ILLINOIS REPEATER ASSOCIATION


	COORDINATION POLICY and GUIDELINES


 
		Revised October 1, 2006
  
	INTRODUCTION



 The Illinois Repeater Association, Inc. (IRA) is a charter member of the National Frequency Coordinators’ 

Council, Inc.(NFCC), a nation-wide organization of repeater coordination entities with the purposes of providing 

national Amateur Radio frequency coordination standards, and representing the interests of these entities before the

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the American Radio Relay League, Inc. (ARRL). The IRA is also a 

long-standing member of the Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. (MACC), which is a 21 State consortium of repeater 

coordination entities. These entities have banded together and agreed to follow the same detailed bandplans and 

standards. Each entity retains the coordination function and duties, carried out under the umbrella of the MACC.

The goal of the Illinois Repeater Association, 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 Amateur Radio licensees. Further, it shall 

be the goal of the IRA Frequency Coordinator, under the guidance of the IRA Board of Directors,  to provide assistance 

and guidance in the frequency selection process in order to encourage  operation within the spirit of the Amateur 

Radio Service since nothing except mutual cooperation and common sense prevents any licensed Amateur from establishing 

a repeater station on any frequency he chooses. This is a voluntary effort which relies on voluntary cooperation and your 

support is needed and appreciated. The objective of this frequency coordination policy shall be to assist in the selection 

of a frequency according to the repeater bandplans adopted by the Mid-America Coordination Council, Inc. (MACC) using 

NFCC coordination standards. In the process of frequency coordination, the coordinator will strive to minimize 

interference between the various repeater systems and their users in, and adjacent to, the states that are served 

by NFCC-recognized Amateur Radio frequency coordination entities.  Even though the objective is to minimize interference, 

no promises or guarantees of interference-free frequencies can be made.

If you plan to operate an Amateur Radio station as a repeater or an auxiliary station within the State of Illinois, 

you should coordinate the frequencies with the Illinois Repeater Association. On April 21, 1986, the FCC adopted a 

Report and Order that amended Part 97 of the FCC Regulations governing the Amateur Radio Service. They made 

non-coordinated repeaters primarily responsible to resolve interference associated with coordinated repeaters. 

This permits local coordinators and the FCC to consider technical alternatives, questions of equity, and spectrum 

efficiency in reaching the most reasonable solution. The frequency coordination process must operate by a set of 

policies  and procedures that are applied equitably to all holders of coordination and those wanting coordination.  

That is purpose of this document. These policies and guidelines are open to constructive criticism by repeater owners 

and trustees and other parties interested in spectrum management. However, the power to amend these procedures 

and policies rests with the Board of Directors of the Illinois Repeater Association, Inc. This edition supercedes all 

previous editions, addendums, and appendices. 



 
DEFINITIONS

Holder Of Coordination: The Illinois Repeater Association grants frequency coordinations 

to a Holder Of Coordination (HOC) as defined below.  Frequency coordinations are not the property of the Holder Of 

Coordination and therefore cannot be unilaterally transferred from one holder of coordination to another without the 

prior approval of the IRA Frequency Coordinator.  A request for such a transfer may or may not require a new frequency 

coordination as determined by the frequency coordinator.  Such transfers, if deemed technically workable, must be approved,

 in writing, by the IRA Frequency Coordinator.
HOC - Individual: In the case of an individually owned repeater, that single FCC licensed

 person is both the Trustee as defined by the FCC and is recognized by the IRA as the Holder Of Coordination.  As 

such, that individual is solely responsible for complying with all FCC regulations and statutes, and all IRA imposed 

frequency coordination requirements.
HOC - Organization: Is a structured group of 2 or more individuals.  Such a group, or 

association, may or may not be formally incorporated, but does operate under some form of bylaws, constitution, or other 

written agreement. The FCC requires that a single licensed individual be the Trustee who shall be responsible for complying

 with all FCC regulations and statutes.  The IRA recognizes the organization as the Holder Of Coordination and 

shall maintain correspondence with the organization's president or duly authorized correspondent.  Failure to supply proper

 written documentation of the organization's status and authorized correspondent shall automatically invalidate the 

frequency coordination.

