Happy New Year 2013

Hello all,

before the first post in the New Year I would like to send best wishes, healthy and prosperous New Year 2013 ! I hope that New Year will bring to all of You some new good friends, keeps You healthy and will allow You to make some nice QSOs on 60m band...

73 - Petr, OK1RP

YJ0VK - Vanuatu on 60m update 6-Oct-2011 old post

Hello all,

I found these information in the draft folder so probably I did not posted for some reason... In order to have all information on the same place I am going to post it over here. Maybe it will help to some others in terms of propagation overview in the 2011 compare to 2012/2013 and activity on the band.
Sorry if it bother others as it it not up to date post...


GM San and Petr,

Luke had 14 qsos into NA on 60m last night at 11z. I slept so I could be up at17z (4am local) for eu. 12z and 13z the radar came up and Luke had trouble hearing. I was up at 1630z (3.30am) to prep for 17z with eu. All tuned and ready with only s4 noise on band, then at 1659z the radar came up s9+10... bugger. I called for 10mins on both freqs but couldnt hear a thing. Will be on agn tonight - same routine guys.

San... confirmed calls are:

n4ch w3ur k4avc w4dr k5rk k7nn kl7hbk k3zxl k4dy w1jr k0od w3ri k5vrx kf8dx.

Not sure we can do much more about radar other than keep trying. Fingers crossed Petr for better local cx tonight at 17z. Petr and San - pls advise the guys (esp EU) that we are trying but the radar is very bad.

73 from the team YJ0VK,

Chris, VK3QB


I would like to thank to Chris, VK3QB and all the team for great activity and an excellent job. The team made really good job and they express an excellent skills and big effort in order to give to as many as possible ops new one on the 60m band.

73 - Petr, OK1RP

VP2M - Monserrat on 60m ?

The"Buddies in the Caribbean" mini-DXpedition group is off to VP2M (Montserrat) April 8-16th, 2012 with a new group of operators who have never experienced the "other side of a pileup"! We will have two of the new Elecraft KX3's (Ser#23 and #24) with us! We believe this will be the first DXpedition using the new KX3 radio!

Because of severe baggage limits on the Antigua to Monserrat flight (one bag under 50 lbs!), we will be limited to 100 watt or less low power radios and the Buddipole portable antenna systems. Yet our goal is to demonstrate "ultralite" dxpeditioning into magnificent "vista" locations, operating a field portable, battery-only KX3 radio with backpackable, lightweight antennas and most of all "having fun" on the "volcano isle".

The eight operators are: Budd/VP2MFF (W3FF), Guy/VP2MUN (N7UN), Paul/VP2MVO (KB9AVO), Larry/VP2MLR (W7DGP), Russ/VP2MQR (N7QR), Tom/VP2MTM (K2GSJ), and Chris/VP2MYZ (N2YYZ). There will be several Gingerbread Villa stations in operation on 160-10m using CW, SSB, and RTTY or PSK. At the same time, several teams will be battery-only, field portable either from Montserrat beaches or scenic mountain tops with the KX3 and signing callsign/p.

QSL via LoTW, eQSL,or mail to the operator’s home callsign (SASE required).

Posted by Guy, N7UN
http://www.n7un.com/

There is nothing promised about the 60m band but we should check the band for their operation... All depends to the local conditions and mountains scenario.

73 - Petr, OK1RP

Canada on 5MHz - by Paul, G4MWO

Hi Petr and Joe,

Canadian amateurs were allowed at the beginning of April 2012 by their regulator, Industry Canada, to apply for special interim 5 MHz/60m. development licences under the VX9 callsign series. This provides for the same facilities accorded to US licensees. Following discussions with the Canadian national amateur radio society, RAC - Radio Amateurs of Canada and the implementation of the US FCC new 60m rules in March 2012, Industry Canada is to issue a consultation notice for Canadian radio amateurs in the government Canada Gazette. At the conclusion of this process Industry Canada intends to make general availability of 5 MHz/60m frequencies to all Canadian amateurs. In the meantime they invite amateurs to apply for a special interim 5 MHz/60m developmental licence in order to have the opportunity of gaining early access to these frequencies. ( Source:- RAC Bulletin 2012-021E - Update on 60 Metres )

An amateur holding the Basic + (with Honours) or the Advanced Certificate will be eligible for licensing on these frequencies.

First to be licensed was Russ Hemphill, VE3FI with the special callsign VX9GHD. Russ commented in QRZ.com "This band is badly needed for Emergency Communications, when conditions on 40 and 80 are not suitable for transmitting or receiving traffic."

