New band plan??

[NY7Q]

As most know, there is a contest going on this weekend. Went down to 7030 to work CW, and lo and behold, SSB going strong....whats up with those completely stupid newbie operators?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif Or am I just out of times??? Found SSb on most all the bands in the LOW part of CW portions...I am truley confused....

[KC9EOG]

I believe that they allow ssb between 7000-7100 khz in Europe and South America, maybe even in Canada.

[W5HTW]

Really? I haven't had the radio on but will turn it on in a few minutes and check that out. But are you sure it wasn't Mexican or Canadian? Or 'across the pond?"

Ed

[K9STH]

NY7Q:

Now, are you talking about stateside stations or DX?

Only in Region II (North and South America) are amateurs allowed the full 7000 KHz - 7300 KHz range. In everywhere else the band is 7000 KHz to 7100 KHz. The Brits do get 7100 KHz to 7200 KHz added at midnight this evening. But, the rest of Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica do not. Also, only in the United States are we restricted to phone operation between 7150 KHz and 7300 KHz.

As such, many South and Central American amateur radio operators and even a lot of the Canadians operate SSB in what are the CW bands for those of us in the United States. The other countries MUST stay below 7100 KHz and therefore you will hear SSB in that area all the time. It is just that during a contest there is much more activity and it becomes more noticeable.

Since those of us "stateside" cannot go below 7150 KHz on SSB the DX usually work "split". That is they operate below 7100 KHz but call out a frequency between 7150 KHz and 7300 KHz on which they are listening. Most of them also listen on their calling frequency so that they can work other DX stations that cannot get above 7100 KHz.

Now, there were definitely those stateside stations that were calling the DX below 7100 KHz. This is a blatant violation of FCC regulations. If they called once, or twice, and then discovered that they were using the wrong VFO in their rig that is an excuse. However, I heard numerous stations that called a number of different stations out of band. In fact, the first evening I heard twelve different stations do this. Of that dozen eleven were EXTRA Class stations as indicated by their call signs. The other station I didn't take time to look up his license class.

Frankly, the fact that a number of stations were definitely operating outside of the restrictions of the FCC is due to the fact that too many amateurs are memorizing the answers to the test and then immediately forgetting the information. Those stations heard an SSB station and they thought that it was perfectly "OK" to call on that station's frequency. They didn't have a "clue" as to where we are allowed to operate on phone and where we are not allowed to operate.

But, getting back to your original comment. It is perfectly legal (and in most cases completely necessary) for the DX to operate using SSB in "our" CW bands.

Glen, K9STH

[ae4fa]

Welcome to an SSB DX contest weekend. Canadian, as wel as some South American, European and Asian hams are allowed SSB there. Fortunately, they don't usually operate phone there in great numbers very often.

I think the region 1 and 3 expansion of 40 meters by an additional 100KHz - to 7.2 - will help a lot.

If you want to work CW, come on over to 30 meters. A lot of us are hiding out there.

[K7FE]

There was a shortage of 40M CW stations to work last night. #As stated before, lots of SSB, including US stations in what I call the CW portion. #I ran 10 watts with a home brew transistor transmitter.

[K9STH]

A number of the U.S. stations were actually working from a number of the Carribean islands or from Canada signing "portable" which is perfectly legal. However, there definitely were those who didn't have a clue as to where they should be operating.

Glen, K9STH

[NY7Q]

ALL the stations I heard in the cw portion of the bands were "americans" with USA calls....so like I said, what is up with that....

[K9STH]

Puerto Rican stations can now operate below 7150 KHz on SSB but not "stateside". Also, as I said above, there were quite a few stations operating portable from countries other than the United States. It is perfectly legal for them to operate below 7150 KHz.

But, I do agree that too many amateurs do NOT have any clue as to where they can, and cannot, use SSB including a large number of new Extra Class. However, for every stateside call that I heard operating illegally I heard 40 or 50 (probably more) DX stations.

Because of propagation there would be 4 or 5 (sometimes more) stations on almost the same frequency. It really takes some practice to be able to "pick out" which of those stations that you were going to call. Fortunately, each one of them was listening on a different "split" frequency.

K5USS came over for a few hours last night to get an idea as to what working contests on 40 meters was like. He is going to take his element 1 within the next few weeks and has already passed the General written. He definitely got a good "taste" of listening to multiple stations on almost the same frequency. When stations are that close you have to use your mental filter because no filter in your receiver is going to be able to separate the stations.

If you were hearing only stateside stations down in the CW portions then there may be something wrong with your receiver. You may be getting images, intermodulation, etc. There were definitely many many more DX stations below 7100 KHz than were "out of band" U.S. stations.

Glen, K9STH

[wb6bcn]

My major complaint, #and I believe it is valid, #far too many contesters don't take the time to make sure the frequency isn't in use. #The foreign station says "Listening on 7228" and all of a sudden if you are in QSO on that frequency you are drummed off the frequency. #

During the contest of 10/29 and 10/30 I only heard one contesting station ask if the frequency was in use. He then notified the foreign station.#The norm seems to be "Jump on the frequency, #go to max power, #and start giving your call sign repeadily.

