[Icom] an answer from Icom on 60 meters

Mon, 09 Jun 2003 15:26:00 -0400

Type acceptance is for a manufacturer to sell it. Once it is in the 
hands of a licensed ham, type acceptance doesn't apply, a ham can do 
what he wants with it as long as he stays within the limits of his class 
of license. As far as I know, we as hams are still free to experiment 
and if that means implementing a mod to an existing piece of equipment 
then we are free, and authorized by virtue of having a license, to make 
that modification. Obviously the warranty would no longer be in effect 
once it's been modified "unofficially". However an official modification 
is like where I send in a copy of my MARS license to ICOM and they send 
me back the "authorized" mod. So my IC706MkII and IC756ProII are 
modified yet are still blessed by Icom as I have the sheets from Icom 
detailing the mod.

As for the WARC bands, you say you've never heard much on them but you 
also say you haven't used them. Actually, there is a lot of activity on 
both 30 and 17 meters. Of course you have to be into cw/digital activity 
to make use of 30 but it's quite active. 12 Meters is less populated, 
but I believe that to be due more to propagation than lack of interest. 
  Kinda like 10 meters, when the band is open there's activity. When the 
band closes, it's pretty quiet. 17 meters is open quite often and is 
very heavily populated. It is the band I use most often when mobile. You 
can find ragchews, quick qso's and a huge selection of DX, whatever you 
want.

Actually it is good that there are so many people unwilling to use the 
WARC bands or make the mods to use the new 60 meter band as it keeps the 
bands less cluttered for those of us who do use them. And 17 also seems 
to lack the garbage mouths heard on 75 and 20. Much more like the 
gentlemanly days of operating I remember from 40-45 years ago. Sure 
there were jerks back then but a very small percentage compared to today.

Ray  W2EC

wjdiamond wrote:

> Hi folks,
> 
> Ah, the 60 M band, how familiar this sounds. I for one have always been
> against most modifications in general and above all any which change the
> operating frequency.  I feel that the FCC type acceptance is voided by any
> such action and for sure any warranty at all forever. Anytime I get a rig
> that has been modified for out of band use, I change it back to stock at
> once.
> 
> I remember when the WARC bands came out and all the hype and all the
> perfectly good gear that got dumped to get the "great new bands" as the
> mfg's put forth the new rigs and made a killing on them.
> 
> How much were the bands really ever used?  I have listened off and on over
> the years and have never heard much on them. No I have not ever operated on
> them to date. I just don't feel the need.
> 
> What I see happening in the long run with 60 M is the start of complete
> channelazation of ham radio frequencies to provide for more operating room
> and I am sure the Hi Fi mode SSB and AM will soon be gone forever.
> 
> So I guess what I am really saying is, why mess with a good Icom radio to
> allow it to operate on a band that very few people will ever use??
> 
> If you want to use this band, spend a hundred bucks on an old Drake TR3 and
> have at it, and let the new rigs do what they were designed to do, operate
> properly in a given range of frequencies.
> 
> 
>         William J. Diamond (Bill)
>         Rogers, Arkansas USA
>         [email protected]
> 
>         Ham Radio Operator WR�T
> 
>  Please Visit My Icom Radio Page At
> 
>  http://pages.sbcglobal.net/wjdiamond/index.html
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
> Behalf Of David J. Ring Jr - N1EA
> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 11:31 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Icom] an answer from Icom on 60 meters
> 
> 
> I hope someone emailed Michael and told him some MARS frequencies are in
> the
> 5 MHz range.
> 
> I think the problem they are dancing around is that the ICOM radios that
> include VHF and higher frequencies have to be approved by the FCC.
> 
> The modification would make a radio that isn't approved by the FCC - and
> that would be a problem wouldn't it?
> 
> 73
> 
> DR
> 
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 
> 
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 
> 