N0) and co-channel interference (I0). Average transmitter power over 1 W shall be automatically adjusted to maintain an Eb/(N0+I0) ratio of no more than 23 dB at the intended receiver.