Organizations holding IRA frequency coordinations shall keep the IRA Secretary/Treasurer and IRA 

Frequency Coordinator informed as to who are their current officers along with their addresses and telephone numbers.  All

 correspondence from these organizations should be on the organization's letterhead and signed by the authorized

 correspondent.

Any request for a change of frequency coordination shall be on the organization's letterhead and shall 

refer to specific action(s) approved by the organization, and shall be signed by its president or authorized correspondent. 
AGL: Is a reference of antenna height Above Ground Level as measured directly 

below the antenna to the actual ground.  This is the total of tower, and/or mast, and building height.

HAAT: Is a reference of antenna Height Above Average Terrain that is an average 

of surround ground elevations within a XX radius of the antenna.

 
 

	TECHNICAL  GUIDELINES




	No frequency coordinations will be issued which conflict with applicable FCC Rules and Regulations.


	The following coordination parameters for geographical spacing are being used as a guideline as displayed in the tables below:



Note: The following tables are a summary,for more detail click here




	TABLE 1


	Geographical  Spacing  Guidelines
FREQUENCY BAND
CO-CHANNEL SEPARATION
ADJ. CHANNEL SPACING
ADJ. CHANNEL SEPARATION
52 MHz
120 Miles
30 KHz
20 Miles
144 MHz
120 Miles
15 KHz
20 KHz
30 KHz
40 Miles
25 Miles
20 Miles
222 MHz
120 Miles
20 KHz
40 KHz
25 Miles
5 Miles
440 MHz
120 Miles
25 KHz
50 KHz
5 Miles
1 Mile
902 MHz
120 Miles
25 KHz
50 KHz
5 Miles
1 Mile
1215 MHz
120 Miles
25 KHz
50 KHz
5 Miles
1 Mile



	The FCC has eliminated specific power limitations of repeaters according to Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) 

and left these decisions up to the local coordinating entity. The IRA tries to adhere to the above standards on 

geographical spacing in combination with the old FCC repeater power rules as listed in the table below.  However, 

geographical spacing may be reduced, using more limited parameters described elsewhere in this document.  

(See Table 4)
	
	TABLE 2


	Maximum  Effective  Radiated  Power (ERP)  For  Frequency  Bands
HAAT
Above 29.5 MHz
Above 420 MHz
Above 1240 MHz
Up to 105 Ft
800 Watts
Legal Limit
Legal Limit
105 to 525 Ft
400 Watts
800 Watts
Legal Limit
525 to 1050 Ft
200 Watts
800 Watts
Legal Limit
Above 1050 Ft
100 Watts
400 Watts
Legal Limit


	IRA coordinates  repeater and link frequencies on the basis of making 

maximum frequency utilization of the various bands. The following bandplans have been announced. All coordinations are 

made according to accepted bandplans.

	TABLE 3


	Repeater Bandplans
FREQUENCY RANGE
CHANNEL SPACING
OFFSET
29.620 - 29.680 MHz
20 KHz
-100 KHz
52.810 - 53.990 MHz
20 KHz
-1.700 MHz
145.110 - 145.490 MHz
20 KHz
-600 KHz
146.610 - 147.00 MHz
15 KHz
-600 KHz
147.00 - 147.390 MHz
15 KHz
+600 KHz
223.860 - 224.980 MHz
20 KHz
-1.600 KHz
440.000 - 444.975 MHz
25 KHz
+5.000 MHz
906.000 - 909.000 MHz
25 KHz
-25.000 MHz
1282.000 - 1288.000 MHz
25 KHz
-20.000 MHz


	Coordination of a repeater pair, control link, or remote base is for a specific: Location, Frequency, Receiver 

Location, Effective Radiated Power (ERP), Elevation (ASL), Antenna height (AGL), Holder Of Coordination (HOC), and Time 

Frame - Construction and Operational. Any changes or modifications to the preceding criteria void the 

current coordination and require filing for a new coordination.