Look for Russ and other new Canadian 60m Developmental licensees on the usual spotter sites and/or the 60m page of the Reverse Beacon Network http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1.php?f=163

Stephen Arkell, VE3SHA, wrote to his local Industry Canada field office and got an official reply as to what the status is and current Canadian amateur 60m/5 MHz regulations are. He kindly re-posted that in QRZ.com, so I've copied it and attached it as a Word doc as it's rather long. The main thing is, though, that it basically follows the US criteria.

73

Paul Gaskell, G4MWO

Editor, The 5 MHz Newsletter
http://tinyurl.com/7ylxz9z
(current edition)
G4MWO's Worldwide 5 MHz Amateur Allocations Chart
http://tinyurl.com/82rwq2b
UK GB2RS RSGB News Service 5 MHz Newsreader
Member of Original RSGB 5 MHz Team (2002)

The Spring Edition of The 5 MHz Newsletter by Paul, G4MWO available

Hi All,

The Spring Edition of The 5 MHz Newsletter has now been published and features information on the recent WRC-12 conference.

A subscription is not needed and the Newsletter can be freely read or downloaded from Google documents at

http://tinyurl.com/7ylxz9z

A paper copy can be obtained by sending an SASE large enough to take folded A4 to the Editor, G4MWO, who is QTHR and on QRZ.com.

A chart is also maintained of current Worldwide 5 MHz Amateur Allocations. This can be found at

http://tinyurl.com/82rwq2b

73,

Paul Gaskell, G4MWO

Editor, The 5 MHz Newsletter

Big thanks to Paul for great job !

73 - Petr, OK1RP

NTIA Clarifies Position on 60 Meter Digital Privileges

NTIA Clarifies Position on 60 Meter Digital Privileges

In response to requests for clarification from the ARRL, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has confirmed that it has no objection to the use of a broader range of data emissions by amateurs on the five 5 MHz frequencies on 60 meters. ARRL’s original understanding was that the NTIA preferred that the use of 2K80J2D emission be limited to Pactor III. The NTIA now says that that is not the case.

In an e-mail response to ARRL Cheif Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, Karl Nebbia, Associate Administrator of the NTIA Office of Spectrum Management, stated, “NTIA has no interest in limiting the types of emission used by the amateurs as long as the data emission does not exceed the 2.8 kHz bandwidth generated by the upper sideband transmitter.” Nebbia referred all further inquiries to the FCC, which “…sets the conditions for use of the five 5 MHz frequencies by the amateurs.”

The requirement of only one signal per channel remains, as well as the prohibition against automatic operation. The FCC continues to require that all digital transmissions be centered on the channel-center frequencies, which the Report and Order defines as being 1.5 kHz above the suppressed carrier frequency of a transceiver operated in the Upper Sideband (USB) mode. This is typically the frequency shown on the frequency display.

Channel USB Suppressed Carrier (kHz) Center (kHz)

1 5330.5 5332.0

2 5346.5 5348.0

3 5357.0 5358.5

4 5371.5 5373.0

5 5403.5 5405.0

The ARRL advises amateurs to operate with care when using digital modes in consideration of the fact that hams are secondary users on these frequencies. See the revised 60-Meter FAQ page on the ARRL Web, as well as the revised ARRL 60-Meter Recommended Practices document.

Thanks to W8GEX for sharing these information thru email.

73 - Petr, OK1RP

CW on the 60m band coming for US hams on 5th March 2012

Beginning on 5 March U.S. hams holding General class or higher licenses, may begin to use C.W. on the 60 meter band. Here is some guidance from the American Radio Relay League that specifically relates to C.W. operation:

CW operation must take place at the center of your chosen channel. This means that your transmitting frequency must be 1.5 kHz above the suppressed carrier frequency as specified in the FCC's Report and Order. Operating at strict channel-center frequencies may come as a disappointment to many, but cooperating with the NTIA is key to expanded privileges in the future.

The channel center frequencies are …

Channel 1: 5332.0 kHz
Channel 2: 5348.0 kHz
Channel 3: 5358.5 kHz
Channel 4: 5373.0 kHz
Channel 5: 5405.0 kHz

Consult your transceiver manual. Some transceivers transmit CW at the exact frequencies shown on their displays, but others offset the actual transmission frequency by a certain amount (for example, 600 Hz). If your manual is not clear on this point, contact the manufacturer. If youhave access to a frequency counter, this is an excellent tool for ensuring that your CW signal is on the channel center frequency.

Posted on FOC mailing list. More details about the new 60m regulations can be found on the ARRL's web site.

73 - Petr, OK1RP