AM missing from League Chart?

[WA3VJB]

Harrison, Sumner and others have insisted the ARRL supports AM. It's difficult to find evidence of that, and easy to find evidence to the contrary, especially if you include the perception of things. I got a note this morning.---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Darron Sanchez
Date: Dec 9, 2007 3:32 AM
Subject: e-ham article
To: Paul Courson 
 
Paul :
Thanks for your reply with your nice written article.
I hope that you get many good feed back answers, and the article opens some eyes to the dealings with the ARRL.
If you do a Google of the ARRL web sight Do a search for there hand out of the band plan they are advertising. Look under Frequency allocations on there web sight.
Im shure you will be surprised as I was to see all the frequency allotment to ritty and its all in the cw portion of the band .
there is only two places on the chart showing cw 80&40 meters and that has been drastically reduced.
There is no mention of AM anywhere on the chart.
This is what they are mailing out every time they solicit a ham to join ARRL.
They sent me one when I renewed my ticket.
Thanks again for your nice article ,I hope it does some good.
Darron WA5TCZ The text version of the chart says "phone," and that is a correct representation of activity that takes place there. The ARRL is following Canada's lead in avoiding the term "SSB," which unwittingly can convey an impression against the use of AM.

The full-color PDF chart, by contrast, uses the term "SSB" in areas where phone activity is limited to some version of repressed carrier. As Darron points out, there is no reference whatsoever to the use of AM in the "key" to the color codes among the segments highlighted.

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/Hambands_color.pdf

Is the omission too subtle to take offense at?
Probably. But it would have been easy to toss us a crumb and list AM among the flavors of "phone" that are found in the segments so designated.

[kb3nqd]

I didn't realize that it just lists phone before I posted over here:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=12869.0;topicseen

Who can rewrite the suggested band plan charts so that they make mention of AM under phone modes?

[KF1Z]

Read Part 97.305 of the FCC rules....

No mention of AM there under Authorized Emission Types.......

Only "Phone"

[WA3VJB]

I can sympathize with frustration about slopbucketeers bad manners, deliberate QRM and refusal to respect the AM window or an AM QSO.

I realize I may get crispy fried for this but I gotta ask the question.....(/me dons asbestos undergarments).  The AM window has been around for a while.  I hear lots of complaints about the deliberate QRM in that region and I have to wonder......has anyone ever approached the league to get it added to the suggested band plans?  I realize the AM community and the ARRL has some history but as a new ham I don't know much about it.  To be perfectly honest about it I am less concerned about the history than how to fix things now (I do believe that we should learn from the lessons of history though).  Would ordinary Hams sign a petition to get an "AM window" added to the bandplans?  I suspect everyone here wouldn't mind signing such a petition.  Thoughts?

It's in the League's "Considerate Operator's Guide" that shows up in the magazine. W1AW consistently ignores the recommendation for AM at 7290, using a mismatched mode in its prerecorded announcements.

[W2INR]

AM is a legal Phone emission. To give AM a "special " place in my opinion would be counterproductive.

Since AM is "Phone" we can operate wherever "phone" is allowed. If we lobby for a "special " group then we may end up with "special" areas which I think would restrict our operating frequencies.



G

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I agree with INR,  Phone is a good enough definition. It includes all emision types that are basically voice over RF.  A3E, J3E and NBFM are all "Phone" modes. 

Anything "Special" implies inequality, and the ability to be excluded or Footnoted off the air.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Back in Dec. 2002 and Jan. 2003, Paul, WA3VJB, Mark, K3MSB, and myself initiated a series of e-mail discussions with the ARRL Awards person and various Directors to establish an AM endorsement for the ARRL WAS Award. At the Jan. 2003 Director's Meeting, my Director presented the idea of an AM endorsement sticker, or equivalent, to the WAS Award. The existing Award at that time included SSB, CW, QRP, packet, and several other modes. Note: up to that time, phone equated to SSB in their Awards, and I believe, their band charts and band plans. My understanding was that the Directors discussed the proposal, but there was not a lot of support, and so it was dropped.

However, behind the scenes, the wheels must have started to roll.

At the January 2004 Director's meeting, Motion 35 was introduced:
"35. On motion of Dr. Weaver, seconded by Mr. Vallio, it was unanimously VOTED to ADOPT the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the Worked All States Award (WAS) is one of the more popular ARRL awards, and

WHEREAS, the current WAS is endorsable for SSB which is exclusive of other voice modes, and

WHEREAS, there currently exists no PHONE endorsement to the WAS award,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ARRL establish a PHONE endorsement to replace the SSB endorsement to the WAS award, and

FURTHERMORE, that this endorsement be further endorsable as to specific voice mode similar in manner as the current DIGITAL endorsement, and

FURTHERMORE, that this endorsement be dated but not serial numbered."

The ARRL band plan now shows AM Calling frequencies on various bands where, I believe in the past, they did not. Other then a few spots in the HF band, the notation "SSB" was dropped. Terms like "wideband modes" or "phone" are now used.
http://www.arrl.org/announce/board.html

Likewise, around this time frame, the ARRL AM web page also came into being:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/tis/info/am.html

[w3jn]

SSB *is* AM - albiet with one sideband and a carrier "repressed".  But it's AM nonetheless.

[WA3VJB]

Y'know John, the United Nations has a history of resolutions against repression worldwide. Maybe there's an angle there that we should pursue.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

SSB *is* AM - albiet with one sideband and a carrier "repressed".  But it's AM nonetheless.

And, DSB is AM with both sidebands and a carrier "repressed"!

It's all phone and maybe "wideband mode" depending on your definition of "wideband".

[w3jn]

CW is a wideband mode too, if key clicks aren't attended to 

[Tom WA3KLR]

AM missing from League Chart?

I guess it depends which League Chart you are looking at.

The following pdf is the ARRL's "The Considerate Operator's Frequency Guide".  It lists the AM calling frequencies of 3885, 7290, 14.286, 29.0 - 29.2 MHz.  I wish all sidebanders were aware of it.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

AM missing from League Chart?

I guess it depends which League Chart you are looking at.

The latest one dated February 23, 2007:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/Hambands_color.pdf

All the green colored areas are now called "phone". Some of the older ones, instead of calling it phone, called it SSB.