> Just thinking out loud here, I wonder if it
> would make sense to have DX stations operate
> from 1830 to 1840 or whatever and listen
> exactly 100 kHz above their transmitting
> frequency (ie 1930 to 1940). The band plan
> could be amended to make a split window that
> would mirror the DX window. If the ragchewers
> were prewarned to stay out of this window,
> perhaps everyone could get along.
We often tend to focus on this as a contest problem or ragchewer
problem, and it is not. It is a rule problem and so it is also a day to
day problem.
For example, last night just in casual tuning I counted 5 USA
stations on SSB below 1835, and 12 below 1840 considering
"carrier" frequency. I counted 16 SSB stations with emissions
below 1840. The lowest frequency was 1815.
Of that group, two moved down from 75 meters to check 160 for
potential use (they were on 1815) and the others were ops who
seemed to be looking for random contacts. One was a hi-fi audio
guy, with exaggerated bass and treble. Two (well below 1840) were
contesting fans not in a contest, but talking about contests.
It is a mix of people and not any one specific group that causes the
problem. The reason we have the problem and have always had
that problem is we have no clear rule or boundary as on all the
other bands.
We either have to spend our lives trying to fight this problem by
informing people of the bandplan on a daily basis, or have a rule
that applies year around. Uniform bandplan enforcement by
contests would help, but only with a tiny part of the overall problem.
73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com
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