Hi Brian - I just copied the listed changes from the revised bandplan document, however this is strange as 5403kHz is NOT within any of the UK bandlets!!
One bandlet starts at 5403.5 and goes to 5406.5kHz, but 5403kHz is out-of-band!
73 Ed.
What we need is someway of searching the interwebz to see if anybody had a discussion about this subject say around January/February last year.
The 2017 version of the RSGB Bandplan Excel spreadsheet actually states “5,403.5kHz - USB common international frequency” which is consistent with the 5,403.5-5,406.5 sub-band to which it refers.
So it’s the listed change comment (15-Dec-17 60M: 5403 USB usage deleted) that’s in error (by omitting the “.5”) rather than the 2017 bandplan itself.
That’s if you have it
Yes, I assumed it was a minor misprint and the intended frequency was actually 5.4035, the old “Fox Mike” channel which is still very popular for inter-UK contacts.
Looks like no one proof reads the change comments then.
So if the 5403.5 - 5406.5 bandlet is no longer to be used for upper sideband single sideband mode - why? What is now allocated to this bandlet? I can’t find any other references to this bandlet in the document apart from this one change comment.
Looking at the US allocations - 5403.5 is the US 60m Channel 5 (hence the earlier comment about being an “international channel” I expect).
Why then does the RSGB say “15-Dec-17 60M: 5403 USB usage deleted” ???
It doesn’t say that and doesn’t imply that.
I disagree, Andy. It certainly implies that 5.4035 is no longer to be used for USB. That should not bother us since this band plan is only advisory, but I would like to know the thinking behind this deletion - if there is any!
Brian, with the greatest of respect, maybe you should read it?
HINT: The bit about modes may be relevant.
It will be the first thing I turn to when I get my Radcom!
To paraphrase those wonderful British Pantomimes… “Above you Brian, above you!”.
Ed went to the trouble of cutting and pasting the actual bandplan for 60m into this thread back about 15-20 posts. You could at least read it or click the link and see all of the plans and the change notes before commenting. That way you’ll be commenting on the change within the context it was issued in.
The change to the bandplan in question, should you be a staunch must-do-what-the-plan-says kind of guy, removes restrictions and limitations on what you can do. Should you be a bandplans-are-great-at-generally-organising-stuff-but-I’ll-do-what-I-want-thank-you kind of guy, then it wont make any change. In general the changes seem to be pragmatic and sensible.
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A remarkably pointless post, Andy. Ed quoted the change notes in post 36, and in post 40 I re-quoted the change note and commented on it. Your assumption that I had not read the plan is therefore clearly erroneous and suggests that you have not followed the thread. Your belief that the change “removes restrictions and limitations on what you can do” is questionable. The Guidelines chart lists thirteen recommended USB frequencies for what the RSGB probably regarded as the most efficient use of our bandlets, and of course 5.4035 (FM) is an important DX channel, often alive with a babble of transatlantic USB signals after about 0200 UTC. The change does nothing positive, it just introduces an element of uncertainty and raises the possibility of other odd modes interfering with the extensive DX possibilities of that channel for those able to use it.
Read the bandplan at post #34 (this is [post#53)
I quote for the hard of reading…
“Unless indicated, usage is all-modes (necessary bandiwtdh to be within channel limits)”
So the note removes the bandplan RESTRICTION that this part of the band is USB only. It turns this bit to be all modes and not USB only.
It’s there in black and white in this thread and could not be clearer. Had you read it you would not be disputing it. And again, just like 11 months ago, you are refering to an undated document and not the bandplan.
I really must send you a pair of spectacles, Andy!
And FWIW, I am NOT disputing it, I am CRITICISING it for the reason given above and quoted in this post.
Thank you, Stu.
By removing that note from the UK Usage column the RSGB no longer acknowledges the importance of that channel for USB DX. Simples!
Might I suggest (and I don’t know this for sure), that perhaps the comment was removed by the RSGB to allow UK <-> US contacts on 60m on any mode using this frequency - hence CW and Digital modes can also share this bandlet. Having read the comments above in this thread, that is all I can conclude. By having the bandlet previously labelled as USB, the “inference” was that the RSGB prefered the bandlet only to be used for SSB.
Ed.
You have a point, Ed. IIRC the Americans have to position CW mid-channel whereas we used to put CW zero beat with USB (I don’t know if its still like that, I don’t do CW!
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It was USB only Ed. The 2017 plan said “Unless indicated, usage is all-modes”. It said USB so it was not preferred but mandated.