60 Meter Band worldwide allocation approved by the FCC

[KeithE4]

It's only 15 kHz (5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz) wide, and the allowed output power is only 9.15 watts ERP, but it is a full allocation, not channelized. Four of the previous five channels (center frequencies 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz, carriers 1.5 kHz lower) will also remain, shared with the military, at 100 watts ERP. The band is open to hams who hold a General, Advanced, or Extra license, and the maximum allowed bandwidth remains 2.8 kHz.

The new rules will become effective 30 days after being published in the Federal Register.

FCC Allocates 60-Meter World-Wide Amateur Band Approved at WRC-15; Continues Amateur Use of Four Additional 60-Meter Channels, and Updates 420 MHz Coordination Information

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

 

[CTListener]

Should be a great wintertime band for QRP operation, but practically useless when the thunderstorms start up again.

 

[KeithE4]

I'm surprised they allowed phone operation, rather than restricting it to the older channels. After all, we're talking about a 15 kHz wide secondary allocation. 30 meters is 50 kHz wide, and voice operations there are a no-no.

 

[CTListener]

I'm surprised they allowed phone operation, rather than restricting it to the older channels. After all, we're talking about a 15 kHz wide secondary allocation. 30 meters is 50 kHz wide, and voice operations there are a no-no.

Is 30 meters CW only or CW and digital? What was the reasoning behind the no-phone status of the band?

 

[KeithE4]

Is 30 meters CW only or CW and digital? What was the reasoning behind the no-phone status of the band?

CW and digital. There's just not enough room in 50 kHz of space to have voice modes (2.8 kHz for SSB, 6 kHz for Ancient Modulation) without it taking over. That's why I say that even SSB in this new band is a mistake. Narrow bands require narrow modes. SSB should be restricted to the allocated fixed channels outside of this band.

 

[Greg Strickland]

If it is not already in place, there is something to be said for worldwide allocation of Amateur radio bands. And I think the bands should be wide enough to accommodate AM.

CW and AM are the universal, fundamental method of radio wave communication.

Excluding spark gap, of course. But I suppose if you put a band pass filter on a spark gap, that might pass for somewhat sloppy CW.

 

[CTListener]

With the average age of the American radio amateur somewhere around 75, don't expect much forward-looking rulemaking regarding the ham bands -- at least not rulemaking that would give hams more elbow room. I'm kind of surprised this micro-expansion is happening.

Just a horrifying thought ... How long will it take the five available frequencies on 60 meters to be filled with Parks on the Air activity, especially on weekends? It's already on 17 and 12, which used to be refuges from contests, but POTA has moved in on both bands because it's not a competition with a time limit, but rather a year-round activity.

 

[KeithE4]

If it is not already in place, there is something to be said for worldwide allocation of Amateur radio bands.

The ITU is divided in to 3 regions. Some bands are worldwide allocations, but some will always be allocated regionally. For example, 3900-4000 and 7200-7300 kHz are parts of the 75 and 40 meter ham bands, respectively, in Region 2 (Western Hemisphere), but are broadcast bands in the rest of the world.

And I think the bands should be wide enough to accommodate AM.

Ancient Modulation is barely used on the ham bands, and that's been the case since the 1960s. There are probably a few thousand (if that) hard core users, mainly on 160 and 75 meters, but SSB has been the standard on HF for over 60 years.

CW and AM are the universal, fundamental method of radio wave communication.

Neither is "universal" anymore. 90% of all CW operation is in the ham bands, and AM is all but dead outside of broadcasting and CB.

Excluding spark gap, of course. But I suppose if you put a band pass filter on a spark gap, that might pass for somewhat sloppy CW.

Spark was outlawed 100 years ago. And for good reason.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The ITU is divided in to 3 regions. Some bands are worldwide allocations, but some will always be allocated regionally. For example, 3900-4000 and 7200-7300 kHz are parts of the 75 and 40 meter ham bands, respectively, in Region 2 (Western Hemisphere), but are broadcast bands in the rest of the world.

The 41 meter international broadcast band was originally 7100 to 7300, but was moved up 7200 to 7500. Supposedly it will wind up 7300 to 7600 with the 40 meter ham band worldwide on 7000 to 7300, but I don’t recall the target date for that.

Ancient Modulation is barely used on the ham bands, and that's been the case since the 1960s. There are probably a few thousand (if that) hard core users, mainly on 160 and 75 meters, but SSB has been the standard on HF for over 60 years.

75 meters seemed to be where most of the AM ham activity took place, and that was only a small percentage. AM on 160 seems to be extremely rare.

Neither is "universal" anymore. 90% of all CW operation is in the ham bands, and AM is all but dead outside of broadcasting and CB.

That 90% figure for CW is probably low. Agree about AM.

Spark was outlawed 100 years ago. And for good reason.

Spark put RF slop all over the place if it wasn’t engineered properly. Radio operators of all kinds were thrilled to see it go once CW became the Morse Code standard.

 

[KeithE4]

The 41 meter international broadcast band was originally 7100 to 7300, but was moved up 7200 to 7500. Supposedly it will wind up 7300 to 7600 with the 40 meter ham band worldwide on 7000 to 7300, but I don’t recall the target date for that.

I remember trying to dodge the European broadcasters while trying to work 40 meter CW back in my Novice days (1970-71). The segment back then was 7150-7200, with crystal control mandatory. Careful tuning was required to kill those heterodynes.

There aren't many left in the 7200-7300 segment, but there are still a few.

75 meters seemed to be where most of the AM ham activity took place, and that was only a small percentage. AM on 160 seems to be extremely rare.

I hear quite a few on 160 meters, especially this time of the year. 10 meters used to have a busy AM segment around 28.8-29.1 MHz, but I haven't heard anyone on AM there in years.

