The AM Forum

The following message is being forwarded around on the internet via e-mail and on some of the mailing lists.  They do have a point.  There is very little phone activity in this portion of the band, now that the novelty has worn off.  Why not re-warm the band with AM?  I'll be exercising my 3620 kHz xtal a little more often.


Here are sniplets from a few of the comments I have seen regarding the message:




















http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/2009-January/subject.html

Where's the pain  ??? Upgrade to Extra and you have CW privileges in that part of the band, if operating CW in that area means that much to you. Sounds like another batch of whiners that want something for nothing.

Novice and Technician classes:

      3.525-3.600 MHz: CW Only

General class:

      3.525-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
      3.800-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image

Advanced class:

      3.525-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
      3.700-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image

Amateur Extra class:

      3.500-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
      3.600-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image

Exactly, Pete.  There's not even a code test any more.  :)

CW can be used anywhere and the license is so easy since high code speed is not required any more, why do they want to complain? It looks like alot of it is driven by emotion rather than logic.

""
Quote
.... bringing honor back to radio licensing.
""

huh? I didn't cheat on my test. Such a comment is pure emotion and I guess that old argument "I did this particular thing so you also have to do the exact same for your initiation" has come up again. Wouldn't it bring "honor" to their license to upgrade to Extra as you say? It's very amusing.

Yeah, Don, I heard you loud and clear the other night on 3620 while I was mobile...you were talking with someone out west, AZ, perhaps?  My truck rig, a Yaesu FT-857D will only wind up to 25 watts and I have an 75-meter resonator tuned for 3615-3640, but you were in a hurry to unload some groceries or something, and left pretty quick after signing with the other op...and my li'l 25 watts probably wasn't making it through anyway.  I have the radio tuned there in "Band" mode, so I can check there in the evening when I'm headed home.

Listen in for a QRPer from Satsuma, AL sometime, will ya?  We'll fill that 3620 slot with some QSO's!

Bud, KC4HGH

This is a lot of fertilizer!

Don tnx for the post,
yes handing over 100 kc of what was
General class cw
to no code extra fone ops was a big mistake

and yes that 100 kc is almost always empty
during contests ive been
moving up to the bottom edge of the fone band
to get away from the mess

have now and then found other ops
trying to escape from the madness

yes give us back 3600 to 3700
heck
still have a mess of 80 meter novice rocks
for my glow bugs
may start trying to drum up some action
between 3675 and 3700

yours truly
Mac

Nothing is stopping the CW nazis from operating there, and I submit that that segment of the band is MUCH more occupied than 10%.  I would even submit that it's more occupied now than it was before.

Why must every issue with the CW aficionados degenerate into slinging mud at those extras who passed the test fair and square?  What in the world is gained by disrespecting them?  Do they think that their holier than thou attitude somehow attracts these newer hams to their hallowed mode, or what?

If history is an accurate judge, they won't be successful.  The FCC has a record of not undoing anything they have done.

One of the  reasons the FCC agreed to expand the phone band was that the CW/data operators weren't using 3600-3700.  There were a few traffic nets in the early evening on cw, and some data transmissions scattered about, but many times during the prime evening hours, the entire segment was vacant.

There is nothing to keep the CW operators off this segment, since CW is still perfectly legal there.

It's more an issue of segmentation by licence class than lack of segmentation by mode.  All those guys need to do is to get their Extra, and they can operate CW on 3600-3700 to their hearts' content.

What keeps both voice and cw operators off the segment is the rock-bound VFO phenomenon.

Since the expansion, the CW segment has never been overly congested except during QuaRMtests, but then, they are going to be congested regardless.

I agree with Pete, as always.... :)

Is this posted over on Eham...I'll have to look..

This kinda stuff always flourishes well over there...

CW elitists whining again. Sounds exactly like the rant by these small-minded types decades ago when 40 meters was changed from CW only to CW and Fone. Some things never change.

"Already the incoming Administration is leaning on the FCC and the agency has been told to "stand down" until a review of many of their past decisions is completed....
 
And while you're at it, send a letter off to Vice-President Elect Joe Biden ...