	All repeater and user equipment is assumed to be technically comparable to current land mobile standards, including

 adjacent channel selectivity, sensitivity, and intermodulation susceptibility.

	A system balanced between repeater output power and receive capabilities is desirable. Unnecessary repeater 

transmitter power encourages operators to use more power and creates the possibility for interference to other 

repeaters.

	Repeater users should use only the amount of power necessary to operate into repeater systems. This prevents 

unwanted key-ups of other co-channel or adjacent channel systems.
	Frequency co-ordinations will be made with as much, if not more consideration given to the consequences of 

fixed and mobile stations on the input frequency, as compared to the consequences of the output signal of the repeater 

itself. The majority of repeater coordination problems arise from the users keying up other repeaters in addition 

to the one intended.
	All future (after May 1, 2003) repeater coordinations shall include coded squelch (encode/decode) and existing

coordinations shall meet the same operating requirements by December 31, 2005.
TABLE 4

	Reduced Co-Channel Spacing


FREQUENCY BAND
REDUCED SPACING
MAXIMUM ERP
MAXIMUM HAAT
144 MHz
90 Miles
250 Watts
300 Ft
222 MHz
80 Miles
250 Watts
300 Ft
440 MHz
60 Miles
250 Watts
300 Ft
902 MHz
60 Miles
250 Watts
300 Ft
1215 MHz
60 Miles
250 Watts
300 Ft



 


	First and Second adjacent channel spacings remain the same for each of these bands.

	Full-time CTCSS or equivalent encode/decode is required.

	Until such time as the coordination entities in the neighboring states agree to these reduced co-channel 

separations, the 120 statute spacing requirement still applies in the Illinois border areas.  The Wisconsin Association 

of Repeaters has agreed to this reduced cross-border co-channel repeater spacing.

	Cross-border coordinations with Wisconsin may require coordination of remote receivers.


 

CONDITIONS  OF  COORDINATION


 


	The licensee\trustee is the holder of record of a coordination. All requests for coordination or

 for changes in listing, call sign, sponsorship, or licensee\trustee information must be submitted in writing over the 

signature of the licensee\trustee. Club sponsors may make trustee changes provided the request is signed by the former 

trustee, the new trustee, and a club officer.



	All major facility changes affecting the coverage of a given repeater output, or the area from 

which the repeater will attract input transmissions are cause for a new frequency coordination. All of the following 

changes require recoordination: transmitter location change, primary receiver location change, installation of 

additional receivers, effective radiated power change, antenna elevation change, radiation pattern change, and repeater 

ownership change.


	New frequency coordinations are expected to be operational within 6 months.


a. 	Written notification, from the Applicant, is required to be sent to the IRA Frequency
	Coordinator when the frequencies are placed in use. If the system is not in operation at the
	end of the construction period, the coordination is withdrawn and the frequency reissued.
b. 	A sixty (60) day construction extension may be requested in writing from the Frequency
	Coordinator if extenuating circumstances arise. Reasons need to be outlined in detail
	as to why extra time is needed.
c. 	The total length of time for construction may not exceed 240 days. The frequency
	assignment will be withdrawn if not completed at the end of this extended period. 

	Frequency Coordinations are not transferable. Coordinations are not the property of the 

holder of coordination (HOC), or the repeater owner.  They not assignable or transferable to other persons.  If the 

repeater is moved, coordination is automatically withdrawn.  A new application must be made to the coordinator for 

the new location.  The coordinator shall, whenever possible, reassign the originally held frequency pair to the applicant. 

In the event of the sale of a coordinated repeater, the coordination of that repeater shall have a pending status for a 

period of 60 days, until the holder of coordination relinquishes the frequency coordination, in writing, and the new holder 

of coordination agrees to all the coordination parameters, 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.



