Monday 29 August 2016

Removal of WSPR VHF spot frequencies in IARU Region 1

 At the beginning of June 2016 the WSPR VHF spot frequencies in IARU Region 1  where removed from the band plans.

At the time I wrote this response but have only now decided to publish it.

 

I'm new to VHF WSPR and am really enjoying it. I've been on Two for over 30 years and if you'd ask me before I started using WSPR if I could put a signal into JO23 (600Km) with 5 Watts under flat band conditions I would have said noway but with WSPR I can! I'm impressed and would like to find out what more can be done. So I'm not going away yet but I do believe we should take the olive branch offered by the RSGB VHF Manager and on Two, which is where the problem seems to be, all just QSY to DIAL 144.490500MHz.


We should also ask the VHF Managers to re-read their handbook paying particular attention to these passages;



The basic philosophy behind bandplanning should be:

to assign frequencies for certain activities in such a way that all current users can practice

the various modes of amateur radio with a minimum of mutual interference, provided they

are using state-of-the-art equipment and communication techniques”.



Technical investigations by amateurs, be it in the classical field of propagation research or on

modern digital communication techniques etc. are a laudable and legitimate aspect of amateur activity”.



The definition of the Amateur Service implies that bandplanning should take into account all

aspects of amateur radio – self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations.

Consequently, for any band the bandplan should aim to accommodate for the maximum

number of amateur activities (modes, techniques), both now and in the future.

Clearly there are impossible situations: CCIR ATV cannot be carried out in the 144 MHz

allocation etc”.

WSPR, JT65 and other screen shots

Here are some screen shots that should be largely self explanatory but I'll add more if I think necessary.

1296.500MHz WSPR 



The 220km path on 23cms
WSPR & JT65 at he same time on 30 metres
The relocated GB3USK beacon on 23cms not to strong with me
200 mW heard in Antarctica

A good day on 70MHz