Cut and paste your letter to President Elect Obama at his website"



Hopefully the incoming administration will get to work right away on this serious issue.   ::)

Hey, Sam, there are few issues more pressing to the new administration than bringing back the CW requirement so we can bring "honor" back to ham radio  ::) ::) ::)

That kind of "honor" we don't need. If CW ops are the best and brightest of amateur radio, we're doomed. :'(

I posted my reply about this on the AMradio email. This guy is just whining like a turbine. He hasn't any justification for his argument.

cw sux.  :P

it destroyed the entry of technical people into the hobby at the beginning of the home computer boom, pre internet.

1982 was the year ham radio became passe, because of the turn down on no code that year. An entire generation simply decided CW was crap when they could talk on cb instead. So they did.

I was kind if pleased to see that big chunk go to Extra.  I actually have a reason to upgrade from Advanced now.  The tiny slivers the Extras used to have exclusively were hardly worth the effort.

And that change was brought about because the CW ops weren't using the top end, to avoid the post WW2 foreign broadcast QRM.  The FCC was lobbied to make the change, to keep some N. American amateur radio presence up there.  Otherwise, at the next WARC, SW broadcasters would likely have successfully grabbed 7100-7300 in Region 2 just as they did elsewhere in the world.

Yep. So fone ops saved the day, just as they always do. The CW elistists are a millstone around amateur radio's neck and always have been.

But of course, I have heard slopbucketeers say the same thing about "AM elitists".

Sure. But they are wrong. AM elistists aren't asking the FCC to set aside hundreds of kiloHertz for their exclusive use. They are not claiming all honor is gone from licensing since there is no AM test. Etc and Etc.

The only thing lower than a CW elitist is an SSB moron.

One outright mistake made by the FCC in moving the phone band edge down was that the edge should have been put at 3635 kHz in agreement with the IARU Region 2 band plan.  This would have left a lot of the digital communications undisturbed on previously established frequencies.  The edge could be moved up 35 kHz and this would alleviate some/a lot of the complaints I think.
 
In my Comments to Petition RM 11305 I suggested 3635 kHz for the new band edge and mentioned the IARU Region 2 band plan.  I guess the Commission lawyers didn't read my comment.

...i'm not sure what the rules are in the u.s., but here in canada, i'm allowed to use any mode of transmission, not exceeding 6kc. on all bands, except 30m, in the hf spectrum...this means we do not have "sub bands", etc...so, am,fm, etc is ok fine from 3.5-4.0...all of 160, 40, etc....
..sure makes things easy.....
..but most hams in canada dont know this...i think the reason fer this is, they look to RAC (our arrl), and see the "band plans" that RAC would like to see used, not what the govt. allows us to use...

..sk..

IARU Region 2 Band Plan states that 3600 to 3625 is all modes, digimodes, auto control, and 2700* BW (* meaning DSB AM allowed in this segment with maximum bandwidth of 6 KHz). Seems that latest Region 2 band plan and latest FCC rules are pretty close in "agreement".

Seems like the AM versus CW versus SSB arguments all over again, similar to the code-no code
"wars" on qrz.com a few years ago.

Ham radio has come a long way in the past few years, and the future looks "bright"? ::)

Think I`d rather read a good book, than waste time arguing about this.
This "horse" has been "beat to death", IMO.

                                               73, K1MVP
                                      

Not really. No wars. Just pointing out the stupidity of one group (in this case CW weirdos) wanting more exclusive frequencies. My response would be the same, no matter the mode, including AM.

There's really no legitimate argument for this proposed reclamation idiocy, so yes, reading a book would be more worthwhile.

The future of ham radio is no less bright than it has been in the last 30 years.

Steve,
There are hams I know personally(who are very technically proficient) who think AM`ers are a
bit "strange", so I guess it would depend on one`s "perspective".
                                                  73, Rene, MVP

P.S.,--I do not agree with them,--I am just noting my experience with some other hams.

I always wondered,.. if everybody had everything...in time ..somebody would find something to Bitch about...There are some people that Live.... to much radio man...Toms right an so is Pete...I'm on the air now there's a few hot spots.. little DX like I hunt for..and Lotsa dead space...Traffic is what it is..Time sensitive...I like night time operations...but that doesn't give me any right to bust anybody's balls about what they do...and I don't...I do like the way Canada does it though... :)

These are the band edges... these are the rules...stay within them..it's Like really self explanatory..

Steve said:
 ;D

I agree, I love CW, but if the amount of "computer time" spent hashing out every perceived "wrong" was translated to actual "air time", we'd be having the most robust period of activity in the history of the amateur service.

