[CW] Re: And now the other shoe drops...

[Bill Evans]

David:

As a Canadian operator who is active on both 40 and 80 M,  I read your 
comment on our 40/80 M SSB behaviour with interest.  I agree 100% with the 
concerns on 40 M.  The first 100 KHz is just too precious worldwide for CW, 
RTTY and the other digital modes to be used for SSB by Canadians without 
really good justification.  I never have any trouble finding spectrum above 
7150 KHz to qso with fellow Canadians and avoid the low end religiously.

However, 80 M is another matter.  All of our provincial nets and the 
national "Pow Wow Club" nightly net in the winter are below 3750 KHz to 
avoid interference from US SSB stations.  Our Manitoba Evening Phone Net 
operated on 3760 KHz for decades, but was forced to shift to 3747 KHz this 
past winter because of persistent interference.  When the FCC re-farms the 
Novice bands, I would predict the Canadian SSB net operations will just move 
further down the band.  80 M above 3750 KHz is a very busy SSB band to my 
ears year-round.

A major beef that I have is with Canadian stations in contests that set up 
on 3750 and /or 7150 KHz calling CQ - and drawing US stations "out of band". 
In most cases it is just ignorance of the US band requirements.

Personally, I don't think that our regulator, Industry Canada, should have 
dropped the band segmentation rules that it maintainaed for so many years. 
Conversely, RAC, the Canadian equivalent of ARRL has recommended band plans 
that are consistent with an appropriate separation of CW and SSB (with the 
exception of 40 M) and most Canadian hams follow those plans.

Bill Evans
VE4UD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>
To: "Donald Chester" <k4kyv at hotmail.com>; <scottamcmullen at yahoo.com>; 
<markd at mfwi.org>; <wb8rcr at arrl.net>; <cw at mailman.qth.net>; "Anthony W. 
DePrato" <wa4jqs at mikrotec.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 4:04 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] Re: And now the other shoe drops...


>I think Don was talking about 80 meters especially during the daytime.  Now
> a days - during the summer especially - 80 meters at night is like 80 
> meters
> was like during the day (activity wise) during the day 20 years ago.
>
> At night 20 years ago, 80 was packed.
>
> Now it isn't packed.  There are perhaps 15 frequencies being used 
> actively.
>
> A whole lot of "space" between QSOs on the CW band.
>
> Of course, the CW bands of 40 and 80 are "shortened" by our Northern
> Neighbors who want to operate in a "SSB Preserve" not sullied by W-K-N
> callsigns.
>
> 73
>
> David N1EA