[ADXA] VP2VI 60 Meter CW

Mon Apr 14 17:18:51 EDT 2025

they do, IN FACT, monitor the amateur usage and hearing USA stations outside our band segment will potentially hurt us 

 Correct. Our FCC Counsel reminds us periodically that Amateurs need to be careful on that band.
I occasionally hear some big names operating where they shouldn't down there.
73,K5UR

    On Monday, April 14, 2025 at 03:45:57 PM CDT, w5zn at w5zn.org <w5zn at w5zn.org> wrote:   

I will add that some of those who are operating outside the US segment are doing so intentionally, others simply don’t know (but should!)

The dangerous part about it since the primary user is the gov’t I can tell you they do, IN FACT, monitor the amateur usage and hearing USA stations outside our band segment will potentially hurt us because when the FCC finally does move to act on the WRC19 allocation they will take instruction from NTIA and if they complain about unauthorized amateur activity, well, we’re hosed and could very well lose access altogether. Remember, we’re secondary there so we operate at the discretion of the primary user!

73 Joel W5ZN

www.w5zn.org

From: adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of w5znjoel at gmail.com
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 3:39 PM
To: rcurt at centurytel.net
Cc: adxa at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ADXA] VP2VI 60 Meter CW

It is a bit confusing, Randy.

The USA was the very first country to ever have a 5 MHz allocation for the amateur radio service. The ARRL worked very hard to make this happen back around 2001 to 2004. It was proposed as a secondary allocation to provide a “propagation bridge” between 80 and 40 meters for emergency communications efforts. The FCC was all on board but it took quite a bit of political maneuvering to get the by in from the NTIA (state dept and DoD) since they are the primary allocated service. We reached an agreement for five discreet fixed frequencies with a 100 W ERP power limit.

The reason 60 meters is not accepted for DXCC credit is the original basis for the secondary allocation – emergency communications, not contesting or DX chasing! At that time, to allow such would have caused us to lose access to 5 MHz.

After a while a few other countries thought our access to 5 MHz was was pretty slick so they petitioned their national regulator for a piece of the band, mirroring the USA frequencies. It became so popular a movement started within the ITU to allocate a slice of spectrum, not fixed frequencies, to the amateur service on a secondary basis. At WRC19 that became a reality, but not with a cost. It is a very narrow segment and a very low (almost QRP level) power restriction. By the way, the United States administration did NOT support this!! But the IARU had enough clot with other country administrations to push it through.

Following the WRC19 allocation other countries petitioned their national regulator for access to the new spectrum and were granted. That is where the confusion on 60 meters began. Those countries could operate in the new segment but the USA’s regulator, the FCC, had not adopted the WRC19 allocation so we were stuck. ARRL did their duty and petitioned the FCC for access to the new allocation and that is where the stalemate started. ARRL wanted access to the new allocation and to also retain access to the five fixed frequencies. FCC wanted to move amateur radio to the new allocation and drop the fix fixed frequencies (and the 100 W power level they had).

That’s where we stand today, and when hams see hams in other countries operating in the new segment they don’t stop the confirm whether we have access or not. 

Hopefully something will happen at the FCC in the (near?) future!

73 Joel W5ZN

www.w5zn.org

From: adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Randell Curtis, W5ZJ via ADXA
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 11:08 AM
To: w5znjoel at gmail.com
Cc: adxa at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ADXA] VP2VI 60 Meter CW

Thanks so much! I would have definitely been one of the illegal ones if I hadn’t had difficulty with the plug into the Icom. Sometimes the Good Lord takes care of the ignorant. 

Randy/W5ZJ

On Mon, 14 Apr, 2025 at 10:08 AM, w5znjoel at gmail.com <w5znjoel at gmail.com> wrote:

To: adxa at mailman.qth.net
Cc: 

Just a reminder to the ADXA folks about VP2VI and 60 meter CW. Last night when they were on CW, they were transmitting on a frequency NOT authorized for USA and lsning on a frequency NOT authorized in the USA to transmit on. There was a brief period where they did lsn on 5348 KHz where USA can transmit, but only for a very brief period. 

So, PLEASE do NOT transmit outside of the five discreet fixed frequencies authorized in the USA (like some USA stations were doing last night)! That is a clear FCC regulatory violation. Hopefully in the near future the FCC will authorize US hams access to the new 60 meter allocation authorized at WRC19, but the standoff now is the FCC wants to eliminate the five discreet channels to give us access to the 15 KHz or so bandwidth. The ARRL wants (and I fully support the ARRL position) is we should be granted access to the new allocation and retain the five discreet frequency channels.

73 Joel W5ZN

www.w5zn.org

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