[MRCA] 7296 alternate

[Dennis]

I monitor 7296usb 24/7 along with the other freqs listed below.
Indeed, this summer has seen a great deal more traffic than in time past.
Some hispanic users are often on 7298lsb, but then, there usually is somebody there. There is a net every afternoon at 16:00 on 7298lsb, then another on 7295lsb 30 minutes later. The later would not bother us under normal circumstances except that here we have several operators with very dirty stations spraying RF all over the top of 40. Non this less, these people all know who we are & we get along very nicely.


AM operation on 7295(though traditionally 7290 which is where my radios are xtaled) has increased a great deal in the last couple weeks. This is primarily do to a group that has moved their "noon time net" up from 75 meters(thats 12:00 central, most of the operators are located in 0 & 9 land). There is often a pre-game show that last an hour or two, then the net runs about 3 hours, then an after action report that can last till the broadcast stations start up at 20:00 central. I for the life of me don't understand how these guys stay awake during all that droning on, & on! Surely, I'd like to fire up one of my old AM radios & get on 40 with it. But I have no wish to listen to a bunch of guys ramble on for hours with their YeaComWoods & Flex thisisorthats on AM! The CB like mentality is a turn off as well. One operator was happy yesterday to hear of his 10kc of TX bandwidth.


On the other hand, 7296usb is listed in hundreds of publications, & web sites, as the Military(Green) calling frequency. It is also the current calling freq for HFpack, & Milpack, not forgetting also that I have a number of crystal sets dedicated to it. You know what they say, "use it or loose it". In that respect, it's our own fault 7296 has been over run with none compatible traffic.

I'm not going to abandon 7296, as I said, I monitor it all the time as do a number of others. My suggestion is this, to retain 7296 as the primary calling freq & to use it at every possible opportunity. If you have a QSO or net in progress & they start up on top of you, fight for it! Otherwise, if the frequency is in use, make a brief call, then QSY to an alternate.

As to alternates, it's about impossible to find a good one & the -+ QRM idea very seldom works. It's better to have multiple alternate freqs. KM4V has checked 7185.5usb in the day time & found it often not in use. This is the HFpack & Milpack calling freq. I frown on it however because of it's place in the band which normally draws a great deal of traffic, & the 500cps increment which is not compatible with many of our old radios.

 
D
KB0SFP
HFpack/Milpack Monitor(all USB): 
3996, 5403.5, 7296, 14342.5, 18157.5