As one of the hardy souls who helped perpetuate amateur interest in 160 by
actively using the band during the early 1960's, the recent debate over band
plans got me thinking...
When I first got on top band in 1960, amateurs shared with the LORAN
radionavigation system, a WWII relic that happened to get placed in our band
during the wartime shut-down. We faced severe frequency and power
restrictions that varied according to geographical location. At my locality
we were allowed 200 watts input daytime and 50 watts night, on 1800-1825
kHz. Western states were allowed 1975-2000 with similar restrictions. For
a while, power was cut even further, to 100 watts day, 25 watts night. Some
localities had no 160M privileges at all. There was little interest in the
band, and very little encouragement for amateurs to use it. I recall many
commercially built rigs advertised as "all-band, 80 through 10 metres".
Lately I have been hearing that because of the global positioning satellite
system, the radiolocation service that operates in the vicinity of 160M is
expected be phased out within the next five years. They presently occupy
1700-1800 kHz, share 1900-2000 with amateurs, and maintain some allocations
above 2000 kHz. What will happen to those frequencies if radiolocation in
this part of the spectrum is eventually discontinued?
Prior to WWII, the amateur allocation was 1715-2000 kHz, with 1715-1800 cw
only. How many of today's hams are aware that, for a brief period, 160M was
fully 300 kHz wide? Just before WWII, 1715-1750 was withdrawn and
reallocated to another service, but amateurs were given 50 kHz above 2000 to
compensate for the loss. The band extended from 1750 to 2050 kHz,
exclusively amateur! Unfortunately, Pearl Harbor was attacked shortly
thereafter, and amateurs were shut down altogether before they could enjoy
the privilege. From that date, it took us over 40 years to regain 160M as a
full-fledged amateur band. These historical facts are well documented in
QST and other amateur radio publications of that era, but most present-day
topband enthusiasts are unaware that we still don't have our entire orginal
pre-war allocation.
If radiolocation is indeed phased out in the near future, who will gain
their present-day allocations? I hear very little traffic between 2000 kHz
and WWV on 2500 kHz, leaving the impression that there is not a tremendous
demand for frequencies in this part of the spectrum from anyone other than
the likes of WWCR and Brother Stair. Perhaps it's not too early for the
amateur community to begin a serious lobbying effort to get the rest of our
band back.
Don, K4KYV
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