The real reason that there is a problem NOW is because up till the RTTY
contests started clobbering the prime CW area's of especially
40m......there wasn't a problem of major consequence.
I don't know for sure how many RTTY contests there are a year now. But
it MOST CERTAINLY has increased several fold. When the SSB boys caused
a problem in the CW segments....it was ONLY the MAJOR DX contests. Now
the RTTY is all over the place. AND even during NON CONTEST times I am
hearing the RTTY moving down below 7030.
I guess they figure it's alright since they hear it, it seems, down
there real regular. I often wonder how many of these machine operators
actually can copy CW? Or if they really listen to the speaker, or just
watch the tuning indicator and GO. I think I know that answer already.
SO I'll say it flat out. RTTY operators need to have a little
consideration. Oh and BTW I love RTTY Mode. And I love CW Mode. So I
do know both worlds.
Dan/W4NTI
Tommy wrote:
> The discussion of who should operate where is a useless massage of
> the finger muscles!
>
> First let me say that I am primarily a CW-type ham and participate in
> as many CW contest as I choose. I now have operated on 1 1/2 RTTY
> contest. I thoroughly enjoyed my first CQ WW RTTY contest this past
> weekend and found the ops to be very polite and extremely good at
> what they do. While I think that ALL hams should only operate CW, I
> actually do realize that there are numerous modes available in this
> HOBBY, and that since it is a hobby, everyone should operate in what
> ever mode they enjoy. But we ALL should be flexible.
>
> No matter what mode contest happens, it is 'natural' to spread out in
> frequency if participation is heavy. We do it in ALL CW contest, the
> RTTY guys do it, and the SSB guys do it. And that is the way it is!
> In the spirit of competition, we just do not stop to think who we may
> inconvenience while operating in a contest.
>
> W4BW, the ex-FCC chairman got us the WARC bands, mainly so
> non-contesters would have some place to operate if their favorite
> frequencies were being used during a contest. Unfortunately, he could
> not account for us hard-headed types who would rather complain about
> a contest, rather than take advantage of the WARC frequencies.
>
> The ITU Regions established the frequency range of the ham bands;
> they did not specify any mode of operation. The FCC bought into the
> ITU Region 2 frequency allocations, but the FCC did NOT make any
> band, except 60m, mode specific. The ARRL (not my favorite friend)
> did their best to 'suggest' band plans, so everyone would have a
> 'protected' place to operate. Of course that ARRL has no enforcement
> authority (thank goodness!). The FCC 'blessed' the ARRL's band plan,
> but I don't believe they ever made it a legal requirement.
>
> BUT everybody wants to pick their own frequency to operate. For
> instance, the QRP community chose, on 40m, to use 7.040 MHz as their
> calling frequency. Tuff Tootie! The band plan has, for years,
> designated (suggested) that 7.040 MHz is a RTTY DX window,
> specifically because ITU Region's did not coordinate frequency
> allocations for all parts of the world. The ITU frequency allocations
> for US/VE DO NOT RULE the world. So we have to do something we really
> don't like to do, i.e., we have to cooperate (gasp!). And obviously
> the QRP community did not check the band plan, when decreeing 7.040
> MHz was to be their 'calling frequency'.
>
> The discussion about the RTTY gang 'should' stay up above x.xxx
> frequency is very one-sided. Simply because when there is a CW
> contest, it's for certain that the CW ops are NOT going to honor ANY
> band plan. It just doesn't work that way. Tit-for Tat!! The same
> goes, of course, for SSB. Every SSB contest, it never takes very long
> for the 'old boys network of SSB ops, to raise cain because they were
> stepped on by 'idiot' SSB contesters, not realizing (admitting) that
> 'THEIR NET' frequency that they have been using for years, belongs to
> EVERYBODY.
>
> This discussion has been on-going for years; RTTY has now been
> included simply because the mode is gaining in popularity. The
> discussion will continue for years, as long as there is no legal (FCC
> requirement) for mode/frequency operations. Most likely because all
> hams have a huge lack of ability to accept change and we are
> certainly not an adaptable bunch of folks.
>
> Besides that, the bands are open!
>
> Tom - W4BQF
>
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>
>
>
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