UK 60m Bandplan Footnote on WRC15 frequencies operating practices

This piece from the GB2RS News Bulliten:

The RSGB has published the 2017 Band Plans in RadCom and online. These consolidate earlier changes made in June 2016 and just add one important change with respect to UK usage of 5MHz. For the 60m band a new footnote has been added that states that internal UK-only contacts should now be conducted outside of the new WRC-15 range in line with the IARU Region 1 band plan for that narrow segment. Full details can be found on the On The Air/Operating section of the RSGB website.

This footnote applies to all modes - digital, CW and SSB.

73 Ed.

This does not appear to have found its way into the RSGB bandplans on their website. The latest Radcom briefly mentions it on page 10 as a new footnote 4, but it is worded there as advice as bandplans in the UK have no legal force. It seems sensible.

It’s in the changes section and the 60m section at https://thersgb.org/services/bandplans/html/rsgb_band_plan_2017.htm

Trip to Specsavers next week perhaps? :grin:

Following on from Brian, G8ADD’s, concerns over 60m activity may I
add another twist to this story. Yesterday was out in
the Scottish Lowlands activating, among others,
GM/SS-100.
Part of my activation was 60m CW on 5.381.5 MHz. I had a
phone signal so 60m activity was acceptable to Ofcom. I
pinged out a text to enable the chasers to
find me. My first contact was a G0 followed by a DL3
and a DJ5, followed by 3 more G’s.
I tried to decline the German stations but
they were persistant. I advised both of them that they were
out of band but that did not seen to sink in.
I have struck their contacts from my log. I guess the
need for them to get the points exceeded the legalities.
I must say It is very difficult these days to be sure the
caller is legal on 60m, G, DL, PA, EI and OZ
all having different band plans, particularly at the
end of 2hrs on a mountain top in cold drizzle

David G0EVV

But it isn’t in 5MHz - Radio Society of Great Britain - Main Site : Radio Society of Great Britain – Main Site which is my first port of call!

Typical Royal Surrey Gas Board, two web sites where one will do, and they don’t agree!:grinning:

I agree David, those German stations were out of band and good on you for telling them - whether you log them or not is your decision, but they certainly should get the chaser points!

60 metres continues to be a mess with frequency allocations. Something that WRC 15 was supposed to sort out but didn’t.

Meantime, I’ll be heading out to a summit on Monday to try out my 60m portable antenna and I assure you I won’t be operating outside of the allocated frequencies in Germany, but trying to operate on one that is common with the UK.

73 Ed.

“The following are provided for convenience on PCs, tablets etc, for those unable to read PDF or the Excel master file.”

That’s a big hint.

They should be careful David or this guy will come calling.

First time he calls he visits their logs.
Second time he calls he cuts off their access till they promise to be careful.
Third time he calls he deletes their login.
He never calls a fourth time.

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Balderdash! I have it in my Favourites for rapid access when needed. If they can’t get their information resources to agree then it is sheer incompetance!

Well you have the wrong :bookmark_tabs: in your favourites then.

Use the :control_knobs: and :tools: to delete it and link to the right :bookmark_tabs: and you’ll be less :confused: next time.

I bought Olives today so I’m off to have a :cocktail:

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Olives what? Oh, I get you! Slainthe.

Well, at least you admit that the RSGB have both a right and a wrong file available!

:sob:
You have bookmarked the simplified view, the one without the IARU notes and comments. And you are complaining the simplified view is missing detail. Do you think that is missing detail because it’s the simplified view per chance?

What !:fearful: I thought you where a real man into his fine whiskys e.t.c :joy:

Nope. What I can’t understand is why you think it is a “simplified” view, have you actually brought it up and looked at it? It holds a lot of additional detail, it is very easy on the eye, and there is advice on how to use the band.

Andy,

So if I take a copy of the 60m section of that bandplan - yes it does have a Note 4 - but no were on that page (unless I need a visit to Specsavers) does it tell you the frequency range that applies to.

David,

Are we expected to remember which parts of the band everyone else is allowed to use too ?

I think this is up to date: 60 metre band but remembering it might be a big ask. I’m more inclined to trust that any station calling me is legal! Our responsibility is to make sure we are legal.

You’re right Stewart it doesn’t and probably should. It does, however, tell you where you can transmit and suggests what everyone should use the frequencies for. It doesn’t tell you where you can’t transmit. Nor does the 6m plan say you can’t work any stations you hear on 52-54MHz. This one doesn’t give you power limits for 60m but the 160m one does. There’s lots of places it could be improved.

But this is not about whether the plan is full of areas for improvement but Brian’s intransigence to accept he was looking at a simplified bandplan. He confusion is with the word simplified because the page is scattered with historical info on the old experiments, working cadet stations, how to ensure your transmitted spectrum is in band on SSB or digi modes. The page is full of detail except on the bandplan itself. Hence my use of the words “simplified view”.

You can easily see this, look at the 20m or 40m pages in that section.
http://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-plans/hf/7mhz/
http://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-plans/hf/14mhz/
Exactly the same presentation, words about the band and usage and a simplified view of the bandplan.

Hi Brian,
The question is are we committing an offence communicating with a known pirate? Which someone is if they operate on a frequency they are not licenced to use. OK in telling to Op he isn’t supposed to operate on the frequency, but more than that? …

What I am a little worried about is that if there continues to be out of band (or channels) operation on 60 metres it may affect all users and the ITU could demand that all countries only allocate the 15KHz WRC band for amateurs so as to stop out of band operations and that would be to the degredation of countries like the UK, who have more frequencies available than just the 15KHz on 60m.

So I think it’s right that this point is raised here, so as to hopefully educate those out of their band operators to stop such operations as their actions could affect many others.

This belongs really on the other thread, but;

You are right, we might be committing an offence, but the crucial question is how do we know that they are pirates? Yes, we can look at 60 metre band or similar if we are in the shack (it might be difficult on a summit) but even that isn’t conclusive. The allocation might have changed very recently and the site not updated yet, or someone might be operating with special permission, and in the heat of a pile-up there isn’t time to go into these things thoroughly. I think that unless we have definite knowledge, such as hearing an Mx3/6 or 2x0 operating, or the German stations in David’s post 4, we should take it on trust that the stations calling us are legal. After all, a UK station using a 1.5kW amplifier is bound to have it cranked down to legal power, isn’t he? :grinning:

The question is are we committing an offence communicating with a known pirate? Which someone is if they operate on a frequency they are not licenced to use. OK in telling to Op he isn’t supposed to operate on the frequency, but more than that? …

The problem here is that you will never actually know what sort of license the other operator has (if any).

60 metre band says that Finland has more range than 5351,5- 5366,5KHz. True, but only with special permission, most hams don´t have it here.Same thing in other countries as well.

Why would one try to control something he can´t. It is the operator who is responsible what frequencies they use, what power they run etc. We are hams, not cops :wink:

73 Marko OH9XX OH3XR