wrote:
Alun L. Palmer wrote:
wrote in
This is a link to the IARU HF bandplans:-
http://www.iaru-region2.org/hf_e.htm
This has all three regions on it, although published on the
Region 2 web
site, so probably most up to date for that region (the one
the US happens to be in).

If we had a voluntary system in the US, as per most other
countries, this
is the bandplan I would go by. OTOH, the ARRL bandplan
necessarily
incorporates the current restrictions on phone. They might
change it, or might not, but then I am not a member...

For those who haven't followed the link, the phone segments
for R2 start at
1840, 3635, 7050, 14112, 18110.5, 21150.5, 24930.5 and 28225.

In fact,
phone is allowed somewhat lower down on a non-interference
basis, but if
you want that info you'll have to actually read the thing!

Whatever, took a whole two minutes Alun. I would not like to
operate in that regime.

Nor I!

In the first place it's far too complicated, much more
complicated than the ARRL plan, complexity being an auto-
turnoff bound
to get busted right and left in practice. Second it's sorely
out of
date with it's "allocation" for ax.25 ops. How much packet to
we hear
any longer on 40?? Further where do the modern digital modes
like
PSK-31 fit into this plan? They're not even mentioned.

I suppose they're all "digimode".

Ditto the
looming opening of 7100-7200 in regions 1 and 3. Looks like the thing
was laid out 20 years ago, it's an artifact.

Bingo! So much for "dynamic reallocation of resources"..

My big squawk with it though is that the top end of the CW-
exclusive
segemnt is 7.035. That's just plain nuts, only allows 10 Khz
for U.S.
non-Extras to operaste phone-free which simply will not work.

And that's if everybody plays by the bandplan!

Alun says the 'phone segment starts at 7050 under that plan. Which
means that 'phone is primary on ~83% of the band! CW is primary on
~11%. The "digimodes" are stuck in between.

The spectrum-efficient modes are sacrificed to the spectrum-wasters.
"From each according to his [spectrum] ability, to each according to
his [spectrum] need...." where have we heard that before?

Particularly given the ongoing surge of 40M QRP CW ops by all
classes of HF-enabled licensees in all regions.

7040...

In a word fuhgeddit.

The 800 pound problem is that nobody sez whose bandplan is to be
followed. Does IARU outrank ARRL in the USA, or the other way around?
What if NCVEC, NCI, RSGB, CQ or qrz.com comes up with a bandplan of
their own?

Like you said - fugedaboudit.

73 de Jim, N2EY