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LF: 136kHz Eu DX frequency - summary

To: [email protected]
Subject: LF: 136kHz Eu DX frequency - summary
From: "Mike Dennison" <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:50:15 -0000
Reply-to: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
There have been 6 comments on whether the Eu DX slot on 136.320kHz is 
still useful.  To summarise:

Grabbers: One more Eu station has provided a grabber on 136.320, and 
one active NA station has stated he is unable to add this sub-band. 
Only two grabbers are available outside Europe to monitor this 
frequency - RW3ADB (which is almost always off), and KL7UK on demand. 
It is therefore difficult for a Eu station to offer an occasional 
beacon on the Eu sub-band as there´s nobody listening.

There have been two practical solutions to avoiding local QRM to DX 
stations.

Split-frequency: This was used some years ago when there was lots of 
Eu DX activity and east coast W/VE stations were monitoring.  For 
instance, Eu transmit on 136.320 and NA transmit on 137.777.

Split timing: This was used successfully this year on the JA-VE 
route. For instance, JA transmit on the hour and half hour, and VE 
transmit on the quarter and three-quarter hour. A suggested solution 
has been to use alternate days for Eu and NA.

Both of the above solutions are fine but they only work for two 
locations at a time. If a third location is added to the mix, such as 
Russia, or both East and West Coast America, the solution breaks 
down. For instance, Eu transmits on 136.320, UA transmits on 137.777, 
but NA also transmits on 137.777 and is prevented from receiving the 
UA stations. A resolution would require at least three DX slots, with 
every grabber equipped to receive them. The split timing solution 
would also need additional timing slots which might lead to openings 
being missed. 

It is possible to devise a complex solution involving both time and 
frequency, especially as the hours of darkness move round the world, 
but it need all operators to cooperate. 

Is there a real problem? I don´t think there is a practical problem 
at present. Activity is low and most stations are in touch with each 
other via this reflector. If/when the USA gets an allocation at 
136kHz, I can see a real need for some kind of plan, but that´s not 
for a while yet.

In the meantime, it is of course important for beacon operators to 
make every effort to avoid interfering with each other. Frequency 
spacing is an obvious way, as well as making sure that there are 
listening gaps between transmissions. It would also help if more 
grabber operators could open more receive slots.

To sum up my own position, I have not found any evidence of 
propagation research or QSOs being affected by my occasional beacon 
on 137.7752kHz, so I will continue to use this frequency. I will also 
use 136.3182kHz whenever I can be sure there is a person or machine 
available to receive my signals. I will also try to limit beacons in 
time.

As always, if anyone has a practical problem, I am happy to switch 
off.

Mike, G3XDV
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