The AM Forum

    Wow!! As the clock swept past 12:01 EST 80M transformed itself into what I remember as the "magic" band I remember as a Novice listener in 1962.
    With all the AM activity spread from 3600-4000kc, we no longer sound like a "minority" oddball antique group. We sounded like the rather large fraternaty that we are!
    Since we were not confined to 3880 and 3885, our numbers and signal and operational quality could be heard by all.
    I suggest we keep it up. Don't go back to the habit of hanging out on the "window".
    What do you say, guys? Isn't this fantastic?

Good working Dave in the Cave last night !

I would love to see a screen shot of anyone's panadapter at Midnight, straight up.

Seeing all those carriers, straight up on the display, would be a classic screen saver !

Last night for the first time I brought my G4 PowerBook computer out to the Radio Lodge and used our wi-fi connection to the fiber optic in the house to combine some communications technology spanning 60 years. 

Felt amazing that it all came together that way for a very enjoyable night on the radio.

Psst:  Don't tell Gary I had the computer out there. I swore I'd never allow one amongst the cherished artifacts.

Man I forgot to turn on my SDR to watch the spectrum. Wasn't hard to find signals even through the cosmic backwash

Yes, it was really quite amazing last night. The band literally lit up at 12:00 AM EST, right to the second, as soon as WWV hit the magic time, with scores of AM and SSB stations taking advantage of the new operating privileges. Just prior to the witching hour, you could hear a number of stations tuning up below 3.8 Mhz, some with very strapping carriers.

Too bad band condx were so poor. Still, I had great QSOs with Tim, WA1HLR; Joe, WA2PJP; and Todd, K1Q. Paul, I would have liked to have spoken with you for a longer period,  but K3V was obviously attracting a lot of attention, and there was quite a waiting line.

I think that Timtron summed it up best last night, just before we all signed off at around 2:10 AM; the whole experience was really quite ethereal, surrealistic, and unlike anything we've heard on 75/80M since probably the 1960s. This was probably what 75M AM was like up until the late 1950s. What a unique pleasure to have an extended QSO with literally zero QRM from any SSB stations!

On a side note, the month of December marks the centennial celebration of two world-changing inventions; Fessenden's first AM broadcast (Dec. 24, 1906), as well as DeForest's invention of the triode vacuum tube (Dec. 31, 1906). I, for one, will be operating on the 100th anniversary of each of these truly incredible inventions, in honor of these great men who made possible the basic technology that ultimately enabled this hobby that we love, and owe so much to. I look forward to celebrating these events and these men later this month.

Best 73,

Bruce

I had a 20/9 noise level and didn't have a chance...I gave up around 12:20.  I did copy one set of ducks on ~3720 commenting about all the AM signals below 3700... klc

Had both the SDR and the 756 PRO II monitoring 3700 prior to the witching hour. both spectrum scopes were set to +/- 100 KHz. At 12 midnight EST, 3600 to 3800 lit up with lots of modulating signals. By 1 AM, roughly 50% (give or take) of the signals disappeared. Tuning around with the 756, at roughly 12:06, I heard a SSB QSO already complaining about an adjacent AM QSO. Some things never change. We even had one station, who probably had a "fast" clock, calling CQ in the "new" area 90 seconds before the bell rang.

1JJ, you missed a great aurora opening on 6 prior to the bell ringing.

So far, I have noticed a very friendly, laid back attitude on the new frequencies.  Haven't heard any complaining or griping, or fighting over a frequency.  Kinda reminds me of what 160 used to be like when the band was first opened up.  There is plenty of room for everybody.  There was an inrush of activity when the expansion first went into effect, but so far this evening I have noticed less activity.  I suspect activity will drop off as the novelty wears off. 

The 3885 region seems deserted.  But haven't heard any General class AM QSO's above 3800 so far this weekend.  Maybe with the band open to Generals all way down to 3800, there will be some AM activity spread over the 3800-3900 region as well.