	If a repeater is going to be off the air for more than sixty (60) days, it is necessary to notify the IRA Frequency

Coordinator, in writing, explaining the reasons why operation has ceased and when normal operation is expected to be restored.  If a

repeater is off the air with notice to the IRA, it shall not be for a period of greater than 180 days.   This period may be renewed

and extended at the discretion of the IRA board.



	 
	WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS IN COORDINATION PROCEDURES



	Lack of candor in communications with the Illinois Repeater Association may be grounds for initiating

a withdrawal of coordination (decoordination) or dismissal of application.

	
	COORDINATION  PROCEDURES




	An individual or organization desiring to establish a repeater system should make a request for 

coordination, in writing, to the IRA Frequency Coordinator.  All communications regarding coordination must be by mail or 

email for logging in.  Upon receipt of a written request for coordination, the Frequency Coordinator shall, within 

thirty (30) days, respond with an IRA Application for Coordination form by mail.  A current copy of the IRA Coordination

Guidelines and a listing of currently used frequency pairs by city are available from the IRA website, www.ilra.net


	Upon receipt of a properly filled out and signed  Application for Frequency Coordination form, 

the coordinator will continue the coordination process.  Incomplete applications will be returned to applicant for 

necessary information.  Applicant will receive a written notice indicating that the request was received and if all 

information is complete, when it is going to be sent to adjacent coordinators. 


	Letters shall be sent to adjacent State Frequency Coordinators on the 15th of each month 

notifying them of the proposed operation or changes to an existing coordination.  Comments received within 30 days 

regarding the proposed coordination will be considered by the IRA Frequency Coordinator.


	Depending upon the response received from step #3, above,  the IRA Frequency Coordinator shall 

either issue a written coordination approval or shall repeat steps #2 and #3 for an alternate frequency. 


	If an applicant cannot find a frequency pair that meets the spacing guidelines as specified by 

the IRA, you may be placed on a waiting list (requests to be maintained on this list must be renewed annually), or a

procedure called Self Coordination may be followed.  It is explained in the following section.



 

 
	SELF-COORDINATION  PROCEDURES


	This procedure is intended to allow a repeater owner to work out an acceptable coordination and have it verified by 

the IRA.  It provides a means to gain full coordination status on a frequency pair of his choice, by obtaining the written 

agreement of all involved parties.  The responsibility for obtaining written agreement from all involved parties rests 

solely with the repeater sponsor.  The IRA's involvement at this stage will be to provide the owner with a list of affected

 co-channel, adjacent channel, and - if required - adjacent State Frequency Coordinators. 

	It should be noted that the other involved parties are under no obligation to support or agree to the proposed new 

system or to justify or explain any objections they may have. They may say no for any reason or they may impose certain 

conditions or limitations on the new repeater in order to obtain their approval.  Such conditions may include reduced 

deviation, limited transmitter power, directional antenna patterns, coded access, etc.  Any conditions that can be agreed 

upon between the new owner and the other involved parties will become conditions to the coordination.



	IRA will issue a temporary coordination for a 180 day test period upon submission of verified 

copies or originals of the written agreement from all of the involved parties. 


	A permanent coordination will be issued at the end of this 180 day period if:


a. The new system has been in full operation as described in the coordination for a period  of not 

less than 90 days.
b. No objections or complaints of interference have been received from any involved party.

	The temporary coordination will expire if the above conditions are not met.  The new owner may 

request and be granted a single time extension of up to 90 days if an adequate reason can be given.



	

REPEATER OPERATION CANNOT BEGIN UNTIL  AFTER  A  WRITTEN COORDINATION  HAS  BEEN  ISSUED  TO  THE OWNER  BY  THE  IRA.


