Transatlantic AM on 3705

[k4kyv]

About 0500 GMT this evening/Sat morning I made a test transmission on 3705 kHz.  Jean, F6AQK came back to me and we had about a 20 minute QSO.  Conditions were quite good, even though he had QRN and QRM on his end and I had QRN on my end.  Towards the end of the QSO his signal faded, so I signed out.  At times he said I was S9 and he was S6 on my 75A4 guess meter.  Without the storms off the east coast he would have been Q5.

My first transatlantic 75m QSO for the season.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Awesome! Sorry I missed it.

Signals were big on 80 meters from Europe tonight. Let's hope the QRN stays low.

[w3jn]

I heard the F6, about S7 here, and could tell there was a carrier but couldn't pull you outta the mud, Don.

My ant is about 30' of wire tossed in a tree, til I get my sea freight.

[WB2EMS]

I heard a G0 on 60 meters around 6pm while I was out on my sailboat with my HFpacking rig with a short vertical antenna (buddistick). He was about S6 or so, with some QRN. He had a couple of QSO's on the frequency but couldn't hear my PW signal. First I've heard over the pond on 60 meters.

[Ralph W3GL]

There's AM on 60 meters?

[WB2EMS]

No, USB only on the channelized frequencies. But it was the first time I'd heard any European's on that band. I've been hearing lots on 40 meters, but not on 75 and 60 yet. I was also impressed to hear him on the buddistick whip (14 ft) so well. Seemed to fit with the topic of better band conditions as the season's change.

Wish there was AM on 60.

Kevin

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Talked with Jean - F6AQK and PA1SBV - Tjerk at 0422Z and 0432Z respectively on 3705 kHz this morning. Both had outstanding signals. Jean was 59+20 at times and Tjerk was 59+10. Jean was running 200 Watts and Tjerk was running a BC-610 and an AR88 receiver.

Let's hope there are many more contacts like this throughout the winter.

[pe1mph]

Talked with Jean - F6AQK and PA1SBV - Tjerk at 0422Z and 0432Z respectively on 3705 kHz this morning. Both had outstanding signals. Jean was 59+20 at times and Tjerk was 59+10. Jean was running 200 Watts and Tjerk was running a BC-610 and an AR88 receiver.

Let's hope there are many more contacts like this throughout the winter.

After a long time, again qso between USA and Holland
I wasn't qrv yesterday and today....
Last weeks I hear fair signals around 3885 from USA.
But mostly to weak to copy calls or names....

Good work Don and Steve, Jean and Tjerk!
Hope to hear (work) you soon....

Greetings,

PE1MPH
The Netherlands

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

We called for you Henk, but no Henk. Then we realized Henk was smart, he was still sleeping!   

Talked with Jean - F6AQK and PA1SBV - Tjerk at 0422Z and 0432Z respectively on 3705 kHz this morning. Both had outstanding signals. Jean was 59+20 at times and Tjerk was 59+10. Jean was running 200 Watts and Tjerk was running a BC-610 and an AR88 receiver.

Let's hope there are many more contacts like this throughout the winter.

After a long time, again qso between USA and Holland
I wasn't qrv yesterday and today....
Last weeks I hear fair signals around 3885 from USA.
But mostly to weak to copy calls or names....

Good work Don and Steve, Jean and Tjerk!
Hope to hear (work) you soon....

Greetings,

PE1MPH
The Netherlands

[k4kyv]

I listened last night, but too much static, so I didn't get on the air.

Henk, when are you guys going to get on 40m?  We work a lot of AM around 7160, and I have worked several stations from Europe, mostly Italians.  They started out running SSB but a couple of times they switched their transceivers over to AM, making it a transatlantic two-way on 40m AM.  About 0500Z during week nights, Europe comes in very well, while a lot of the U.S. SSB QRM is just going to bed.

Hopefully, the French stations will soon have access to 7100-7200.  From what I understand of the situation, they are waiting for some regulatory official to sign a certain document before they can legally use that segment.

[K1JJ]

Talked with Jean - F6AQK and PA1SBV - Tjerk at 0422Z and 0432Z respectively on 3705 kHz this morning. Both had outstanding signals. Jean was 59+20 at times and Tjerk was 59+10. Jean was running 200 Watts and Tjerk was running a BC-610 and an AR88 receiver.

Let's hope there are many more contacts like this throughout the winter.

Hey, those are some great AM recordings, Steve!   Looks like you were up past 4AM yourself.

Next time you plan on 3705 AM, let me know and I'll join ya.   I think the delta loops reflector barely reaches down there, so may work OK into Eu - maybe more bi-directional.

T

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

That's what Jean said last night too. But I've worked some French stations on 40 meters. So, do these stations have some special license, or are they bootlegging?

Tom: almost any morning at around 0400-0500Z, Jean, F6AQK is calling or listening on 3705. I am usually only awake at that time on the weekends. So, let's give it a shot next weekend if the static is reasonable.

Hopefully, the French stations will soon have access to 7100-7200.  From what I understand of the situation, they are waiting for some regulatory official to sign a certain document before they can legally use that segment.

[k4kyv]

That's what Jean said last night too. But I've worked some French stations on 40 meters. So, do these stations have some special license, or are they bootlegging?

They probably just assumed they could use the segment like other Europeans could, after the changes in the ITU regulations after the 29th of March.

