[SCCC] CW Frequencies for September VHF?

[Steve Harrison]

On 9/5/2023 6:50 PM, Tim Goeppinger wrote:
> September VHF starts this Saturday Sept 9 at 1800z
>
> I want to coordinate CW frequencies amongst our SCCC stations.   I think I missed out on a few way down the band on 2m,
>
> For 6m its pretty easy - how about 50.095 MHz ?

6m CW is anywhere below 50.100; pick yer spot, see if someone else isn't 
already on it, and if not, open up. In June, I worked people on CW 
anywhere between 50.100 on down to 50.074.

I was flabbergasted in June, however, to see W3EP spotted CQing CW on 
50.103; one or two others were subsequently spotted CQing slightly 
lower, 50.101 or so. I was always taught that CW above 50.100 is an 
absolute no-no... you just don't do it, or you're likely to be jumped 
upon by myriads of righteously-annoyed phone ops. Besides, why clobber 
the weak phone DX right on the edge of the band? So CW always goes just 
below the edge of the band and down from there. We have 100 kc; use it!!

> 2m is where its complicated and I need some guidance.  Around 144.200, like 144.095, or way down at the bottom of the band?  Suggestions?

2m, 222, 432, 1296... we ALWAYS use the calling frequency, moving up or 
down for QRM or people already there (whether phone or CW).

The ONLY time I can remember, during my V/UHF career since 1965, that 
I've ever found CW way down in the CW subband (144.1 and down) is either 
EME operations, or perhaps specific meteor scatter skeds. Back in the 
'90s, K5NA/1 and I used to do QRQ CW down around 144.075 from time to 
time and sometimes, one or two of the other W1s or W2s might jump in; 
but that was an exceptional circumstance. For general calling, no matter 
what part of the country you're in, we've always been around the calling 
frequency, even back in the olden days when, in Southern California 
especially, the calling frequency was 145.2 instead of 144.2. BTW, the 
reason for using 145.2 was that there were harmonics from TV channel 4 
(IIRC) that would clobber 144.2 for anyone within line of sight of Mt. 
Wilson. The rest of the country settled on 144.2, but we Los Angelenos 
in particular used 145.2 until around 1970 or so, when we started 
shifting down to 144.2 en masse once channel 4 cleaned up their signal 
and antennas.

I still remember the June '66 contest when Alan Brubaker, K6QPH, took me 
along to operate with some V/UHF group in the hills somewhere, I don't 
remember where now but probably somewhere in Orange county. Anyway, 
these guys were right up-to-date equipment-wise, and even had a Gonset 
Sidewinder for 2m SSB/CW, along with another one for 220, IIRC! I don't 
remember what they had for 2m AM but it was BIG, produced lots of heat, 
was very heavy, and filled a 3-foot-high relay rack with just the 
transmitter and modulator; the power supplies were another pair of 
chassis sitting off to the side, complete with glowing 866s and 872s. 
Seems to me it was a pair of 4-125s in push-pull, but don't quote me on 
that... They also had the Gonset 901 amplifier for 2m which used a pair 
of push-pull 826s that you could watch through a square cutout in the 
front panel behind a wire screen. On Sunday morning, just before 
sunrise, the 2m CW operator set up to run a few meteor scatter skeds; I 
was fascinated to watch those 826 plates glow almost white hot everytime 
he hit the bug's dah lever. We didn't worked anyone but we did hear a 
bunch of pings from the Utah sked, which really whetted my appetite to 
get into meteor scatter, myself.

On 220/222, we always used/use the calling freq, moving up or down as 
needed.

> I don't think I've ever done CW on 432, except for winter Field Day.   Somewhere around 432.1 ?

Same for 432... and 1296, for that matter. And all the higher bands, 
too. Do your CW CQs on the calling frequency, or up or down as needed if 
someone's already there.

I may or may not be on, probably not, or not much, as I'm trying to get 
a couple towers up before Thanksgiving and I'm fast running outta time. 
One of those will hold a V/UHF stack; but it's not ready yet.

Steve, K0XP

ex-WB6PKA