Topband: TB digital

[Tom W8JI]

I'm not surprised some of us don't know the band or history of use, or have 
not read IARU bandplans. What I wish we could do, is be a little nicer to 
each other as we learn things from each other.

When we originally had the band in the 1950's and 60's and it was opening 
from LORAN use, 1825-30 was just above the USA east coast segment. USA 
stations could TX only on 1800-1825 on the east coast, and 1975-2000 on the 
west coast.

1825-30 became the DX Window because it was just out of the band, and most 
European DX could transmit there.

As LORAN was turned off the USA was allowed more 25 kHz segments, each with 
a different power rating that varied with day and night. 25-30 remained the 
DX window.

Sometime after the band was mostly restored for everyone, the DX window was 
moved higher. The IARU and everyone else for years has defined the area 
above 1830 to 1850 as the "DX" area of the band.

See this link:

http://www.iaru-r2.org/documents/explorer/files/Plan%20de%20bandas%20%7C%20Band-plan/R2%20LF-MF-HF%20Bandplan%202010.pdf

1800-1810 is listed as digital modes, and has been for years.

1830 to 1840 is now, and has been for years, listed as priority for 
Intercontinental CW operation.

1840-1850 is listed as priority for Intercontinental SSB operation, and has 
been for many years.

What puzzles me is with an IARU bandplan, why digital modes decided to carve 
out a spot in the middle of the Region II IARU DX CW and SSB area for local 
common digital work, and why strong proponents of frequency use have not 
done their homework and read IARU plans.

Now I'm not saying we should not change the IARU plan, if everyone as a 
majority wants to change it or ignore it, I'm fine with that. The fact 
remains we need some sort of plan everyone agrees with and everyone can 
follow in normal daily activity, because the ARRL never really cared if the 
FCC regulated the band or not.

Now the ARRL is going to disagree with what I just said, but I was there for 
years and at one time (I still may) I had a letter from FCC Chairman Prose 
Walker (W4BW) stating if the ARRL simply asked for 160 to be restored with 
CW and SSB segments, it would be done.  The ARRL was interested in two 
meters at that time, and had been burned by incentive licensing, and stated 
they were afraid to "take anything away" from anyone else.

I know this all for a fact because W1BB, W2EQS Charlie, and a few more were 
exchanging letters with Prose and others, and at that time there was 
overwhelming written support for full band restoration SSB and CW segments. 
The ARRL in recent years told me Prose only said that to appease people, but 
knowing Prose more than casually (I worked on some personal amplifier stuff 
directly with him) he was neither a sissy afraid to say something to 
someone, nor was he a liar who would say something untrue.

So without an FCC rule, the only thing we have is the IARU to keep some 
reasonable order on the band.

The real question we have is should the IARU plan be changed again, and 
should digital mode operators continue to violate the bandplan on a regular 
basis until the plan changes, or should we just let every group decide what 
chunk of band they want and carve it out by takeover?

My opinion is we need some sort of governing committee who we all actually 
listen to, like it or not, or we will have more problems than we need to 
have.

73 Tom