[ADXA] Off 60m now - Past and present expose'. TU to Joel also.

Sat Nov 28 14:23:50 EST 2020

So true George. Glad you got a taste of things and agree with the increasing number of us Old Timers. As it is now, it is mainly an FT8 mode band for DXpeditions. There are plenty of other bands that FT8 users can operate on and not be channelized like on 60m. 

Seldom do guys get on CW and almost never the SSB channels for calling CQ DX. 60m never was intended to be a digital band of 5 channels back in 2003 and even in 2012 when CW came aboard. And remember, NO QSL confirmations are accepted by the ARRL for ANY award. They opt out to using it as an emergency band primarily, and chats and DXing take a BACK seat at all times to the importance of emergencies. DXers and chatters never have listened for 3-4 seconds for an Emergency ‘breaker’ asking for the frequency before continuing a DX or local, casual QSO.  Just not worth the frustration and illegal nature of many 60m users. 
San    TU for comment George!!

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From: WB5JJJ
Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2020 1:07 PM
Cc: adxa
Subject: Re: [ADXA] Off 60m now - Past and present expose'. TU to Joel also.

My last contact on 60m was on 3/31/2020.  I had just over 350 contacts between 2018 and 2020.  Even built an EFHW for it, but it has seen no use since April 1st.  Maybe I need to trim it a bit for 40m in yet another direction.  

I found the rules just too confusing and so many interpretations of the, so I decided to play it safe and avoid 60m totally.  I got a WAS count quickly and 50+ DX during 2018-2019, before I shut it down.  

Can't say I've missed it at all.  And it's no longer even programmed in my WSJTx frequency drop down any more.  I think this is probably a "thing", as I'm not seeing many 60m spots on the DX Clusters of late either.  

73's
George - WB5JJJ

4

On Sat, Nov 28, 2020 at 12:01 PM Steven Rutledge <crownhaven at bellsouth.net> wrote:
Go Gators!

On Nov 28, 2020, at 11:53 AM, HamOP <k5yy1 at cox.net> wrote:

As of today I have decided to get off of 60m completely, take down the antenna and no longer chase DX on that band. Casual conversations on SSB stopped years ago. Most occurred on channel 4 and 5. Worsening DXing activity has greatly complicated things.

   Started the band on day one on July 3rd, 2003, got first “official” WAS under the new system of starting up a non ARRL WAS award and was given #8 in May of 2009. The first few who got new certificates had a special silver star sticker added. I was also on the committee of 4-5 people who started the card checking and certificate approval process for K3ZXL to honor. He continues to do a good job.
   The first official 2 large Gold Stars applied “DXCC” awards were given to the first 10 or so who got 100 confirmed on 60m. Got the nice “DXCC” certif in December 2015. The inclusion of CW being allowed on 60m on March 5th,  2012 with the new 100 watts ERP rule really enticed DXers to pursue our DXCC ladder count which does not require proof of confirmations but the certificate DOES require card checking as started initially in 2015.   
   The ARRL has a patent on the use of DXCC on certificates, and I felt we should call the 60m version something like DX 100 or 60m 100 and forget DXCC being printed per se on our 60m DXing award certificate. Someone else was not worried the ARRL DXCC patent but I was, and I expressed my thoughts and resigned as a QSO and card checker immediately. I had talked to K1ZZ Dave Sumner about the matter and glad I backed off things at that time. Since then I have stayed on the 60m Ladder and only include confirmed entities that I have, but some just send in the # worked, confirmed or not.
    Joel’s 60m good  comments a few days ago and mentioning some illegal transmissions off our “set channels” prompted me to realize the band is OVERUSING and ABUSING the emergency priority that 60m was designed for. I am for the ARRL on their stance on 60m since day 1 and DX chasing; using FT8/FT4 etc has totally destroyed the proper use of our 5 fixed channels, and the normal channel passband width is exceeded by the multiple and complicated digital systems used in DXing and just where transmissions occur. It ain’t simple, ask those on FT8 who even get confused at times on wking DX.
   But, chasing 60m DX has worsened the overall situation for the most part, and I do not want to be part of it. My last 7 confirmations have been from many emails and begging for a quick CW QSO away from the FT8 pileup the DX had going at the time or to start with a sked before they went to FT8 on schedule. Time for 60m to be the emergency band that was intended in 2003 and to do away with the worsening DX situation since 2017-18…  Channelized CW and SSB is OK and always has been self governed and respecting of other hams. I DOUBT a separate VFO ‘band’ will be implemented by the FCC as we now have in EU etc. They are limited to 15w ERP but I doubt any NA DXer will lower their power from 100 (some 500w) down to 15 watts ERP. Won’t happen. 
   Thanks for allowing this update on 60m since the beginning in 2003. Agree with others who have contacted me that something definitive and monitored needs to be done NOW. License loss was brought up and stopping any DXCC Ladder stimulus will help a lot… My talks at Dallas HamCom on 60m (twice) discussed the matter of respect for others and needing monitors to assist it being an emergency band mainly. 
73 and keep up the DX chasing on all bands besides 60m.. hmmm  The old adage of IIWII is no longer valid for a self disciplined ham radio hobby.
73 and now time for Saturday football!
San K5YY

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