[CW] 3600 and above is still a CW band too, isn't it?

[D. Chester]

The reason 3600-3700 was reallocated to phone in the USA was that hardly 
anyone was using it for CW or data.  Most of the CW activity was crammed 
down about where it is now on 3525-3575, with some RTTY/data and a few 
traffic nets in 3600-3700, but usually that entire segment was vacant, with 
a little lingering activity in the old Novice band.

I have not found it difficult to work CW anywhere in the 3500-3600 portion. 
Yes, the segment is packed more densely than before, but using a 300 or 500 
Hz CW filter installed in a stable receiver, I still find plenty of space to 
operate.  In fact, it might even be argued that it is BETTER for working CW 
now because the signals are not scattered so sparsely, far and wide.  It had 
got to the point of being frustrating to tune the band trying to find a CW 
signal using a CW filter, tuning tens of vacant kHz @ 300 Hz selectivity to 
find one signal.  To-day's remaining CW subband reminds me more of  what it 
was like in the 60's, when the entire band from 3500-3750 would be packed 
with signals throughout the evening hours, at about the same density as 
3525-3580 is now.

The only time there is a problem is when there is a QRMtest.  But then, even 
if the CW band ran from 3500 to 3700 or more, the entire segment would still 
be filled with QRMtesters exchanging 599's.  Kind of like when they widen a 
highway, it ends up with the same traffic congestion in three or four lanes 
instead of just two. I don't think we should consider adjusting our band 
assignments solely to accommodate QRMtest activity.  CW is legal on 80m from 
3500-4000.  In Canada, they did away altogether with the subband concept 
years ago, and both CW and phone are legal all the way from 3500 to 4000.

It's so easy to get an Extra Class licence now, that there is no reason for 
anyone who wants to avoid contest QRM not to be able to move just above 
3600.  Or above 3900 for that matter, where only a General Class is 
required.  Amateur radio activity in general has dwindled over the past few 
years.  Even during phone QRMtests, there are vacant spots to be found all 
over the band, particularly above 3940 or thereabouts. If someone tries to 
intentionally jam your CW signal with SSB, just ignore them and turn up the 
wick.  Remember, when the FCC adopted that p.e.p. nonsense back in the 
1980's,  (as an unintended consequence?) they doubled the power limit for 
CW.  Instead of 1 kw, we can now legally run 2 kw DC input to the final, 
perhaps even more, depending on the final amplifier efficiency.

When the phone band was first expanded, there was a surge of activity in 
3600-3700, but once the novelty wore off, most of the operators migrated 
back to their old congested frequencies above 3800, and now 3600-3700 is 
just about as vacant as it was before the expansion.

Don k4kyv
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