[AMRadio] Subband Wastage: Final Update and Conclusion

[Donald Chester]

OBSERVED BAND ACTIVITY SUNDAY 23 JUNE

40m. @ 0800 GMT:
7000-7068, heavy CW activity
7068-7100, 4 rtty and other digital, 1 DX SSB
7100-7150, 4 CW's
7150-7300, amateur phone mixed with foreign BC. Some vacant slots.

15m. @ 1622 GMT:
21-21.07, heavy CW
21.07-21.2, 2 digital, no CW
21.2-21.45, light to moderate phone

20m. @ 1630 GMT:
14.0-14.065, heavy CW
14.065-14.1, 12 rtty and other digital, no CW
14.1-14.150, NO US stations, several foreign SSB
14.150-14.350, moderate phone activity

In past 24 hours, no 160m. activity heard.
@ 1635, 75-80m, 1 AM, 2 SSB, no CW heard.

These observations are not exactly "scientific", just "snapshots" of what 
was heard when tuning through the bands at a few
specific times during this year's Field Day event. These were entirely 
casual observations; no attempt was made to count and
log exact numbers of signals. As for FD, CW activity seemed slightly more 
concentrated than phone, but average number of
stations per kilocycle was not calculated. Little non-CW digital activity 
was heard. One pattern is clear on 80, 40, 20 and 15:
even with heavier-than-normal FD CW activity, CW operators consistently 
congregated to the approximate lower 75 kc. of each band.
Receiving CW through a 300 cps i.f. filter, congestion and QRM did not 
prevent comfortable copy. In every case, there was a
wide gap between CW activity and the phone subbband. Each phone subband was 
filled with signals, but not to the point of
saturation. The frequency gap between significant CW activity and the phone 
subbands was very lightly occupied with a small number of
digital and cw stations. A handful of CW FD QSO's were observed in the 
Novice subbands. Little CW or phone DX was heard, even on the normal "DX 
window" frequencies. 10m. condx were so spotty that no bservations were 
attempted.

Don K4KYV

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com