60M band SOTA activity CW/USB usual frequencies?

SOTA activity become day by day more popular on this band, but allocations are not the same for all Region 1 countries.
The 5.351,5 to 5.366,5 KHz range seems to be the most allowed, with some exceptions, in different places.

With that frecuency range in mind, perhaps it could be a good idea to find CW and USB calling QRGs for SOTA activations.
As an example, 3.354 Khz looks very usual for CW, but USB operations are mainly out of 5366.5 KHz and unfortunately for a chaser like me and many others, this frequency is not allowed for TX over here…

Just for reference, Spanish mode recomendations (as provided by URE) are:
5.351.5 to 5354.5 Khz CW/Digital narrow modes
5.354.5 to 5.366.5 all modes.

From this excellent tool as is the reflector, it would be nice if we activators and chasers could have a QRGs agreement to improve the activity on this interesting band.

Any ideas are very welcome, thank you!!
73 de Jorge, EA2LU

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Dr OM Jorge,
I fully support your proposal to come to frequencies that can be used by all members of our SOTA community.
Many thanks for bringing this up.
73 de Geert PA7ZEE

Nice post, Jorge.
In my last activations the 60-meter band gave me a lot of satisfaction.
In Italy we have the same band allocation.

73, Fabio IK2LEY

Thanks you very much Geert.

Thanks you very much Fabio, Yes I remenber our QSO in this band…

Hi Jorge,
Your point is interesting but, despite having being extensively discussed over time in this Reflector (see these threads and I’m sure there will be several others where the subject was discussed)…

…for some reason, some commonly agreed frequencies haven’t yet been defined, as far as I know. Honestly I don’t worry too much about this band now because, as you know, I currently operate with IC-706 and the balcony endfed antenna, so not too good conditions for chasing on 60m.
I hope this time you’ll have more success and we will all find an agreement about SOTA frequencies for CW and SSB.
Hopefully one day soon I’ll be in a better position to chasing SOTA on 60m.

Best 73,

Guru

Thanks you for your support and helpful comments Guru, always welcome!!
Best regards
Jorge
EA2LU

By the way I forgot to propose, according the Region 1 present allowances the follow QRG
for SOTA activity:
5.354 KHz CW
5.366 KHz SSB
Most of the usual SOTA activators are allowed to use these frecuencies at present time.
Opinions are welcome, thanks you very much.
Best 73, Jorge

This was discussed also in this thread. especially as regards interworking between the UK and WRC15 countries.

Your statement:
Just for reference, Spanish mode recomendations (as provided by URE) are:
5.351.5 to 5354.5 Khz CW/Digital narrow modes
5.354.5 to 5.366.5 all modes.

I find a little confusing given that the IARU R1/R2 bandplan for 60m is as below:

As you can see 5366 - 5366.5 is intended for Digital weak signal modes - not all modes - have the spanish authorities moved this down the band and “tacked” it onto the end of the CW section?

Also 5.366 KHz SSB is not going to work for SOTA as 60m is Upper Sideband and you need to add at least 2.7kHz to that frequency - making the top of the signal 5.368.7 which is out-of-band!

Hi all,
I support standardisation of QRG, where ever possible. To this end, 2 years ago, I stopped using 5.260 for SOTA CW in the UK. My own reason for this change was to avoid tempting European stations to call me out of their band. Instead I began to use 5.3545 MHz. This made the frequency usable by many chasers on mainland Europe as well as the UK. Please note that the final digit (5) is important so as to place my transmissions within the UK bandlet allocation, not perched on the bandlet edge. Clearly 5MHz use is still evolving and further changes may become necessary.

Regards
David
G0EVV

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The sooner the UK adopt the WRC15 band and bandplan (in addition to the existing bandlets) the better!

73 Ed.

That’s the problem - “in addition to”! If Ofcom decide instead to give us the WRC15 band and take away our other bandlets we will lose far more than we gain, and then there is the derisory power limitation…definately a case of “be careful what you ask for!”

Bearing in mind the IARU R1/R2 bandplan quoted above, SSB contacts with the UK are possible on 5354, 5355, 5362 and 5363, the RSGB recommended USB channels in the UK are 5354 and 5363. I note David’s use of 53545 for CW but recommended usage in the UK since the start of the “Fox” channels was to place the virtual SSB carrier at the LF limit of the channels, and it was also recommended that CW was placed at the LF limit of the channels thus allowing CW and SSB to co-exist to some extent.

Just to be clear: the UK stations can participate in WRC15 SSB contacts on 5354, 5355, 5362 and 5363. The UK can NOT participate in SSB contacts on 5356 to 5361 as at least part of the signal bandwidth will fall outside our allocations.

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One word…

Que?

Reading this thread I feel a sense of daja vu or is it Groundhog Day?

I asked SOTA activators in WRC-15/60m countries to consider using 5354.5 (not 5354.0) for CW CQs as 5354.0 is on the edge of one of the UK 60m bandlets, so we can’t reply (legally). Or maybe 5354.2 (so folk listening on 5354.0 might hear and QSY up) - but I don’t want to start a debate about CW bandwidth.

73, Andy

I’ve asked Theresa May to table a motion in Parliament to bring in WRC15/60m to the UK but she says she’s busy with something else right now …

AGREED! - That’s what happened in Holland I believe.

Ed.

Andy (MM0FMF) wants you to consider operating split frequency Brian, which did use to happen but now as the majority of countries with 60 metres have the (albeit small and low powered) WRC15 band, I believe less of that happens and rather the 4 overlap frequencies are used for SSB contacts and the two CW ones plus the 4 listed for SSB (all mode section of the band) for CW - contacts between the UK and the rest of Europe.

Ed.

But seen that she recently postponed that something, she may have done to actually take care of your request about WRC15 for UK… :wink:

Cheers,

Guru

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If you consult 5MHz - Radio Society of Great Britain - Main Site : Radio Society of Great Britain – Main Site you will see that 5354 is a recommended SSB frequency. If you disagree with the recommendations of the RSGB surely you should take that up with them rather than advocating chaos? Note also that the IARU band plan for the WRC15 allocation has 5354 as the start of the all modes section. I know that “all modes” includes CW but the essence of a band plan is the segregation of incompatible modes, is it not?

I’m not saying that you have not got a good case for a change to the band plans, but you should go about getting the change through formal channels rather than advocate that band plans be ignored, that road leads inevitably to chaos.