I've noted a most intriguing correlation, in that those who spend the most time on the computer, are also those who whine the most about on air activity.

Seems kind of odd, doesn't it?

Those who use the privileges the least are the ones to complain the most?

The one bright spot, at least the way that I figure it, is if they are on the computer whining, then I don't have to listen to them on the air!  ;)

                " who think AM`ers are a bit "strange"  "

I think they arr right............   klc

I think the elitist mentality in general serves amateur radio (say nothing about mankind) poorly. It's not mode-specific, either. Whether from the 'old technology sucks' group, the "I scored higher in the corntest" bunch, or the "I bought a better collection in 5 years than you built in 25" types, they all miss the point. It's not (or at least, didn't use to be) about what attention you can get, the stuff, etc, but about what you can give to others through your interest. Public service, mentoring/'Elmering' new hams, improving your knowledge base, keeping yourself off the street and out of trouble (that has to count as some kind of civil service)...which might be why it was defined as the Amateur Radio Service vs Hobby. Nothing wrong with enjoying it, but to assign so much self-importance because of it seems lame. Right up there with the newbs insisting they're really old timers. It's all about MEEEEeee.

In this case, aren't the CW whiners (not all CW ops, just the whiners) really proving the FCC's decision to be right and in the best interest of amateur radio? Rather than favoring one group? If there's so little activity down there, where's the problem? "Give it back to us so only we can not use it" doesn't strike me as a good argument.  ::)

And howdy from 4-Land, Rene! Hope you're staying warm and enjoying all that snow. Heard about Milton, that was my very first 'fest back in the 80s so the feelings of nostalgia are there, but the lid running it offsets much of that. Hope you folks manage to carry on.

Todd said:
Tah-dahh!!! You get the cigar Todd. That is exactly the point. This bonesauce obviously thinks he has a leg to stand on.  :o

See, that's the difference between me and them. I don't think all CW ops are strange. Just those who think they are entitled to huge tracts of exclusive spectrum and those who foolishly think CW testing is honorable, etc.

I'm open-minded to all operating modes, they are not. Thus, they are weirdos and quite frankly, anti-amateur radio.

Hi Todd,
Yep we still have the snow,--am sure you are not missing it down where you are.
By the way are you in NC or SC?

Roger,(K1MBX) from Brookfield moved to Rutherford N.C., a while back and has no regrets after
living up here for a number of years,--he also does not miss the snow.

As far as Milton,--I don`t think you will be missing much,--I didn`t go this past year,--and I may not
go again.
I should try and hit Nearfest this spring, as I have not been to the new location,-- last time I went
was at hosstraders at Contoocook N.H., so its been a while.

                                                  73, Rene, K1MVP

No more "Milton".

It is moved to Colchester, and is now called "Ham-Con"   ::)

More $ to get in .... but a few miles closer (1/2 hour)


It was the first fest I went to that someone pushed me out of the way to buy a piece of gear I was making a deal on!

( I won't mention who ... they frequent this forum )


Supposedly bigger and better... we'l see.

Luckily, not many of the cw elite go... mostly 2 meter cb'ers.

How unfriendly. "push-n-grab" behavior is seen here in Texas as well, although very infrequently because bad manners like that can start an argument with escalation. The southern seller usually won't let someone get away with that behavior either, and will ignore them or ask them to wait while they talk with the first party. When negotiating the price with a seller, a buyer will often put its hand on the equipment. That's the cue that for the moment it's spoken for. Oh well. Hopefuly most people with bad manners will stay up north!!

Oh come on I've seen manners degrade a lot when the temperature goes up in Texas.The first time I went it was in the winter and everyone was nice on the road. Summer is a different issue when you want to change lanes.

well if you are going to bring the temperature into it, I can concede that point!

That happened to me once.  Almost caused a serious fight.  I was looking at a tube manual and this big guy overhears the seller tell me what he wants for it.  The guy yanks it out of my hand, shoves the money into the seller's hand, and trots off.

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=18231.0 (http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=18231.0)  See No.16

Who wants to get into a pissing match over this?

not me. Might be worth discussing where the stats came from but it aint worth a pissin match.

Say it ain't so!

                                                             .

m' yeah, I'm goin to have to go ahead and take that, m' Kay.

At least Milton gets to show Lumbergh his "Oooo" face at the end....

Great movie - Don't forget the classic line....

"Damn it feels good to be a gangsta'."  ;)


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