Hi Dave,
For my money everyone is welcome on the band, whatever mode they wish to use. 
The more the merrier. As I see it the problem is not over-usage but 
under-usage, and that applies to me too.
If the existing informal "band-plan" has indeed been submitted for 
ratification, I am surprised and sorry to hear it. The plan was discussed at Windsor last 
October, and there were a number of suggestions for revising it, but nothing was agreed. 
Sorry, because in my opinion it gives precedence to normal speed CW. I have nothing 
against CW, but this band is unique being at the LF end of the spectrum and very narrow. 
It gives amateurs an opportunity to experiment with  new (for us) techniques to meet the 
challenge of this interesting band. It shouldn't just be a retreat for CW enthusiasts.
Before any plan is fixed in stone, it should be properly discussed and thought 
out. For example in some regions there are commercial stations operating in the 
band and amateurs will need to avoid these in order not to cause interference 
and just to have a chance of hearing weak signals. Even when a plan is agreed, 
it should nevertheless come up for revision from time to time, perhaps every 2 
years or even more frequently in the light of experience or changes in band 
conditions (we haven't been through a full solar cycle yet) or for technical 
reasons. Everyone with an interest in using the band should be allowed and 
indeed encouraged to make an input to this process.
I would prefer to see a positive approach of encouraging experimentation and a 
great degree of flexibility in any plan adopted. Unless a user is actually 
causing interference to another, we really shouldn't object.
The most important thing is to get along with one another and make all users 
feel welcome.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Dave Sergeant"<[email protected]>
To: "rsgb_lf_group"<[email protected]>
Date: Mon Jan 07 06:15:48 PST 2002
Subject: LF: Re: Re: New band plan (was: GPS Coherant PSK Transmission)

From Dave G3YMC>

I2PHD wrote:

Just to stir a bit the water, what about the following :
135.7    -    136.0        Long distance (TA or TP), weak-signal modes (QRSS,

DFCW,etc.), no CW allowed

136.0    -    137.0        All digital modes + QRSS + DFCW , both for QSOs and

experimentations, no CW

137.0    -    137.8        CW only

Oh dear, dear, dear.
As it happens, the suggested bandplan (at
http://www.g3wkl.freeserve.co.uk/lf/136kHz.html) has now been submitted to IARU
region 1 for ratification.  There are aspects in it which many of us are not in 
total
agreement with, but it is has now been submitted so should be followed whereever
reasonable.  G4JNT has now explained his reasons for doing tests within the 
normal cw
portion, clearly indicating you can never find a compromise which will meet all
requirements. It might have helped if Andy had explained this beforehand, that 
it was
a special case justifying an out of bandplan operation.  I am afraid comments 
like
'So as far as we're concerned bandplans can go to the wall when this sort of
requirement rears its head !' are not helpful.  Neither does changing the 
bandplan if
it doesn't meet your requirements!

John Sexton wrote:

Do we need to stick with this bandplan? When it was devised it reflected 
interests
at that time among a rather small group.
Things have moved on since then.

What has moved on since then is that those who use digital modes think they are 
now
the only band users, and anybody else like me who has no interest in those modes
whatsoever is not welcome, either on the band or on this reflector.  The band 
is for
all amateurs whatever their interests.  The bandplan was devised with that in 
mind.
Unfortunately many we used to have on the band have already lost interest in it
because of this attitude.  I can see the time very soon when the digital boys 
have
got their way and turned the whole band over to those modes - I may well have 
already
vacated the band myself by the time that happens.

73s Dave G3YMC
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://www.dsergeant.btinternet.co.uk

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