Effort afoot to "reclaim" 3600-3700 CW subband

[k4kyv]

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.

Since the changes were made taking away exclusive use of the 3600-3700
portion of the 80 meter band for CW, I have done extensive monitoring
in it. There is very little use of this portion of the band now. I
have heard some ssb activity in the upper 25 khz (3675-3700). Percentage
of use during a one month period is less than 10%. From 3650-3675, percentage is less than 7%. From 3600-3650, percentage is less than 4%.
 
That is an awful waste of band space. There has been ample time for
someone to make use of these frequencies. Since they are not being
used enough, I think it should be given back to CW/RTTY/Digital.
During contest weekends, the present allocation of frequencies for
CW,etc. makes it almost unusable for net operation and QSO's.
 
Who else should I contact with these recommendations and statistics?
I will be glad to do so. Me and thousands of other CW ops would like
to see this portion given back to us.
 
Thanks for your help and 73,
Rodney Baker, W5DY
STX Section Traffic Manager
Tex CW Asst Net Manager
TCC Member
ORS

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

Come up with a plan to fix this.

We can talk about it and complain, but we need to see if it can be fixed.

Gather data on the 3600 to 3700 segment's usage during the winter.Gather data on the crowding of the CW ops AND the data ops. Get a group
together and write up a petition with support of both CW and data
groups, and ops. Submit the petition asking for 3600 to 3650 to be
returned to the CW/DATA ops because the SSB ops are not using it. Point
out the mistake that the FCC made in estimating usage (or just making a
usage guess) of the different modes in the previous rulemaking. Maybe
the FCC will pay attention.

Ask for the whole 100 KC.  It should have never been removed to start with, considering the ever increasing numbers of digital operators coming onboard.
That way, it could be split between CW and digital operations.

...excuse me, but it WAS OUR CW BAND before it was stolen from us.

Wedging our foot in the door...or at least, through legislation, re-acquiring a reasonable amount of spectrum for CW operations (which we do not have now) might be considered is an example of the spirit that founded this great country.

I have been an outspoken proponent of CW operations above 3600 for some time. Half of my operating time is spent there. True, the band is now outrageously restricted to Extra Class licensees (and those who hold so-called "Extra Class" codeless permits), but at least operations there would develop a presence which may cascade into growth and possibly a change in law.

I sat there listening to what must have been some digital data contest (RTTY) consume most of our puny 80 meter CW band. Meanwhile from 3600 to 3700 I heard not a single signal.

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. This is being led by U.S. Representative Henry Waxman and Senator Jay Rockefeller.

Write to Senator Rockefeller and Representative Waxman and urge them to remain steadfast in their support of reassessment FCC decisions during the last 8 years, including fair utilization of the spectrum as well as bringing honor back to radio licensing.

Their addresses are:

Senator Jay Rockefeller
531 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Representative Henry Waxman
2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

And while you're at it, send a letter off to Vice-President Elect Joe Biden :

Vice President-Elect Joseph R. Biden
1105 North Market Street, Suite 2000
Wilmington, Delaware 19801-1233

Cut and paste your letter to President Elect Obama at his website,
www.change.gov (Letters mailed to him are being returned unopened so this is probably the most expeditious, if not only, way of letting your feelings be known).

If you come up with a plan, set it up as a petition online;
I'll sign it. Looks like a NPRM to me.

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

[Pete, WA2CWA]

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

[k4kyv]

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

[Opcom]

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.

[KC4HGH]

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

[KA8WTK]

This is a lot of fertilizer!

[c. mac neill w8znx]

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

[w3jn]

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?

[Jim, W5JO]

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

[k4kyv]

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.

[ka3zlr]

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...

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

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.

[Sam KS2AM]

"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.   

[w3jn]

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 

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

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

[W3SLK]

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.

[N3DRB The Derb]

cw sux. 

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.

[WB2YGF]

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.

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.

[k4kyv]

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.

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.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

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.

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.

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.

[k4kyv]

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".

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

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.

[Tom WA3KLR]

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.

[ve6pg]

...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..

[Pete, WA2CWA]

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.

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".