And listening, I seem to detect a certain feeling of excitement in the conversations on the air.  Maybe this will be the shot in the arm that ham radio needs.

I had the unique pleasure of working W2ZE first on 3714 on cw from 2339 to 2353 hrs on December 14.
This frequency was very close to both of our old Novice xtal frequencies.  This was the last cw qso for us in the old Novice band.

Then, as both the clock and the calendar clicked over, I got on 3725 and spoke the words, "Zero Hour."  W2ZE immediately answered me, and hence began a new page in Ham Radio history.  It was really fun to be a part of that history.

Spread out, everybody, and enjoy the new privileges.  And while we're at it, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

K2VHerb

So where do we land this space ship 3785, 3685 or back to 3885???

Frank,

Like the title of this thread says, "AM on 80 sans window.

We don't have to land it anywhere.  It just keeps going wherever it wants to go.

vH

As of 5PM ET there were AM QSOs on

3670
3685
3710
3725
3740
3885

Spread out and keep it that way!

Yes Steve ,

The NEW AM window is 3600 - 4000kc and lets not box ourselves in like in the past.

I kind of like 3775 close to DX window antenna performance what say mr. Vu.
but yup we own it all

Paul,
I heard there is also a woman behind every tree out there.

I got the Apache fired up and tuned through 75/80M tonight but the band seems to be suffering from 'over exposure to the sun!' I was pleased that the Apache lit up and worked after being idle for quite a number of years. I did have to exercise the bandswitch just to get drive to the 6146's.

I know; the terrible condx on 75/80M are really disappointing, since old Sol did his thang. Last time I was on was Friday AM right after the witching hour for the bandwarming, but with the sad state of the band currently, there is no point in firing up the rig.

This too shall pass, (and I hope real soon at that)! My need for a radio fix is not so bad that I feel like firing up on 2M though.

73,

Bruce

Calling OE4XLC right now  ---  he's hearing Iceland and Greece, Arkansas N5NR (!!) but not me  pshaw  !!

3800Kc  at 0437GMT

Bruce said:
You're not just 'Whistlin' Dixie' Bruce. I know the flare and the wave of solar generated particles have passed, but the upper section of the ionosphere must have been saturated and may begin to settle down. I had to work yesterday but I came home around 4PM with hopes of finally trying out my luck on the newly allocated freqs. for the first time, but I was severly dissappointed. Hell, if worse comes to worse, I'll re-apply for my special event call sign again. ;)

Have been away for the past few days so I missed the festivities.  Turned the RX on 3880 this morning.  SSBers there hrd to say "if they want a fight they got a fight.  They abandoned the AM window so we need to show them that we are here to stay.  And when CW is outlawed we will take the whole band"

My thoughts were the same as Flounder's in Animal House "Oh boy this is gonna be great".

So Much has changed overnight that I dont think I can handle it.   VJB had a newfangled computer in his shack working wireless wifi!!
GFZ Frank has a hollow state device in his shack and actually made a contact with it!!

The day I abandon 3885 will be the day they pry my crystal out of my cold dead fingers.....sonny....

73
W2ILA

Actually, with all the open space now, we don't need to have an AM QSO in progress on 3885 and another on 3880.  That leaves only a maximum 2500~ clear on the overlapping sidebands.  That has been a thorn on the AM window for years, hearing the monkeychatter from the adjacent AM QSO.  So if we continue to use 3885, let the idiots fire up on 3880 if it is clear.  Of course, if we are there first, they'll just have to learn how to use the VFO on their appliances.

For the Generals, I would hope there would still be some activity in the vicinity of 3885, and maybe more down in the vicinity of 3825.  I recall in the mid-to-late 70's when AM first started its "comeback", Generals couldn't go below 3900 and later 3890, so 75m AM was virtually off-limits to Generals, since at that time the "electronic ghetto" was so jam packed with slopbucket that there was seldom a clear spot to start a QSO using either mode.

