Oh dear, Andy, you STILL haven’t really looked at your so-called “simplified” bandplan, have you? If you compare the two, there is very little on “your” site that isn’t on “mine”, “mine” shows the preferred operating frequencies for USB, and where on “your” bandplan does it show WSPR (not that I actually need that info at this time!)
Come on, Andy, you do like to take your harmless little digs at people, and you should know by this time that I will always dig back!
Too, too true Brian, this is a moving target. I agree that it will be difficult to know all of the current frequencies - which is why I think David G0EVV did the right thing and informed the DL stations that he thinks they are operating out of band. The problem with them continuing to call despite this information being given is the real problem I believe.
Ed.
For an intelligent man Brian, you do a good impersonation of a fool.
You cannot Marko. The activator should ensure they are legal. If the activator thinks there are suspicious chaser contacts they can let the chaser know after the activation or let the MT know if the chaser doesn’t confirm they are legal or delete them.
“No noose is good noose!”
ROTFL! Only a member of the MT would get away with such ad hominem remarks on the Reflector.
73,
Wlat
Well its no good banning him, he can unban himself immediately!
Anyway it is all in fun, I only regret that he said it first…
I think the UK bandplan websites have been fixed so that all places show pages derived from the same version now…
(It does seem faintly daft to offer so many different versions, but whatever…)
For those who have not been able to find the file on the RSGB website - here is the relevant piece:
Please note that “Digital mode activity in the UK” range covers half of the WRC15 band and as such, if the footnote is followed, not to use the overlapping frequencies the section that is specifically for UK data comms is now only 3.5KHz wide not 8KHz - i.e. only 5366.5 - 5370KHz is clear of the WRC15 band.
I have sent a message to the RSGB HF manager asking him to look into this as I expect a lot of digital mode users in the UK to be unhappy with this reduction in their available frequencies. the simplest option would be to move the UK digital data section to be 5366.5 - 5374.5KHz giving them a different 8KHz of space (but less signal width at the top of the band as USB is used).
Lets see what Ian Greenshields, G4FSU (RSGB Band Plans HF manager) comes back with.
“if possible”.
If it’s not possible to avoid the WRC-15 common frequencies, well it’s not possible.
Really? If it’s not possible why have the footnote at all …
You really need to remember the bandplan for UK stations is advisory and not compulsory. In general, bandplans help people by trying segregate modes that don’t make happy bedfellows. They also give suggestions to where certain modes can be found. And that is about that. If I want to run FM on 14.100 MHz over the top of the International Beacon Project there is nothing anyone can do. Sure I would not be popular nor receive the support of my peers but it would be legal. You could claim I was interfering with the beacons and I’d say I opened the squelch on my receiver and listened for 1 whole IBP cycle and heard nothing a suggesting the frequency was in use. I’d be clear to continue. But not popular.
In this case, the wording is a suggestion that UK stations should go somewhere else for inter-UK operation. That’s a reasonable suggestion, we have lots of spectrum compared to some people. Having inter-UK QSOs and blocking the WRC chunks that overlap is somewhat selfish if we can go elsewhere. Normally we can go somewhere else.
But what if all the frequencies are in use? There are 2 weekends in March when there will be lots of Cadet operations on the old FA,FB etc. channels so I may find a distinct lack of free space if amateurs move to other frequencies instead of the old NOV channels. Well I can avoid the WRC overlaps most of the time if I don’t want to specifically work outside of the UK. But when the band is busy it’s not possible to avoid using spectrum that is allocated to me.
The footnote reads fine to me, it’s a suggestion to help organise activity so more of us can use a shared and limited resource. It would be sensible if the overlapping freqs were given. The expression “if possible” is nice allowing a degree of flexibility and accommodation. Sometimes it’s not best to have every T crossed and I dotted. You get to use your skill and judgement as a responsible adult and not blindly follow orders.
Well said, Andy. I can add that indeed the UK bands can often be very busy nowadays, as more people find how useful 60 metres is.
Perhaps a better approach is to do as was done in the bandplan with the common frequencies that are common with the US and indicate where the overlap is - then as people are informed they can chose whether to use that frequency for local QSOs instead of other frequencies (and possibly block it’s usage for other lower powered continental stations) or not. As you say bandplans are usually recomendations - unfortunately in Germany and some other countries, they are mandatory.
To reflect an indication of the overlap and with a suggestion of a small move for the digital modes - the band plan for the UK “could” look something like this:
What really is needed is a much wider band that all countries have allocated the same, which was the aim going into WRC15 and OUGHT to be the aim (IMHO) going into the next WRC, using the evidence that no problems have occured with the mini-band allocated out of WRC15.
Time will tell …
