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Speak Out: SSB operations out of the 40m bandplan

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GW4ALG on 2005-11-06
Add the 6 days per year of SSB intrusion to the 40 days per year of significant data intrusion, and you might start to understand why it's such a 'big deal'. In Europe we still have loads of CW activity in our 7.000 to 7.035 CW Only segment. The art of CW is alive and well on 40m over here. But the regular intrusion into our 40m QRP and straight key zone is making it hard for those with restricted-space antennas. 40m may be the only band available in the evenings for those living in densely populated areas: the higher frequency bands are closed; and their antennas are too inefficient on 80/160m. Weekends may be the only time when newcomers (working normal work patterns) get a chance to develop their CW skills. It is at the weekends when they need a few kHz to develop their skills without their efforts being clobbered by yet another 'points at any cost' super station.

Anyway, whether or not you're in favour of removing the 'CW Only' segments, an opportunity to provide feedback to CQ Magazine can be found at:
http://hamgallery.com/survey/

The 2005 survey form works well, and there is plenty of space for additional comments.


Regards to all,
Steve GW4ALG

k6faf on 2005-11-05
Heard it in 2004 and in 2005, with a lot of cw jamming as well, qro-hcw, at 40 over 9.
I regret hearing anybody doing the "being-the-police-yourself-thing", it is worse than intruding into the cw part of 40m for 6 days per year.
From my location, I hear cw below 7040 and above 7025 very rarely, maybe 20 days a year, when there is some cw contest. So what is the big deal?
And I hear very well...., deep into Russia and Southern Asia, and EU , of course, even OC and VK with a wire dipole.
Proposing to take 40m out of the SSB contests is absurd...
only cw-die-hards would want that. For 6 days of the year?? Nope, unnecessary!

GW4ALG on 2005-03-11
I agree with ONL-2356 - I don't understand why SSB contesters think that they have a right to dismiss 15 CW channels with their one channel of QRO SSB. If 60 kHz isn't enough for the SSB contesters, then the contest organisers should exclude 40 m as a valid contesting band - in the same way that 12m and 17m are already excluded.

ONL-2356 on 2005-03-09
Just one question: did you ever hear many CW-stations in the subband dedicated to SSB?

Perhaps it is a question of respect of other operators, or simply the hamspirit remains among the telegraphists...

When I read opinions of some grand SSB contesters, I'm sure of it. Those operators (I will not write "OM") have no complex nor shame to generate QRM and splatter the small 40 KHz CW-subband using the pretext they are the best contesters of the world or "sorry, we only have 60 KHz and there are so many stations. You must understand..."

No, I don't!!!

Furthermore, if during the next SSB contest, you position those nice stations on a map of Europe, you clearly will notice something very funny...

ONL-2356

GW4ALG on 2004-12-13
Nice going, Pierre. But only the expected result, I'm afraid. It would appear that the committee members are not going to contribute to a solution consisting of CW and data friendly rules for their SSB contests.

Meanwhile, I've received many direct emails supporting the idea of a 40m 'Celebration' CW QSO Party to take place on the last weekend of October 2005. So I am now formulating the rules for this proposed event. Suggested rules would be gratefully received. At the moment, it's looking like an event aimed at celebrating 100 years of morse communication under difficult conditions. Probably single operator (18 hours max). Likely exchange: RST, name, QTH, & power. Freq: 7.015-7.035? Probably two sections: QRP (<= 5 watts) & QRO. Entries would just consist of number of QSOs + soapbox. Don't know about multipliers yet. Suggestions?
Regards to all, Steve GW4ALG.
steve(at)alg(dot)demon(dot)co(dot)uk

F3WT on 2004-12-13
I join fully the protest on SSB invasion into
CW bands on CQWWSSB 2004!

- I mailed to all managing board member
of CQWW,

See excerpt of it below:

