One of the more complicated parts of your application can be the selection of frequencies for your stations. You may have a number of stations in communication with one another, and you must be able to indicate to Industry Canada how these stations work together in your system. This is especially important if you would like Industry Canada to select and assign a frequency to your station.

To help, we have developed the Channel Plan : a list of the frequencies or frequency pairs that you intend to use on each station.

For complex systems, we strongly recommend that you create your Channel Plan before defining your stations. The Channel Plan can serve as a reminder as to how you envision your system, and can help you select frequencies efficiently to minimise your fees and the impact on spectrum congestion.

For a simple system of one or two stations, we also allow you to create your channels as you create your stations. The choice is yours.

Channels

A channel represents a frequency or frequency pair that you will use to communicate on your system. We use letters to identify your channels, e.g., "Channel A". The channel records the following information:

• an optional description of the channel and it's purpose,
• whether a channel is used for transmission (Tx) or reception (Rx) or both, and
• the frequencies used.

The key element of information is the selection of the type of channel. Once selected, you cannot edit this choice. We provide four basic options, each of which affects the frequencies you can select:

• A Tx-only channel is used for transmission but not reception. You can select your desired Tx frequency.
• An Rx-only channel is used for reception but not transmission. You can select your desired Rx frequency.
• A Duplex channel uses two different frequencies for transmission and reception. You can select your desired Tx and Rx frequencies. The two frequencies cannot match one another.
• A Simplex channel uses the same frequency for transmission and reception. You can select your desired Tx frequency, and the Rx frequency is automatically set to match.

Duplex channels are only useful when a second station receives and transmits on the same frequencies. When you create a duplex channel, we will automatically create a second channel that has the Tx and Rx frequencies reversed called the prime channel, e.g., "Channel A*". You cannot edit this second channel directly. Instead, any changes you make to the channel you created are automatically copied to the prime channel.

Perhaps you know the frequency you want to use, or you may want Industry Canada to select and assign an available frequency that's appropriate to your needs. If you know the exact frequency you require, you can enter it in the channel. If you want Industry Canada to select a frequency for you, you can enter your preferred range. When your application is being processed, we will select and assign one frequency within that range.

When specifying your range, be sure to specify the actual range in which your system can actually operate. It may be that your radio equipment is approved for use in an entire frequency band (e.g., the upper VHF band from 138 MHz to 174 MHz), but the equipment that you actually have in hand might be built to cover just part of the approved band (e.g., 138 MHz to 150 MHz). If there are any limitations to the frequency spacing between the different frequencies that you require, please indicate these in the Special Requirements section of the covering letter.

Frequency Identifiers

As you create your channels, each frequency or range is automatically assigned a sequential identifier, e.g., F1, F2, F3, etc. If you need to create a channel that reuses one of the same frequencies as another channel, just select the frequency ID. To create a new frequency, select "New". The frequency identifier is especially useful for frequencies to be selected and assigned by Industry Canada. While you may want F1 and F2 to be in the same range, we will be sure to assign unique frequencies to each identifier, and to assign the same frequencies to every channel using those identifiers.

NOTE: In the current system, we don't allow you to select your own non-sequential identifier or edit the values associated with the identifier once it has been created. If you accidentally enter the wrong frequency or range, you will have to create a new identifier to enter your corrections. Don't worry if your corrections result in extra identifiers not used on any channel; these are ignored when you application is processed.

Exceptions

In rare cases, clients in remote areas (e.g., along logging roads in British Columbia) are allowed special exceptions to use multiple frequencies on their stations. If this applies to you, be sure to indicate in the Special Requirements on the covering letter that you are eligible for this exception. On your channels, use the Description to indicate that you need multiple frequencies within the specified range.