France now on 60m

Hi
Frequencies :slight_smile:
la bande 5351,5 – 5366,5 kHz est attribuée aux stations radioélectriques du service d’amateur en Régions 1 et 2 à titre secondaire avec une puissance rayonnée maximale de 15 W

73 Éric F5JKK

Thanks Eric - good news! So no playground for the elephants, hi.

Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ

Excellent news albeit a long time coming. Please remember the UK’s allocation pre-dates WRC15 but fortunately there are some common frequencies, e.g. 5.3545 often used inter-EU for CW in the WRC15 all modes section.

Hi Andy
I remember …:grinning:

Good to see 60 metres is now available in France! :slight_smile:

That bit of band planning seems to come from (or at least match) the entry for 60m in the IARU Region 1 HF Band Plan:

60m Band:

Frequency (kHz) Max. Bandwidth (Hz) Preferred Mode and Usage
5351.5 – 5354.0 200 CW, Narrow band modes – digimodes
5354.0 – 5366.0 2700 All modes, USB recommended for voice operation (##)
5366.0 – 5366.5 20 (!) Weak signal narrow band modes

The relevant notes associated with it in the IARU R1 band plan document are:

It is strongly recommended that frequencies within the WRC-15 allocation only be used if there are no other frequencies available at 5 MHz under domestic (ITU-R article 4.4) permissions.

Local nets and long rag chew QSOs should not use the WRC-15 allocation at 5 MHz but should instead make use of the 3.5 MHz, 5 MHz domestic, or 7 MHz bands where there is more spectrum available.

(##) Highest dial setting for USB Voice mode on the 60m band: 5363 kHz

Details shown in the band plan above should be understood as “proposed usage”.

I’ve not yet found an explicit note the “(!)” refers to, so I guess it’s just highlighting the very narrow bandwidth value…

Clearly, if you want CW contacts with UK amateurs, you’ll have to move above the CW-only section into the All Modes bit, as UK amateurs don’t have access to 5351.5 – 5354.0 (or, for that matter, 5358.0 – 5362.0) . Nothing new there… :confused: :slight_smile:

Hi Rick,

Yes, France has adopted the WRC15 band and band plan.

Is anyone in the UK working on getting your channels (bandlets) expanded to include this true “band” - I believe there is a move “a-foot” in the states to try to get that.

You have to be careful though, when the Dutch regulator was convinced to give PA hams the WRC15 band, they took away the channels that they previously had.

As regards cross working frequencies UK bandlets to WRC15 band, for CW 5354.5 or 5362.5 and for SSB 5355 or 5363.

But in fact as you suggest CW is allowed all the way from 5351.5 through 5366 - as 5354-5366 is “All Modes” not just for SSB. 5366 - 5366.5 is reserved for digital modes.

73 Ed.

Yes, it’s frustrating for UK chasers to hear SOTA activators in the WRC15 CW section and knowing that we can’t (legally) chase them

Hi Rick
Tks for info :+1:

for the (!) note, nothing in my side > 20Hz still very narrow :slight_smile:

Hi Ed, As per the last time we discussed this, I very much doubt it, for good reasons ….

Hi Andy,

Understood. I was wondering if anything had changed in the meantime. You’d be possibly worse off it it went the same way as Holland.
It’s interesting however that other NATO countries in Europe have authorised the band, but of course it’s on a secondary basis, so should a military data transmission suddenly appear and take up the whole band, there’s not a lot we can do.

Thankfully no one is looking for HF frequencies for 5G !!

73 Ed.

Yes, we have turned the clock back to 1950-something by leaving the EU. New allocations for amateurs is seriously not on government agendas when figuring out how to import enough food through yet to be built customs gates or building bridges between N. Ireland and S. Scotland is demanding all the government time.

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I don’t see anything changing for a long time. This is pure speculation by me - the very strong STANAG transmissions between and on the UK 60m sub-bands that I ‘see’ everyday on the waterfall display of my new SDRplay RSPdx [the perfect Christmas present from wife after a bit of hinting] may well be UK MoD stations. I can’t see them being motivated to modify existing military procedures in a hurry or prematurely modify or change equipment for UK radio amateurs when they have already conceded access to an allocation much larger than the WRC15 one.

Who could argue to OfCom or the MoD that UK RAs need even more 5-MHz spectrum when the current allocation is so under used and has common frequencies with WRC15?

There isn’t really a problem for resourceful RAs - we just need to crack on and use this lovely band.

…and the new government seems bent on dumping a whole load of extra (mostly internet-related) responsibilities on OfCom, so there’ll probably be even fewer resources for things like RF spectrum management, anyway…

WELL DONE!

A great present and the guys behind SDR Play are a “hoot” I’ve chatted with them for ICQ Podcast at a few hamfests and they’re really down to earth “good guys”.

Lets hope no one in Ofcom or the military look around at what the EU countries have done and remove your larger allocations and give you only the “standard” small allocation.

73 Ed.

Rick, whilst what you and Andy say about government resources is undoubtedly true, even if the government reshuffle today created a Department of Radio Amateur Frequency Allocation my point is that we have no cogent argument to justify being allocated more 5MHz spectrum. And I for one am embarrassed by those who claim what we have is an impediment to working RAs in countries with WRC15.

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The trick in this game is knowing not just your own allocations, but also where others can operate. My initial comment was there simply as a reminder to 5 MHz CW activators in Europe that working above 5354.0 kHz could increase the number of possible chasers a bit. In the past, contacts have been made between countries with non-overlapping allocations by judicious use of split operating, but that takes a bit of pre-planning, and using a spot where allocations overlap is probably much simpler.

I agree, Rick. And it’s not rocket science to check both allocations to find, suggest and promote the use of common frequencies. I know some (like Andy @MM0FMF) like (or at least propose) split operation as a solution but I think there’s no real need to resort to that. I never have a problem finding vacant common frequencies for 5-cw and 5-ssb. If anyone does as a regular occurrence, I would like to hear their experiences.

I aim for 5354.5 kHz for CW (when I’m feeling up to it) but I must confess I usually go to 5398.5 kHz for SSB, mainly as it was the go-to frequency before the WRC-15 allocation came along. Of course, it’s not in the WRC-15 allocation, but is one of the channels allocated in the Republic of Ireland.

. . . still missing and waiting for

A U S T R I A

permitting 60 m - just wanted to enter an alert for 60 m for tomorrow and reduced the entry to 20 m and 40 m now after checking the OE bandplan - désolé!

Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ

Welcome, France on 60m …
maybe already 18.02.2020 SQ9MDF/p

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