27 juin 2009 JOURNAL OFFICIEL DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE Texte 2 sur 238

TEXTES GÉNÉRAUX

PREMIER MINISTRE

Arrêté du 25 juin 2009 portant modification du tableau national de répartition des bandes de fréquences

Attribution de la bande 7100-7200 kHz en région 1 En application des dispositions du numéro RR. 5.141 du règlement des radiocommunications, l’attribution la bande 7100-7200 kHz au service de radiodiffusion en régions 1 et 3 est supprimée. Cette bande est attribuée au service amateur à titre primaire au profit de l’Autorité en région 1.

On the 29th of  June, REF, the national amateur radio organisation (comparable to the US ARRL)  clarified the status of the situation.

Information on modiifications to the national table of frequency allocations

A  similar situation occurred in N. America after the LORAN allocation on 1.8-2.0 was  deleted.  It took a petion to the FCC (by ARRL) before they changed Part 97 to allow US amateurs full power and full use of of 1800-2000 kHz.  Then shortly afterwards, they changed the allocation to give Radiolocation primary status on 1900-2000, with amateurs secondary users. The purported purpose of this reallocation was to "re-accommodate" the radiolocation beacons on 1600-1700 that were displaced by the expanded AM broadcast band.  Fortunately, the GPS system has pretty much rendered the 160m radiolocation service obsolete, so we don't have any radiolocation beacons in the band at the present time.

We dodged a bullet on that one.  At WARC-79, the original US proposal was to expand the AM broadcast band up to 1840 kHz.  The FCC's original justification for expanding the AM band was to promote "minority owned" broadcast stations.  Fortunately, at the WARC conference, the BC band was expanded only up to 1700, and 1700-1800 remains allocated to radiolocation.  At first it was wall-to-wall beacons throughout the '80's, but now it is mostly empty space with maybe 3-4 beacons total.

The FCC's "minority" objective eventually fell by the wayside and the expanded band ended up essentially an expansion of the already existing drivel on the AM band.  After the reallocation, it took almost 20 years before the first stations were licensed to use the "expanded" segment.  By then, the AM band had mostly fallen by the wayside and the public was listening to FM.  The AM band became filled largely with political talk windbags that appeal to a very limited audience, while the majority the public listens to FM, or increasingly, to iPods and other media, because commercial radio has mostly become a network of satellite repeaters loaded with commercials.
 

[pe1mph]

I listened last night, but too much static, so I didn't get on the air.

Henk, when are you guys going to get on 40m?  We work a lot of AM around 7160, and I have worked several stations from Europe, mostly Italians.  They started out running SSB but a couple of times they switched their transceivers over to AM, making it a transatlantic two-way on 40m AM.  About 0500Z during week nights, Europe comes in very well, while a lot of the U.S. SSB QRM is just going to bed.

Hopefully, the French stations will soon have access to 7100-7200.  From what I understand of the situation, they are waiting for some regulatory official to sign a certain document before they can legally use that segment.

Don!!
First I can tell you I heard you THIS morning!
Time +/- 04.30 GMT Londen time (by me 06.30 hour).
No problem to receive you on 3885.
From the other station (you were talking with) I could only receive some words, no more Don.....

A big reason why I am not often qrv (to transmit) ....
Many, many SSB around 3705.....
So then it is very difficult to receive AM on 3705 Steve and Don.
I have been thinking, how to do?
But I have no answer...
You can be proud in the USA to have 'only' AM stations on 3885.....

Nearly every morning Jean F6AQK is calling on 3705 in AM.
Just after 04.00, but mostly I cann't receive him.....
Strong SSB station blowing all away....

Therefore I have tried on 7160 in AM.
I had once a qso with Fortunato 9H1ES in AM.
Just when we could use that part of the band.
Today evenso many SSB around 7160 khz.
So the same problem as on 3705.....

Greetings,

Henk (AM lover)
PE1MPH
Dokkum
The Netherlands

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I heard F6AQK again this morning. I did not call though.

I also heard several UK AM stations on 3615 at around 0630Z. Several were strong enough to copy almost 100 percent. I think on a quiet winter morning we could make a two-way contact. I must see how my antenna works at the freq. 

[pe1mph]

I heard F6AQK again this morning. I did not call though.
I also heard several UK AM stations on 3615 at around 0630Z. Several were strong enough to copy almost 100 percent. I think on a quiet winter morning we could make a two-way contact. I must see how my antenna works at the freq. 

Oke!
After a long time, yesterdayevening after 23.00 hours (22.00 Londen GMT time) I heard AM from the USA
on +/- 3871 khz.
The most from W2VW I could hear, with weak to fair signal!!
The others (talking with him) were not strong, from them I could only heard a few words...
It were surprising for me.... I received AM from USA.
But this morning totaly nothing around 3880.

Earlier (yesterdayevening) I were during a long time listening to: 7148 khz.
W3JK & WU2X were calling in lsb to Japan on the long path/way....
(I think they using big power and beams....)
Both BIG signals by me.... so I were evenso listening around 7160 for AM stations...
Nothing, maybe I had not the good AM time?

My I ask you this: AM on 3600 khz?
During 2 year the French stations using sometimes 3600 for AM.
Mostly in the late afternoon around 18.00 hours (17 GMT) an AM net.
And Jean F6AQK and PA1SBV are calling early mornings sometimes on 3600 khz.
I have no idea if AM stations in the USA using that freq.

Greetings,

Henk
PE1MPH