A revised HF Band Plan comes into force today, 1 June 2016, for all countries within IARU Region 1. This includes the United Kingdom.
A copy, in pdf format, can be downloaded from here.
Although the Band Plan is voluntary in Region 1, member societies including the RSGB are strongly recommending that it should be observed. The main changes are concerned with increased allocations for narrow-band digital modes (e.g. JT65 and JT9). In particular, 3570 - 3580 kHz in the 80m band is now allocated to these modes.
Hi Walt, have you compared this new band plan against the current RSGB one? If there are differences, which one takes precidence?
In Germany the one authorised by JURIS takes predcedence over all others. If the DARC progress this and get the new IARU bandplan (in its complete form) adopted by Juris - then the use of AM in Germany would come back as the last time they adopted the IARU Region 1 Bandplan, someone managed to drop (remove?) the Note regarding the use of AM in the phone sections of the HF bands as agreed at NRRL Davis in 05 and did not include the IARU definition of “all modes” which also covers AM.
Except in parts of the bands allocated for Beacons (i.e. 14099-14101 + 18109-18111 + 21149-21151 + 24929-24931 + 28190-28225), also 5366.0 - 5366.5 may be an issue - 20Hz bandwidth Weak Signal modes only.
I’m not sure what the Guard channel at 29510-29520 is for but it seems that part of the 10m band cannot be used by any mode?.
In fact I can using anything anywhere as the band plan is only a recommendation and is not legally binding in this country.
What I can do and what I choose to do are different. But as long as no censure is applied by contest organisers to stations operating SSB in the CW and digimodes sections i.e. tacit encouragement of such action, then there’s no problem with me using CW at 40wpm with a sharp keying waveform in the 20Hz section. Sauce for the goose etc.
However, I chose to follow the recommendations as by doing so it generally benefits me.
don’t mix up responsibilities here in Germany. The responsible authority for managing the frequency spectrum is the “Federal Network Agency”, i.e. Bundesnetzagentur, an authority of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
“Juris” is just an online-provider for serving legislative texts, nothing more.
The RSGB have not yet published an update. However, they have indicated that they recommend adherence to the new IARU Region 1 band plan, as they were involved in creating it. As MM0FMF says, band plans in the UK are entirely voluntary. What happens in Germany is up to the German regulator and/or DARC.
I cannot imagine why anyone would want to use AM in the 21st Century. What next … spark?
Thanks for the correction - you’re right it should be BNetza that I referred to, Juris is the department that published the regulation on their website.
Hi Walt,
Well you know some people still use on-off carrier wave keying and seem to enjoy it (and have success with it) - others like the quality of audio on the AM mode. You could say both are nostalgic modes, but both have their place in the hobby.
Tried AM a few times on 10m, above 29.000, Walt. Did manage some DX, but to perfectly honest, I find FM much more interesting. Having said this, FM takes a wicked toll on the battery, but what fun!
FM is as easy to generate. Both intentionally and un-intentionally
As someone who loves the latest and shiniest new technology and delights in seeing old technology maintained and used, I have to say solid state AM is just wrong. AM should involve lots of valves (tubes), copies amounts of HT voltage and current and above all, modulation transformers of such scale that one man is not enough to move them. That’s just for amateur AM not broadcast.
4x 811A for the audio output stage and many 813’s or 4-125s in the RF stage.
If your plate modulation transformer weighs under 100kg then you are just not doing it right!
I don’t think I’ve yet heard anyone using AM since I got my licence but as I’m an M0 I’ve not been playing radio that long. Although I could be tempted to try it just because it’s available to try so I can see what it was like in the olden days.
Surely under 100kg is acceptable for SOTA purposes?
Tune around 3.615 MHz this evening around 1700 local time and you should hear a few. It is a great side to the hobby which many do not experience. I usually wipe most of the European QRM off the band with that thing
That’s just spoiled my day… now I am stuck firmly in nostalgia land grieving the demise of my pair of EL34’s and QQVO6/40A. Those were the days - when you could “see” your voice…
If your plate modulation transformer weighs under 100kg then you are just not doing it right! 