We'll have to wait and see if the no-code newcomers and upgrades are numerous enough to create a new electronic ghetto or generate enough congestion to recreate the AM vs SSB wars of yore.

    I suspect there will be a ton of tech to general class upgrades with a tremendous influx clamouring to get on to 75M.
    We need to oppose the idea of an AM "Window". General AM'ers should tactfully use 3805-3995kc. Indeed, there are enough of us, now, to spread out from 3605 to 3995kc and let hamdom see all the AM'ers. I talked to K2XI on an FT-920 who wants to get a plate modulated transmitter and join us.
    With all this bandwidth, I am hoping truce between SSB and AM. However, once we accept the idea of, or admit to, an AM window, then we'll be back where we started.

Personally I do not expect much of  a rush to obtain a ham license now that morse code is not part of the test.  Yes, certainly a few people out there felt precluded from an HF ticket because of "having" to learn to code, but I really have not seen much to document that there's a bunch of additional people waiting in the wings to join up.

I agree with Paul.  Five wpm isn't really all that much tougher than no words per minute.  If they didn't get their Generals with 5, why would they bother with zero?

Ten Cents plus a Post Toastie Boxtop ::)

vH

I agree with W2ILA, but do we really want to find 3885 now and forever
quacking with SB, spreading  out is great but I hope the "Tall Ships" make an
appearance on 'ol 3885 now and then.   I look at it as a big hamfest (like hosstraders)
That fest has a common meeting place for AMer's.  No meeting place(s) then no meetings (qso's)
Am'ers got to meet somewhere on the band.  Granted, just not ONLY on 3885, but
3725, 3825ish, etc. etc.  Spread out but don't forget the old neighborhood. 
Or the SB will move in.  I guess it will sort out in time.......My 2 cents. 

Sincerely,
Jim

3885 is still listed as the AM Calling Frequency in the revised band plans.
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/bandplan.html
Monitor, call, meet, move still works

7290 is also still listed as an AM calling freq. I wonder who else uses the same freq. for BULLitens.  JOE

It wouldn't hurt to maintain some AM presence in that part of the band.  But as soon as a QSO builds up to more than about 4 people, a couple of the stations split off from the group and start another AM QSO elsewhere in the band, just as we did on Bandwarming night.

I listened up there last night, and the whole area was nearly devoid of signals - AM and slopbucket alike.  Once the novelty of the new frequencies wears off, some of the familiar voices will undoubtedly reappear.  But no need to maintain the concept of the "window."  Just keep the calling frequency open.

Something I have noticed is that 75 m phone stations are calling CQ again (both AM and SSB), all up and down the band.

And we are still waiting for the band to go off the rag following last Thursday's solar flare.

Talk about turning the world upside-down! And we thought the phone expansion was huge?

There was some sputtering from SSB ops down near 3740 the other day too. Seems they decided to start a net 2-3 kcs away, then proceeded to piss and moan about the AMers with their "illegal signals" causing interference. I very clearly heard 'HUZ try to talk with the main complainer on SSB (unless I had him perfectly zero beat) to work out a compromise. The AM QSO could move down a few and the SSB guys could move up a few. No way, the net has been on *that* frequency for 8 million years and that's that. Steve replied 'Now you're not being reasonable, you're just being belligerent' and that was about it. I commend Steve on his level-headed attempt to diffuse this issue, but both sides need to be willing to participate if it's going to work. The AMers had been there for hours.

Overall I think it's been very well-received by most folks. Our neighbors to the north seem to appreciate the increased AM activity, and it sure makes it easier for all parties, regardless of mode, to communicate. The only issue I see is the same old one of frequency ownership. Well, okay - and those few who hate AM with a passion.

I plan to still use 3870-3885 if there is activity, and reserve the right to call CQ on any unused phone frequency that I am licensed to use. Quite honestly, even before the expansion there were many nights when SSB ops were using 3880, 3883, 3885 and 3887 because no one was on. Who was it that said 'Get off your computer and get on the air!'?