80 Meter CW Nets Outside of the U.S.?

[W5WN]

I listen to 80 meter CW fairly often. Now that the Extra Class phone band has been expanded down to what used to be the CW/Digital part of the band from 3600 to 3700 khz., the CW traffic nets are more noticeable since many have moved down in frequency. The area around 3550 khz used to be fairly free of nets but now there are quite a few. I enjoy listening to them, if not just for the code practice. In fact, there are some pretty efficient ops on the nets, albeit not much real traffic these days.

I've never read about, heard discussed on or off the air anything about 80 meter CW traffic nets in other countries. So, I was wondering, are 80 meter CW traffic nets just a U.S. phenomenon?

[K0RGR]

Traffic nets, in general, are a U.S. phenom - 3rd party traffic is not allowed over ham radio in much of the world.

Digital nets - in particular NBEMS - are growing rapidly on 80, too. I checked into one the other night, and noticed that we were only about 100 Hz. from a CW net traffic net that fired up shortly after the NBEMS net. I'm planning to start one on the NBEMS frequency used by SATERN on a night when SATERN isn't active.

I did not agree with FCC's decision to move the low end of the phone band down to 3600. 3650 would have been much more reasonable, because there really are a lot of CW and digital nets down there, and there were more of them before the change above 3600. I think the lower 100 kHz of the 75 meter phone band are mostly wasted - I rarely hear much there, while there is serious crowding below 3600.

[W5WN]

Traffic nets, in general, are a U.S. phenom - 3rd party traffic is not allowed over ham radio in much of the world.

Digital nets - in particular NBEMS - are growing rapidly on 80, too. I checked into one the other night, and noticed that we were only about 100 Hz. from a CW net traffic net that fired up shortly after the NBEMS net. I'm planning to start one on the NBEMS frequency used by SATERN on a night when SATERN isn't active.

I did not agree with FCC's decision to move the low end of the phone band down to 3600. 3650 would have been much more reasonable, because there really are a lot of CW and digital nets down there, and there were more of them before the change above 3600. I think the lower 100 kHz of the 75 meter phone band are mostly wasted - I rarely hear much there, while there is serious crowding below 3600.

I agree that the CW/Digital band has been compressed probably a little too much. Like you, I don't see very much activity in the expanded phone band. I think 3650 for a lower phone band limit would have made more sense.

[K0RGR]

I have recently started visiting 80 meters in the evening again, after a long time away from it, and the smaller band really does cramp my digital stuff. I'm glad we're not doing AMTOR these days, and the occasional PACTOR robot doesn't help, either. Olivia 16/500 is gaining converts, and even that takes up too much room on this band.

[W5WN]

I am beginning to hear more CW and digi mode communications colliding! Maybe it's just propagation and the other stations aren't bothering each other, although I may hear them both. That seems to happen quite often on 75/80 meters, especially in the evening when the band will suddenly go either long or short. When it does that, sometimes you can hear 2 stations clearly that can't hear one another!