 

	COORDINATION WITHDRAWAL




	A frequency coordination may be withdrawn by the coordinator for any of the following 

reasons:





a. If the operation is in violation of applicable FCC rules.
b. If no working system is operational within 6 months of coordination (may be extended to 8 months total on request).
c. If a repeater is inoperative for more than 180 days.  This period may be renewed and extended at the discretion of the IRA board. 
d. If the station location, frequency, sponsor, antenna height, ERP, or other provisions of 

coordination are changed without notifying IRA or requesting recoordination.
e. If the sponsor fails to respond to written inquiries from IRA within a reasonable period of time. 

All IRA correspondence will be addressed to the most recent address of record.  It is the ultimate responsibility of the 

owner/trustee to keep IRA informed of the correct mailing address.

 


	COORDINATION  WITHDRAWAL  PROCEDURES


	Frequency Coordination Agreement Violation Notice




	Upon proper authentication of the coordination agreement violation(s) listed above, two copies 

of a Frequency Coordination Agreement Violation Notice (FCAVN) shall be sent (one by certified mail, with a return receipt 

requested) by the IRA Frequency Coordinator, or the IRA Technical Committee Chair, to the frequency coordination holder 

of record who shall have thirty (30) days from the date of mailing to respond, in writing, to the notice.  One copy of this

 notice shall be mailed to the address listed in the IRA Frequency Coordination Database, and the other shall be mailed to 

the address listed in QRZ.com .


	Frequency Decoordination Notice


	If the violation(s) have not been resolved within sixty (60) days of the mailing of the FCAVN, and no

due diligence was made to present and communicate with the Illinois Repeater Association, the IRA board

at its option may execute the decoordination.



	Frequency Decoordination Action


	All action(s) taken by the IRA Board of Directors must be supported by solid evidence. This 

evidence shall be validated by competent witnesses, verified correspondence, and/or physical inspection of the repeater(s) 

in question by at least two IRA officials.


	All frequency decoordination action(s) taken by the IRA Board of Directors shall be published 

in the first IRA Newsletter following the action(s).


	Frequency Decoordination Action Reversal


	A minimum fifteen percent (15%) of the IRA members in good standing may petition for a 

referendum vote to reverse a Frequency Decoordination Action by the IRA Board of Directors.  Such a referendum request 

shall be sent by certified mail to the IRA Secretary/Treasurer no later than thirty (30) days after the action results 

have been published in the IRA Newsletter. 


	The IRA Secretary/Treasurer shall mail a referendum ballot to all IRA members in good standing 

no later than three (3) weeks after receipt of the petition. Ballots shall be returned in sealed envelopes to the IRA 

Secretary/Treasurer no later than two (2) weeks after they are mailed.  A teller committee of three IRA members in good 

standing shall tally the ballots in the presence of two IRA officers.  The percentage of votes to reverse the Board's 

decision shall be the same as is required to amend the IRA By-Laws.  The referendum results shall be published in the next IRA Newsletter.


	Frequency Recoordination


	If there is no referendum on the IRA Board of Directors' action(s).  Decoordinated frequency 

pair(s) shall not be recoordinated for a minimum of sixty (60) days following the decoordination.  If there is a 

referendum vote taken, and the IRA Board of Directors' action(s) are not reversed, the recoordination of the frequency(s) 

in question shall not be done until a minimum of thirty (30) days after the tallying of the referendum ballots.



	INTERFERENCE  RESOLUTION  POLICY




	The Illinois Repeater Association is engaged in trying to make maximum use of the available 

spectrum with a minimum of harmful interference. While minimizing interference is a primary goal, there are no guarantees 

of interference free use of any Amateur frequency. 


	Due to the continuing and increasing demand for spectrum space, the definition of interference 

needs to be reconsidered.  Many hams consider a situation in which one station keys two repeaters simultaneously as an 

interference problem.  Also, hearing a distant co-channel repeater when the local repeater is not on the air has been 

considered by some people to be "interference".  These attitudes no longer apply under the present level of crowding.  