QUOTE(excerpt):
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 12:11:20 +0100
>>> Subject: Complains abt SSB
contesting in CW bands/eventually
Change of
>>> rules
>>> From: F3WT <[email protected]>
>>> To: <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>
>>> Cc: F8REF <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>,
GeoLongden <[email protected]>,
>>> <[email protected]>
>
>
>>>
>>> to the CQ WW Contest Committee
>>>
>>> Dear members of the CQ WW
Committee:
>>>
>>> I sorry to have to file a complaint abt
CQ WW SSB contesting on CW bands
>>> this morning- and probably all over
ssb contesting time-
>>> Sations like XXXXXX on 7011,5 kHz ,
YYYYY on 7023,1kHz and quite a few
more
>>> alike on 40M CW segment .......
should be alerted of breaking
>>> ham sportmanship rules and/ or CQ
WW Contesting rules if such rules do
>>> exist on that matter.
>>>
>>> If they don' t , I would like to ask
whether such rules could be added
>>> to the existing ones namely stating
interdiction or at least
>>> recommendation of refraining SSB
contesting in CW bands if not
>>> disqualification of stations/logs in
case of violation.
>>>
>>> CW ( and corresponding allocated
frequency ) bands should be more
preserved
>>> , all the more so that cw-
qualification tests are more and more
removed
>>> from awarding ham-licences.
>>>
>>> Vy 73
>>> Pierre.
>>> F3WT
>>> FISTS : 8916-
>>>
UNQUOTE ( excerpt)

I got 2 replies in return only:

one agreement and one opposite view .

The latter let me to think that there
remains much lobbying work to be done
to prevent this from "deregulating" any
further!

Pierre, F3WT

KG5VK on 2004-11-22
I love reading posts by those "Anonymous souls"

how many of these complainers even know what the WARC bands are let alone use them !

why can't we all allow
each other to enjoy our hobby ?

because some will always complain !

I try real hard to be respectful and not hurt others, but then after asking if the freq is in use three times AND waiting for an answer and getting none

as a station answers my CQ a fellow
comes on reading me the right act and even after I tell him I will qsy ups 2 more hz
which is all he asked for
he persist I move now, not after I work the needed multiplier that answered my cq.

so I am wrong
and he is right and always will be ???

contesters have used band width where others have just never ever considered that the band was even open

we have also been the one's that
force the equipment to state of the art

you think electronic keyers were developed by those that have coffe and their net EVERY single day ????

who needs passband tuning and NR when every one is chanilized ?

you want respected channels.........
maybe you need to look at channel 19

competition not geratol nets will attract younger blood and ensure our hobby exist after we are gone

I want crowded bands and that is the difference !!!!!!!!!

73
steve
KG5VK

I await all the flames and hate mail that I am sure will follow.
As I will not hide behind an Anonymous post.

GW4ALG on 2004-11-15
The SSB leg of CQ WW 2004 generated the worst QRM ever - much worse than in previous years. The SSB contesters were operating all over the CW and data segments - right down to 7.003 MHz. Because the CW segment of 40m now gets totally trashed in this SSB contest, I would be in favour of having a 40m CW QSO Party to coincide with the SSB CQ WW contest in 2005. I would not normally advocate the introduction of yet another organised operating event, but having a QSO Party on the last weekend of October 2005 would be a good opportunity for CW operators to improve their XCW (eXtreme CW) operating skills! In relation to the SSB CQ WW event, it seems that the casual 40m CW operator could not be more inconvenienced than they are already - and perhaps they might join in the CW QSO Party too! Any thoughts?
Regards to all, Steve GW4ALG.

vk6bcp on 2004-11-13
Bert, DJ7YE, I fully agree with your opinion. Contests these days became a real pest for the good old hobby. Bert, you got my full support.
Vy 73 de Walter, VK6BCP (active since 1958)

Anonymous on 2004-11-12
Contesters offend against Amateur�s Code

Our Ham fathers have adopted good radio traditions over the years. Already in 1928, Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, composed an Amateur�s Code, which can be found in several ARRL publications.
The majority of all ham radio operators proudly uphold The Amateur�s Code but there is a substantial number of amateurs ignoring it - contesters.

Rule NUMBER ONE of this Code reads as follows:

�THE RADIO AMATEUR IS:
CONSIDERATE �. Never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.�

But what happens in all these contests on our bands?

In this chaos, which takes place every weekend, we find a vast majority of polite Amateurs who have to switch off their radio because the contesters tumult is absolutely unbearable.
This fact is more than enough to demonstrate the inconsiderateness of the contesters which obviously is a clear violation of the Code.
There are only complaints about contesters any time they show up.
As a logical consequence contests have to be eliminated from the Amateur Radio Service as soon as possible.
Beyond question contests have destroyed all good practices in Amateur Radio.

Remember: What comes FIRST is rule number one (read above). Whosoever violates this rule has no business to participate in the Amateur Radio Service.
Regards
Bert - DJ7YE (42 years active in DX and in the �Amateur Radio business�)

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