The ARRL Board accepted the final band plan of the Band Planning Committee. http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-meets-in-remote-electronic-meeting Final Band Plan: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ODV/Second Board Meeting July 2020/Doc 25A Band Plan Final-1b.pdf Major highlights: 80 Meters: -Bottom of Phone band moved from 3.600 to 3.650 -WB (Wideband) and ACDS (Automatic Controlled Digital Station) defined - 3.600-3.650 -Technicians given 3.900 - 4.000 phone and image 40 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 7.100 - 7.125 (No more unwritten rule Novice CW segment!) -Technicians given 7.225 - 7.300 phone and image 30 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 10.135 - 10.150 20 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 14.105 - 14.150 18 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 18.105 - 18.110 15 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 21.150 - 21.200 -Technicians given 21.275 - 21.350 phone and image -Novices given 21.025 - 21.200 RTTY/Data 12 Meters: -WB/ACDS defined 24.925 - 24.930 10 Meters: -WB defined 28.120 - 28.190 (All classes) -WB/ACDS defined 29.200 - 29.300 (Extra, Advanced, General) Comment #1: I guess the WinLink folks are getting what they want. Comment #2: Never mind, I was about to go negative.
Sorry, forgot the picture. http://www.arrl.org/images/view//Charts/Band_Chart_Image_for_ARRL_Web.jpg ?
Why do added Technician privileges on the bottom of 80, 40, and 15 meters allow for phone and image but for 10 meters it is still restricted to SSB? Oh, and strap in everyone because this thread will be a bumpy ride.
The REAL issue is not tech privileges,................ thats a smoke screen The arrl has hidden all of their defeated previous ideas together and created ACDS only frequencies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
New 'proposed' bandplan. Thankfully, there's never been any quid-pro-quo between FCC and ARRL... oh... wait.... http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ODV/Second Board Meeting July 2020/Doc 25A Band Plan Final-1b.pdf @ND6M "The arrl has hidden all of their defeated previous ideas together and created ACDS only frequencies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yup. Reading the remote meeting info, the League reminds me more and more of a regional Grange, in the way they think and operate. "Farmers Almanac predicts we'll get ad-rich and members will fill our coffers if we can create silos for ACDS; silos for WL Emcomm; silos in covenant communities; and, more silos for Techs on the lower bands." http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-meets-in-remote-electronic-meeting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grange_of_the_Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry
I don't really understand allowing Techs to talk in anymore HF bands, doesn't that remove the incentive to climb higher? I know my Extra and General didn't require me to do any CW, but I went for my Extra because I wanted to talk European DX in the Extra section of 20m. And I have encouraged several people that enjoy DX to do the same. I am studying CW now, and if it had been a requirement for Extra at the time I took the test I would have done it anyway. All I see are participation trophies.
Now why in today's world would you think for one moment you need to prove you are proficient and have the operating skills to be an amateur radio operator? This is the new world that everyone is entitled regardless of your knowledge of the aspects of amateur radio communications.
arrl working hard to further increase the ranks of the 80% or so that aren't members. If it isn't in Part 97 it doesn't affect amateur radio operators in the slightest, can't wait to see the s$$tstorm of comments that will bring if it ever makes it to an FCC NPRM. If I remember correctly arrl won't submit that band plan to the FCC unless they get all their current FCC initiatives passed, probably nothing to worry about until say 2027 or so. Winlink? Not much to say here, got more than they need now and still have an inside track at the arrl judging by the ACDS expansion, which isn't surprising since arrl officially adopted them as the ARES pet of choice. The clock is ticking on long haul amateur emergency backup communications, too bad the arrl can't see the countdown clock. Email is so 20th century anyway, why is arrl still promoting email slower than a smart phone when better methods and systems abound? Winlink may be on it's last legs anyway, they're been trying awfully hard to sell the idea of HF email to various agencies and groups lately....better options are available at basically zero agency cost, no brainier here and no pesky hams under foot. Note to arrl: this is planet earth, 3rd rock from the sun, it's 2020 not 1920, and there have been some amazing advances in communications technology in the past hundred years. Note 2: my shift and caps lock keys work just fine but hereafter arrl will be in lowercase only, they've earned it.
Ya, my second comment was going to be something to effect of, "Why continue trying to differentiate between the privileges of the remaining classes of Extra, Advanced and General? There's not much difference any more anyway." Two classes left: Extra and Technician. And Novices? Really? Give them a date it expires. Edit: and make the bottom 25 Khz CW only?
After all the comments against changing the lower part of the Extra class 80 meter phone band/ opposition was voiced by thousands of amateurs on numerous forums/ including the ARRL new discussion forums, That bunch of Outlaws on the ARRL Board went ahead and voted for Winlink/ which is a terribly abused and outdated system that has been discussed hundreds of times on numerous forms also. The Winlink system is abused by unlicensed foreign operator/boaters and even drug cartels/ which has been documented in the past. Now the ARRL Awards Winlink for bad behavior. They even took the slow speed 40 meter old slow speed CW novice band segment and gave it to those damn people. That in itself is a complete disgrace for the League and a slap in the face to all CW operators. They're giving that to wideband automatic control digital stations, we're about 30 years behind, digital should be narrowband and utilize our Spectrum properly/ The League should be promoting technology advancements. Instead they sell out to Winlink. So much for incentive licensing, the Extra class operators now lose 80 meter SSB privileges. With all the crap that's been going on with the ARRL over the last few years this just about tops it. I wish I could sell them back my Life membership!! Maybe the FCC will have some wisdom. The FCC in tha past forced cellular to go from analog to digital to utilize the spectrum better/ they also forced Broadcast television to do the same. I wish it was April 1st!
It's not at all clear to me, but it DOES seem to be as ND6M says: Taking away pieces of the band from normal operation will NOT be popular. I'm primarily a CW op, and it looks like they've taken some of my favorite parts of the CW bands. As K0UO notes, it does feel like a slap in the face. My personal preference is always for greater simplicity, but this new plan seems more complex than ever. We can't change it. I guess we have to accept it. "So it goes."
