I think the editor further muddies the water when he writes [RadCom, Feb 2022, p.65, 1st paragraph] “If you are in a far-flung part of the UK, or further, or operating in the early hours there is no need for a regimented move to another frequency as you are unlikely to be interfering with others that might want to make use of that frequency”.
This is yet another interpretation and adds a time-of-day and location factor as to whether to treat that frequency as a CC/CF or a COA. This furthers my belief that the [once clear?] distinction between a CF and a COA is gone forever – a pity.
I note however that the 2m FM CF (145.500) - in the UK at least - is very widely treated as a calling frequency (probably helped by its popular use) and for example the 80m QRP CW COA (3.560) is treated as a centre of activity.
It seems the recent changes to band plans reassigning CFs as COAs, and the widely different interpretations as to what that means, hasn’t helped.
In my yoof I had a cheap plastic ‘transistor’ [1960’s speak for a transistorized MW radio] to listen to pop music on Radio Luxembourg under the bed sheets. I would have loved one with a great antenna sticking out of it (like this one) so my friends might think i was a spy.
I think it is down to bandwidth. At that part of the band the bandwidth is stated as 2.7MHz. The issue then must be if on 144.303 are you likely to interfere with someone on 144.300? I guess, if both are on USB then they shouldn’t but there isn’t much space between them. My instinct would be to move a bit further away to say 144.305.
