Band plans and listening first -how to irritate, or not.
Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 12:12 am
Always listen first, then ask if the frequency is in use, then if all seems ok, put out one CQ call, listen again.
You do this too? We hope that everyone is courteous and despite how some would have you believe, nobody actually owns this frequency.
Not so fast.... For instance, if the coast seems clear, put out a CQ on 14.230, 14.236 or... Well in these two examples you would transmitting on an international SSTV frequency, or a freeDV digital frequency. Easy to see why someone would get upset.
There are still more frequencies that are marked on bandplans for many purposes, emergency distress, PSK, JS8Call, Olivia, CW, AM, FM... Compliance is largely voluntary, but what if you were trying to summon help or just a calling frequency, and some prize rissole was blasting/splattering on the listed frequency? How would you feel?
Maybe people don't know about these calling frequencies, and mean no harm. They just didn't know, because the publication of them should be better? Let's make a start: here's the most recent summary of commonly used frequencies, so now we know...
Contesting is fun, and necessarily competitive, but does that allow RTTY or CW for instance to 'monopolize' a whole band to the great discomfort of others for the duration of a lengthy contest, or is there a case for having contests permit valid contacts only within a specific range of frequencies?
Well what do you think? Go on, let's have that thought......
Click the band maps to enlarge, right-click to download:
You do this too? We hope that everyone is courteous and despite how some would have you believe, nobody actually owns this frequency.
Not so fast.... For instance, if the coast seems clear, put out a CQ on 14.230, 14.236 or... Well in these two examples you would transmitting on an international SSTV frequency, or a freeDV digital frequency. Easy to see why someone would get upset.
There are still more frequencies that are marked on bandplans for many purposes, emergency distress, PSK, JS8Call, Olivia, CW, AM, FM... Compliance is largely voluntary, but what if you were trying to summon help or just a calling frequency, and some prize rissole was blasting/splattering on the listed frequency? How would you feel?
Maybe people don't know about these calling frequencies, and mean no harm. They just didn't know, because the publication of them should be better? Let's make a start: here's the most recent summary of commonly used frequencies, so now we know...
Contesting is fun, and necessarily competitive, but does that allow RTTY or CW for instance to 'monopolize' a whole band to the great discomfort of others for the duration of a lengthy contest, or is there a case for having contests permit valid contacts only within a specific range of frequencies?
Well what do you think? Go on, let's have that thought......
Click the band maps to enlarge, right-click to download: