[CW] Shades and shards of 80 CW
Danny Douglas
n7dc at comcast.net
Wed Feb 25 10:35:41 EST 2009
Not enough of us complained, when this was all being put up for the new
rules and regulations. Those that did complain, we poo pooed. I dont know
what was wrong with simply splitting the 80 meter band, with the bottom part
for narrow and the upper for wide signals (meaing cw - then psk, then rtty,
then voice). I would be more than happy to stay out of the top half with
my CW, as long as others stay out of the bottom half with SSB and all the
strange wide digital automatic junk. I do believe though, in allowing the
extras (after all I are one), the bottom portion of the cw band (and the
voice band too). After all, I went out and learned the additional
electronics/rules etc. plus code, to earn that right.
Additionally, we have the same old problem with any contest weekend. The
sponsors wont take hold and have the guts to limit contesters to particular
portions of the sub bands of the mode being used. Especially during the CW
contests, to allow the cw signals anywhere and anyplace on a band, is
stupid. Is it no wonder that digital and SSB ops complain about us when
that happens? It simply prohibits non-contesters from getting on and doing
their thing for a whole weekend. We, of course, will be answered: "Work
another mode" or go to 12/17/30 where their are no contests. Sure. "Lots
of good reasons not to have to change to other bands or modes. "I will do
that, the day that I can talk to my local buddies ", "I dont have equipment
for them" blah blah blah. So there are several good reasons to not do
that - besides you are then selecting people and operations as more
important than others, during that period of the week. A Fairness doctrine
needs to be followed here.
Danny Douglas
N7DC
ex WN5QMX ET2US WA5UKR ET3USA
SV0WPP VS6DD N7DC/YV5 G5CTB
All 2 years or more (except Novice)
Pls QSL direct, buro, or LOTW preferred,
I Do not use, but as a courtesy do upload to eQSL for
those who do.
Moderator
DXandTALK at YAHOOGROUPS.COM
----- Original Message -----
From: "SX-25" <telegrapher at hotmail.com>
To: <cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 12:16 AM
Subject: [CW] Shades and shards of 80 CW
> The last two weekends I left my receiver off. I'd been gone all week
> and unable to practice the craft I love, CW and was looking forward to
> some good ol' fashioned rag chews on 80 CW. I'm no different than many
> guys, I am sure, whose commitments and obligations throughout the week
> impose restrictions on hamming until the weekends.
>
> Whoops! Wrong again! 80 meters was unusable because contesters were
> busy honing their skills needed to exchange "599 GL" to as many other
> stations as possible in some big national emergency some day. Meanwhile,
> above 3600 the wide open spaces provide plenty of elbow room for the "good
> buddies" practicing the skills they've learned using cell phones or
> Channel 19. Jeez Louise, when the FCC took 11 meters from the hams and
> gave it to the CBers in the 1950s, they got more spectrum than we CW ops
> have on 80 meters! I guess we see how low we've sunk on the food chain!
>
> Use above 3600 is also problematic because of the boneheaded idea to
> make it available only to Extra class licensees. Although I spend most of
> my listening time between 3600 and 3610 I rarely hear any CW; meanwhile
> down the band everyone is on top of each other between 3520 to 3570. Who
> was the nitwit that came up with this plan? !!!
>
> Since many seem to be timid about going above 3600, my concession is
> to hang around 3599, that way I'd maybe find some wide open spaces without
> limiting myself to the Extra-only part of the band. I'm working a few more
> stations but still every one seems reticent to operate there. I think
> there is a feeling of moral "wrongness" for some reason I can't quite
> explain.
>
> The Canadians are perfectly happy clobbering us on our pathetic sliver
> of an 80 meter CW band with their SSB. And the US hams above 3600 act
> indignant whenever they hear a CW station above 3600. So where are we
> suppose to go?
>
> Without causing intentional interference, perhaps we need to start
> appearing in vast numbers in new parts of the spectrum that are perfectly
> legal for us to use. As long as we sit here wringing our hands we'll never
> call our plight to anyone's attention. We'll deserve being ignored.
> Squeaky wheel, right? Since the wide open wasteland of space above 3600
> is not available to licensees not holding the (cough cough) so-called
> "Extra Class" license, why don't we start using 3800 to 3825 as an
> alternative band when 3500-3600 becomes unusable? It would be legal for
> General Class licensees and provide some relief to our burgeoning 80 meter
> band, especially on contest weekends and most other evenings between 6-8
> PM.
>
> It is absurd that our exclusive CW band is only 50 kHz wider than the
> old 80 meter novice band! And into this 100 kHz is now crammed all those
> novices/beginners, data, nets, the illegal Spanish language fishing boats,
> the Canadian phone ops and somehow the rest of us are suppose to "pull up
> a chair" and operate. And yet they have the audacity to further dissect
> the band into an "Extra Class portion and add further restraints on all of
> those nonsense "DX windows" "QRP windows" and so forth.
>
> We really need to try to fix this thing. It is a crappy band plan and
> patently unfair to us CW operators. We are legally licensed and pay taxes
> just like the privileged phone ops, only they have been rewarded with
> bonuses for doing nothing and proving even less. We're either going to
> have to grow some of our own for a change or develop a taste for the sand
> being kicked in our faces.
>
> ZUT, Vern WA9VLK
>
> -30-
> ______________________________________________________________
> CW mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:CW at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.3/1971 - Release Date: 02/25/09
06:40:00
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: multipart/alternative
Size: 0 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/attachments/20090225/82ca4b0a/attachment-0001.bin
-------------- next part --------------
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.3/1971 - Release Date: 02/25/09 06:40:00
More information about the CW
mailing list