Unless one is using a good, selective receiver, one can expect to hear nearby adjacent channel signals as well as the 

standard run of intermodulation products and de-sensitization problems.  This is especially true of repeaters using 15 KHZ 

channel separation.  It is unlikely that these problems will diminish over time. 


	The best defense against these problems includes the following:





a. Voluntary cooperation with IRA coordination efforts.
b. Use of the minimum possible power to maintain communications, both at the repeater site and on the

 part of the users.
c. Use of receivers having performance consistent with today's conditions, both at the repeater and 

on the part of users. This will help prevent many de-sense, intermodulation, and adjacent channel problems.


 


4. Harmful interference is defined as: "interference which seriously degrades, obstructs or 

repeatedly interrupts the operation of a radiocommunication service" (FCC 97.3(a-21)) when operating within the coordinated

 service of the system in use. No interference protection can be provided to repeater users outside the coordinated service

 area of any repeater.

5. The Illinois Repeater Association adheres to the following policy for dealing with interference

 between repeaters, owners, trustees, and users.  This policy is in accordance with NFCC guidelines, and FCC rulings and 

guidelines.


a. If an uncoordinated repeater cause harmful interference to a coordinated repeater, the primary 

responsibility for correcting the interference lies with the trustee of the uncoordinated system.
b. If both systems are coordinated, the primary responsibility for correction of interference lies 

with the most recently coordinated.
c. If the alleged interfering repeater is outside of the IRA coordination service area, the IRA 

Frequency Coordinator and/or IRA Technical Committee Chairman will work with their counterparts in the adjoining state 

and follow the guidelines above.


6. If a repeater owner/operator changes any of the parameters on which coordination was based and 

harmful interference results, that owner/operator shall be responsible for correcting the interference. 

 

	INTERFERENCE  RESOLUTION  PROCEDURES


 


	Repeater owners receiving harmful interference from another system or its operators, should 

document, times, conditions, call signs, and describe the type of interference.  (Abnormal band conditions should not be 

considered a reason for complaint.)  The trustee of the repeater receiving interference should contact the trustee of the 

interfering repeater with a letter outlining the problems and include documentation.


	If all attempts at resolution fail, IRA will attempt to resolve disputes if requested. Contact b

oth the IRA Frequency Coordinator and the IRA Technical Committee Chairman and send all pertinent documentation for 

reference.  This includes a documented history of both repeaters and all information available on coordination and 

interference.  Both of these officials will need cooperation from the individuals involved. 


	If the Technical Committee Chairman cannot resolve the problem, and the operator bearing the 

responsibility for interference will not cooperate, or take reasonable steps to solve the problem all documentation  will 

be turned over to the IRA Board of Directors for further action. They have the option to investigate further and\or 

arbitrate with all parties. Non-resolution may lead to frequency decoordination proceedings and/or notification of the FCC 

Field Office for final action.


 
Addendum

 
	SNP FREQUENCY PAIRS


	January 25, 1997, Updated October 1, 2006



	At various times over the past couple of years, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois 

have discussed the feasibility of establishing a common shared-not protected (SNP) frequency pair that could be used by 

licensed amateur  for low-power repeater experiments, temporary operations at hamfests, public service communications, 

etc., without being coordinated.


	However, the requirement to protect coordinated first and second adjacent channel frequency 

pairs would still require that use of such a SNP pair would not be practical in congested areas.  Therefore, the IRA Board 

of Directors unanimously approved the establishment of two Low Power/Height (SNP) frequency pairs on 442.125 MHz and

441.500 MHz that would still have to be coordinated, using the following parameters:





a. 30 miles minimum separation for co-channel assignment 
b. 50 ft. maximum AGL antenna height
c. 50 watts maximum ERP
d. Mandatory CTCSS or equivalent encode/decode system
e. 5 miles minimum separation for 1st adjacent channel assignment
f. 1 mile minimum separation for 2nd adjacent channel assignment


Lawrence (Larry) J Schroeder KA9KDC
Secretary/Treasurer
Illinois Repeater Association, Inc.