Where has the manners of the "GENTLEMAN" operators gone?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[W5HTW]

And of course you have to deal with the religious broadcasters on 7030 and 7100, but they are CW not SSB.

Ed

[wb6bcn]

Quote[/b] (W5HTW @ Oct. 31 2004,10:43)]And of course you have to deal with the religious broadcasters on 7030 and 7100, but they are CW not SSB.

Ed
.- -- - -. -- -.-- -... .-. --- - .... . .-. #.-.-.-

[K9STH]

BCN:

I agree that it would be best to see if the frequency was in use in terms of the stations that are going to call. However, the DX station normally finds a frequency that is "clear" at his/her end. The fact that propagation is such that the frequency "in use" at locations that the DX station cannot hear only adds to the confusion.

I use separate receivers with the one controlling the transmitter checking on the "called out" frequency. Once or twice I did hear someone in QSO on the frequency and I did not call the DX. However, I would not be surprised if there were QSOs on at least some of the frequencies but the stations involved in them were so far down in the "mud" that I did not hear them. However, I would not be surprised if they were not hearing me or some of the other stations calling. Frankly, I was running between 1200 and 1300 watts output and I do have a pretty good antenna system for DX. If someone was running a G5RV and low power I doubt very much if they were going to be heard at this end yet they were going to hear a number of the stations calling the DX.

Also, the propagation was such that on many occasions I could not hear anyone calling the DX! Yet I know that on the other end that it must have been bedlam. In addition, there were several stations that must have had pretty severe noise problems on their end because they would call CQ time after time, stateside stations would call, and they would continue to call CQ. Some of these stations would only wait 2 or 3 seconds between transmissions and thus were not allowing enough time for anyone to get out their call sign!

I know that I would work a station in a particular area without any problems at all. Then I would call another station in the same approximate area as the one before and that station wouldn't go back to anyone for 5 to 10 minutes at a time! Since I was able to work other stations in the same area I know that I was getting through.

This happened on both European stations and some Japanese. They would have very good signals into the U.S. yet they seemed unable to copy anyone. Then I would change frequencies and work several other stations in the same area. Thus it was not propagation and it was not my signal level. It had to be something else.

I did not hear anything on 160 meters last night as well as Friday night / Saturday morning. Well, I did hear a "4" station calling CQ contest but that was all. The noise level was extensive due to thunderstorms in the area both times. But, the Carribbean usually comes through. There just must not have been anyone on.

Anyway, major DX contests definitely bring out the activity!

Glen, K9STH

[nx6d]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Oct. 31 2004,09:10)]A number of the U.S. stations were actually working from a number of the Carribean islands or from Canada signing "portable" which is perfectly legal. #However, there definitely were those who didn't have a clue as to where they should be operating.

Glen, K9STH
Agreed.

Some amateurs don't seem to grasp the concept of split vfo operation.

A= transmit
B= receive. or vice versa.

Seems like I always hear some stateside station trying to work split on 40 and calling on the listening frequency!

The Feds do listen. I worked the WPX phone contest in 1991 under my old call (WX7P) with some other guys. One of us got a little too close to 14.150, which got the attention of the FCC. Whoops....

WX7B

[ka5s]

From the Puget Sound area I can easily hear JA's calling US 'phone stations in what is their own 'phone segment.

7000 - 7030 KHz CW
- 7100 KHz CW/fone
http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/jk1dvx/jafrq.htm

In another online forum, K4JRB takes note of the overcrowded lower 100 on 40:
... gentlemen's agreement that is forming in that outside of contests seems to be:

CW only 7.0 to 7.04 Mhz
CW and SSB 7.04 to 7.05
Mainly SSB 7.05 to 7.07
SSB and digital 7.07 to 7.095
Mainly SSB 7.095 to 7.1Mhz

Note that only CW has an exclusive band. The dramatic increase of digital on the band has done more to force SSB below 7.05 and now 7.04 (in contests) than anything else. As a 40 meter phone Dxer/contester with 340 total...
http://lists.contesting.com/archive....49.html (http://lists.contesting.com/archives/html/CQ-Contest/1996-10/msg00049.html)

This weekend I've been trying out a K1 (NICE rig) I got via the Swapmeet page here, but when I heard JA's working US stations on 7040 I figured, why interfere? They deserve noninterference as much as we do.

Cortland
KA5S (/7)

[nx6d]

Quote[/b] (ka5s @ Oct. 31 2004,11:45)]Cortland
KA5S (/7)
Did you move?

I haven't seen your mobile around HSC for a while.

WX7B (Santa Rosa)

[ka5s]

Quote[/b] (WX7B @ Oct. 31 2004,13:06)]Quote[/b] (ka5s @ Oct. 31 2004,11:45)]Cortland
KA5S (/7)
Did you move?

I haven't seen your mobile around HSC for a while.

WX7B (Santa Rosa)
I'll be back soon. Been on a short term, turned longer term, contract. And no goodies stores closer here than Portland!

Cortland

BCN,

I also wonder where the manners and courtesy have gone. Often lots of Digital sigs below 7030 also.

[ai4ep]

manners & courtesy are a thing of the past in some cases.