We Might Get Another MF Band!

Regarding 1715-1800, if it were ever reallocated to amateurs, it would most likely have to be Region 2 only. In most countries in Europe and Asia, they have other services allocated in that part of the spectrum. Their hams don't even have full access to 1800-2000, and what they do have is loaded with restrictions. For example, in UK, unless it has changed in recent years, the legal power limit is 10 watts, although I have heard it said there is more than one 1-kw retired broadcast transmitter on the air over there.

Right after LORAN was taken off and before the BC band was expanded, the entire segment 1600-1800 was packed with beacons, mostly tone-modulated carriers. Now, I never hear more than a half dozen beacons in the entire segment from 1700-1800, usually just one or two, and the rest of the band is empty. Also, very few signals are heard between the top end of 160m and the 2.5 kc/s WWV. Apparently, this part of the spectrum is less used in N. America than in the rest of the world.

Reportedly, the majority of the radiolocation beacons were used to keep track of off-shore oil rigs in the Gulf. No doubt now they all use GPS.

The difference between radionavigation (systems like LORAN) and radiolocation is that the former is used to guide ships through the waters, while radiolocation is used to pinpoint a fixed location like an oil rig, sort of a radio buoy or radio lighthouse. GPS can do both, much less expensively (for the end user) than having to build one or more reasonably efficient vertical antennas and run a transmitter at substantial power 24/7.

When the FeeCee first proposed to move the displaced radiolocation beacons to 1900-2000, one of the providers, a company named Decca, asked for an exclusive reallocation for radiolocation. They had visions of expanding the service until it completely filled up the band. Instead, amateurs were given secondary status, but now we are about the only users of that segment of the band. If Decca had got their wishes, 1900-2000 would now be empty spectrum like that portion of the 220 mc/s band that UPS stole from the amateurs but never used.

The expansion of the broadcast band was kind of like the infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction. In preparation for WARC-79, the FeeCee first proposed the expansion in order to open up new spectrum to accommodate "minority broadcasters". They originally wanted to expand broadcasting all the way up to 1840 kc/s. By the time the expansion up to 1700 was approved, they had dropped the "minority broadcaster" objective and stated that the reason for the expansion was to relieve congestion in the then-existing band below 1600. I'm not sure that Canada, Mexico or any other country outside the US ever put any stations on the air in the expanded portion. Canadian AMs have been going dark or relocating to FM for the past couple of decades, so they are losing AM broadcasters, not expanding.

Some stations were allowed to keep their old frequency and simulcast in the expanded band, with the understanding that after a certain period they would have to decide whether or not to move, and either the old frequency or the expanded channel would go dark. But I recall reading that some stations were lobbying to keep both channels permanently. I doubt that the expansion relieved any of the congestion below 1600.