That 90% figure for CW is probably low. Agree about AM.

That was a rough guess. But who, besides hams and maybe some marine and emergency traffic, uses CW anymore?

Spark put RF slop all over the place if it wasn’t engineered properly. Radio operators of all kinds were thrilled to see it go once CW became the Morse Code standard.

Back when spark was outlawed (around 1922, IIRC), there was all kinds of screaming and kicking from hams who preferred "real radio," and not that newfangled "See Doubleyoo." Long live King Spark, and get off my lawn!

 

[awsherrill]

10 meters used to have a busy AM segment around 28.8-29.1 MHz, but I haven't heard anyone on AM there in years.

I heard a couple of AM operators just this past weekend, in the 29.0-29.2 segment. They aren't very frequent but they do show up from time to time.

 

[Greg Strickland]

I didn't know there was so little interest in amplitude modulation.

 

[KeithE4]

I didn't know there was so little interest in amplitude modulation.

SSB took over when better rigs became available. Because the carrier and one sideband are removed by the balanced modulator and filter, the available RF power is utilized much more efficiently.

My first exposure to Amateur Radio was by listening to the 40m & 20m AM ops on my folks' AM/FM/SW portable in 1964. No BFO on those consumer radios. By the time I got my Novice ticket in 1970, AM was fading fast, and had all but disappeared on 20 meters.

 

[yeoldeschool]

Ancient Modulation is barely used on the ham bands, and that's been the case since the 1960s. There are probably a few thousand (if that) hard core users, mainly on 160 and 75 meters, but SSB has been the standard on HF for over 60 years.

I hear quite a few on 160 meters, especially this time of the year.

Are the Hi-Fi AM (source) guys still as prevalent on 160 meters as they were a couple decades ago? The eSSB community, which, if memory serves, started up around the same time (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), didn't tend to confine itself to 160 as much as the Hi-Fi AM crowd, considering their eSSB signals were only half as spectrum-hungry, and thus less likely to be angrily labeled splatterboxes by the uninitiated.

 

[CTListener]

There aren't many left in the 7200-7300 segment, but there are still a few.

China still has a bunch of broadcast signals in that segment. One of them only recently fired up on 7255, raising hell with the first couple of hours of the venerable ECARS Net (East Coast Amateur Radio Service), which has been on that frequency since the late '60s, although it does very little of the traffic passing and other public service functions it performed in its pre-internet years. Now it's just a bunch of elderly hams checking in faithfully strictly out of habit rather than expecting to actually do anything helpful.

 

[CTListener]

Are the Hi-Fi AM (source) guys still as prevalent on 160 meters as they were a couple decades ago? The eSSB community, which, if memory serves, started up around the same time (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), didn't tend to confine itself to 160 as much as the Hi-Fi AM crowd, considering their eSSB signals were only half as spectrum-hungry, and thus less likely to be angrily labeled splatterboxes by the uninitiated.

At night, you'll find those guys on one or two frequencies on "top band." Spectacular-sounding audio for AM, as you might expect, but the conversations are either dry and technical or full of inside references and jokes. Too bad hams are prohibited from playing music. I'd love to hear how it sounds on 160.

 

[yeoldeschool]

At night, you'll find those guys on one or two frequencies on "top band." Spectacular-sounding audio for AM, as you might expect, but the conversations are either dry and technical or full of inside references and jokes. Too bad hams are prohibited from playing music. I'd love to hear how it sounds on 160.

Any particular frequencies to check on the west coast? It would be interesting hearing how they sounded through a longwire-fed DX-286 with the IF opened up to 8 kHz.

As for music, I wonder if the phase distorting effects of ionospheric propagation would thwart stereo eSSB from working in more than just laboratory environments like this:

 

[KeithE4]

China still has a bunch of broadcast signals in that segment. One of them only recently fired up on 7255, raising hell with the first couple of hours of the venerable ECARS Net (East Coast Amateur Radio Service), which has been on that frequency since the late '60s, although it does very little of the traffic passing and other public service functions it performed in its pre-internet years. Now it's just a bunch of elderly hams checking in faithfully strictly out of habit rather than expecting to actually do anything helpful.

I had no idea they were still around. I used to check in to MIDCARS on 7258 back in the '70s and '80s when I lived in the Midwest, but I believe they're long gone now. I haven't heard anything from WESTCARS in recent years, either.

 

[KeithE4]

Are the Hi-Fi AM (source) guys still as prevalent on 160 meters as they were a couple decades ago?

I'd guess they are, but I have no way of knowing at this time. I don't have an antenna that will work on 80/75, let alone 160. One of many projects I'm working on as I can (I lost my antenna in a Monsoon storm this summer).

The eSSB community, which, if memory serves, started up around the same time (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), didn't tend to confine itself to 160 as much as the Hi-Fi AM crowd, considering their eSSB signals were only half as spectrum-hungry, and thus less likely to be angrily labeled splatterboxes by the uninitiated.

AFAIK, the extended SSB folks are still around in some form. My Yaesu FT-450D is rather narrow on SSB modes, so I couldn't hear it well anyway. The NU9N.com website is still up and active, so I have to guess that there is some activity.

eSSB Extended Single Sideband Hi-Fi Audio

eSSB Hi-Fi Audio Setup

www.nu9n.com

 

[CTListener]

I had no idea they were still around. I used to check in to MIDCARS on 7258 back in the '70s and '80s when I lived in the Midwest, but I believe they're long gone now. I haven't heard anything from WESTCARS in recent years, either.

MIDCARS is still around, too, still on 7258. And there's also SOUTHCARS on 7251, which seems to be the liveliest of the three. I've never heard WESTCARS, didn't realize there was one.