The AM Forum

Hi!

This morning I spent some time calling CQ on 40 meters, clearly upsetting more than one "fellow ham". The reason being, I was transmitting on USB.
(some mil gear does not transmit on LSB, as most of you know)

I was called idiot and much worse things, honestly that does not upset me much, they just don't know better. And, of course, no one identified them self's.

So, I ask my self, what on Earth is wrong with some people?
Well, I know that this is probably not easy to answer…

But, what about your experience
Do you run in "trouble" when operating "the wrong sideband"?

Yes, more than once.

Those with unhealthy emotions sometimes have serious personal problems when their perceptions and reality don't match. No offense was offered by the target, but they have chosen to presume or 'take' offense, usually without any understanding why or what has just happened.

The same type of individual will complain about 'AM transmissions on sideband frequencies' and all sorts of other non-existent offenses, but each individual may have their own pet peeve. I think those are called 'triggers' these days. The triggered behavior is very permeating other situations in their lives as well.

They don't well understand the difference between regulations and suggestions, but have made assumptions and rabidly stick to them, performing knee-jerk reactions (like cursing) whenever their concept of 'order' is violated. The only result is that they look foolish.

I don't respond to them because #1 trolls should be ignored and #2 they can't be corrected or educated because they are always right. It's astonishing!

I do not go out of my way to annoy these poor wretches, but if I want to operate the USB military radio on a band where LSB is predominately used, and I have a clear frequency, so to speak, then I will do so. I hope they report it to the FCC, so that they can be corrected.

I don't get mad at them, and my own opinion above is without emotional intent. If it's morally wrong, or it is I who have misinterpreted the voice segment regulations, then someone should please comment so I can learn something.

I suppose these people who assume you are on the "wrong" sideband probably have no idea why it is customary to use LSB on 75 and 40 and USB on the higher frequencies.  If they were to study a bit of amateur history, they would come to find out that the earliest home-brew transmitters used a mixing scheme that, by default, only worked LSB on the lower frequencies, and USB on the others.  At that point in time, there were no commercial rigs (appliances) with those little USB LSB buttons.

Of course it is not a regulation to comply with the customary procedure.  It might have been prudent for them to come back and question why you were on USB.  Your situation is very similar to why we have that LSB/USB custom.  

I guess the masses also do not understand why sometimes we transmit on both sidebands, and fail to properly suppress our carrier.  Well, during the AM Rally two weeks ago, I found it a pleasure to be able to use my SDR to select either sideband, when there was some QRM on the alternate sideband.  But when there was no QRM, synchronous AM detection was able to eliminate distortion due to selective fading.  But that only works if all the folks in the round-table are close to zero-beat on the frequency.  I suppose zero-beating is a lost art too.  

I did not intend to hijack your thread, but it is ironic how the uninformed and uneducated become the self-appointed unofficial "Official Observers".

Have fun with that military gear.  It is great to bring it back to life and recollect how it was originally used and just how long ago that was!