[TMRA] MCW on HF on the HAM BANDS

[Steve Bellner]

For those of you getting into digital
communications or those who have already
used some of the great programs available
for digital comms; this info was just received
from Dan Henderson at the ARRL. It is in response
to an inquiry I sent him concerning using MCW on SSB.
I thought I had read about MCW being illegal
on all bands below 30mHz and wanted to be sure.

So be carefull with using the MCW mode on those
new digital software packages. Use it only above 30 mHz.

73
Don, NN8B / NNN0VJM

Don:

Part 97.3 (c)(1) defines CW as:
1) CW. International Morse code telegraphy emissions having designators
with A, C, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the second symbol; A or B
as the third symbol; and emissions J2A and J2B.

Part 97.3 (c)(4) defines MCW as:
(4) MCW. Tone-modulated international Morse code telegraphy emissions
having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H or R as the first symbol; 2 as
the second symbol; A or B as the third symbol.

"Playing" CW (such as playing the side tone from an oscillator) on SSB
is Single Side Band. It is not CW - continuous wave - it is SSB. So
tones sent from a sound card used to modulate a SSB carrier is not CW,
it is MCW. As such it is not legal below 30 MHz.

73

Dan Henderson, N1ND
Regulatory Information Manager
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio(tm)
860-594-0236
dhenderson at arrl.org