As a friendly reminder, please check your bandplans, and do not setup shop where you overlap the single SSTV frequency allocated for 20m and 40m (14.230 and 7.171). Note that you are at least 3kc wide on SSB (many people WAY over this with overdriven audio and poor loading on their amps); so this means avoid 14.227.1 through 14.232.9 and 7.168.1 through 7.173.9 or your signal will overlap the SSTV frequency and ruin people's images, as well as you will hear annoying sounds. Thank you.
I have not done SSTV in several years, but I think if you wanted to you could do it anywhere digital is aloud, not a specific frequency. 2 M was open and I did SSTV around 144.250 and had replies on how clear it was.
You certainly can do SSTV just about anywhere, but people are listening for it on the designated frequencies. Systems are in place to receive on those frequencies 24/7.
The problem with this is that there are all kinds of people trying to claim frequencies for their exclusive use, or the exclusive use of their favorite mode. I can find band plans that have entire bands allocated to special uses. Then I can find another band plan that puts all of the same items in completely different places. Even if everybody could agree, there's no way people are going to make charts of all of the "black holes" in the bands where they can't operate because somebody has an automated system set up to listen on that frequency. If they do, there will be no room left to operate, because of all the "calling frequencies," "DX windows," "QRP windows," "QRS windows," "weak signal windows," "DV windows," and so on. Band plans are a good plan, but once you power up the radio, we all have to deal with what is actually there. I look for PSK activity at 14070, but I don't mind if I work it at 14068 or 14072. The key is to be flexible. If your favorite mode only has one frequency where you are willing to operate, the problem isn't the mode, or the band plan, or whether people adhere to the band plan.
The mode has a single frequency designated in the bandplan. Not a window like other modes, but a single frequency. Do you suppose they did that for a reason? People operate SSB over it all the time, and then they complain when they get QRMed by stations who (incorrectly) do not listen before transmitting. Do what you wish, but a good operator adheres to the bandplans unless there is a specific reason not to. It is good practice to think about where you are transmitting.
With all due respect, 14.230 has for many many years been the "Analog SSTV frequency" and I agree that tradition should hold firm and keep it that way. I first saw SSTV on a monochrome Robot-brand SSTV setup in my Elmer's shack around 1974, and the mode was pretty mature even then - and was conducted on 14.230 MHz. I consider such traditions to be important to this hobby. Just my 2 cents Dave W7UUU
In a bigly contest, the level of activity is often such that the difference in frequency is zero. Then, instead of running a frequency, I search-and-pounce. If I'm not interested in entering the fray, I do something else... typically one of the NON ham things on my long list.
So where does it stop? How many modes are going to demand exclusive little slivers of HF bands before we no longer have HF bands for all the little "windows?" I get the OP's point of not overlapping with ongoing QSOs, whether it is the dial freq or the splatter that does the overlapping. That's something that more voice ops should take care to do. I hear SSB splatter during contests that covers several channels' worth of spectrum. That's not acceptable, at any time. That said, there's nothing holy about 14230. It's a band plan, not an allocation. Keeping an entire voice channel clear 24/7 so that automated receivers can get a clear picture just in case someone might transmit -- that's not a reasonable expectation.
Each to his own. The point was that a considerate operator would leave those frequencies clear unless there is nowhere else to transmit. Those frequencies have been singled out on the bandplan for decades. The point is not to support automated stations, but rather to keep the frequency clear for its designated use. Of course nothing is an allocation. You could go down in the CW portion of the band and talk if you want, but that would be rude and you would get a lot of complaints. A considerate operate would not do that either. I think the SSTV frequencies should be down around the digital frequencies, but they pre-date so much of that stuff. The fact that the SSTV frequencies are in the SSB portion does not help anything. I think most people who transmit there don't even know the significance of the frequency. I am not going to say I have never done that by mistake.
Once again it just boils down to RESPECT... No one seems to have RESPECT for others in this hobby, not even on one single planned frequency! I don't see that this fellow is asking too much from anyone but to show some respect to what has already in the past been agreed upon. This age of ME FIRST and NO LIMITS FOR ME is a damaging cancerous growth in our modern society. Have respect, stay clear, it's simple. There's lots more frequency available. Respectfully Yours Lane de n8aft 72 / 73
Actually, that's not correct unless the FCC changed the rules without me being aware of it. AFAIK the CW/data portions of the bands are still off limits to phone.
I think you are indeed right there. This is why it would probably be better to move SSTV down there, but I suppose it has stayed in the same spot due to legacy equipment.
You should avoid the SSTV frequencies, just like you should avoid the 20m frequency that must not be named. Common courtesy. Now if we could get the RTTY and CW folks from dumping all over the PSK watering holes during a contest, that would be great. As far as SSTV in the CW portion of the band, I believe it is too wide to be there, according to the rules.
