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Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20021215145022.00b12bf8@gemini.herts.ac.uk>
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2002 15:31:51 +0000
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
From: "James Moritz" <j.r.moritz@herts.ac.uk>
In-reply-to: <000c01c2a3cc$8afd30e0$b7837ad5@main>
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Subject: Re: LF: re 500kHz /73kHz Activity
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Dear Mal, Alan, HF Group,

I have spent some time during the past couple of years listening to the 
band around 500kHz - I have yet to hear any 2-way communications going on. 
What I do hear is various shore stations (mainly Italian), who pop up on 
500kHz, then QSY to a nearby frequency to broadcast traffic lists, weather 
reports, and bulletins of shipping hazards. I guess these same broadcasts 
are being tranmitted on HF - they seem to be machine generated. As Alan 
suggests, there is a difference between the broadcasts being there, and 
anybody actually using them. I think NAVTEX is an entirely automatic set 
up, with a dedicated RX printing out the broadcasts, without any operator 
being involved. The marine radio suppliers don't seem to be offering MF 
transmitters - how many ships do you see with a viable MF transmitting 
antenna? Even with the broadcasts, the majority of the spectrum around 
500kHz never seems to have any signals in it, so it would seem there is 
plenty of room for a few kHz of amateur band without causing problems. I 
have heard that there is some interest in using this frequency range for 
broadcasting differential GPS information, so that may be part of the 
reason the powers that be are not keen on an amateur band.


In a QSO with G3XIZ yesterday, I heard that M0FMT is in the process of 
getting set up on 73kHz, and hopes to be QRV in the near future - so one 
worth watching out for.

Cheers, Jim Moritz
73 de M0BMU