locked Re: 60 meters: Operating guidelines for FT8
Hassan, I'm going to pick out a bit of info here... you stated that being able to use full bandwidth for SSB, but only the bandwidth of a single transmission on digital, which for this band is CW, (on off, not modulated) PSK31, PACTORIII, and RTTY, RTTY seems to have been added begrudgingly, but the important things of note are 1. WE ARE SECONDARY ON THIS BAND! , not primary, so we exist here only as long as we do things the way we won't get in trouble, we may get a slice of the band at some point, but we need to prove our ability to abide by the rules. 2, the band poster is pretty clear on the rules for this band, it really is, 3. when you consider the types of use the primary users of the band have for it, (governmental) it makes sense that it would be one station transmitting at a time, period, if you transmit over someone else's transmission, you are causing interference. if you can't hear the station, it's unintentional, if you do it and you KNOW there's someone transmitting, it's INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE, and against FCC regs anyway...like if you're hearing a pileup and everyone's running 50 watts, and you decide to heck with them, I'm going to make this contact if it kills me and slam them with a beam and full legal limit, you're breaking the intent of the rules. going back to the use, we are secondary, if you have 35 stations clogging up the channel, it would take much more time to tell each person QRT than the one or two that it would be. think of it this way, we are "BORROWING" the car... what rules should you follow when you borrow the car? the ones the person that let you use the car has, along with all local laws... don't get it dirty, don't wreck it, don't leave dirty diapers or used condoms in it don't do something that makes the person that has the car say I don't think I want to let you borrow the car again. the rules on this band are restrictive for a reason, just as their own internal rules are on the band. I'm not even entirely convinced that it's legal for us to use FT8 on this band AT ALL because they don't specify it, they mention CW, PSK31, PACTORIII (not AMTOR or any other similar modes) and begrudgingly RTTY Seannon, AG0NY Only one signal at a time is permitted on any channel." (From ARRL Band Poster) http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Band%20Chart%20-%2011X17%20Color.pdf More on Center of Channel ( 1500 Hz) Requirement: "With your PSK31 software display configured to indicate audio frequencies, click your mouse cursor at the 1500 Hz mark (see below). With your radio in the USB mode, this marker indicates the center of the channel and it is the frequency on which you should be transmitting." There is no special exemption for FT8, the same center channel rule applies. In Summary from the ARRL: 1. Only one station may transmit at a time. 2. They must be at he CENTER of the allocated channel (1500 Hz) 3. NTIA has defined "on channel" as precisely 1.5 kHz below the assigned channel frequency. These
are highly restrictive and have NOT been enforced. I posted my initial
"Be Careful" message, because I was warned by someone familiar with the
upcoming ARRL take-over of the FCC certified Monitoring Program, that
once the new program had officially started : ENFORCEMENT WOULD BE
FORTHCOMING and the enforcement will include referrals to the FCC for
action. Unfortunately, the comment below reflects the attitude of many USA amateurs: "If the FCC is that concerned about legitimate FT8 use within that 2.8 KHz BW, they need to clarify their own rules and rationale and make this clarification known. Because right now, its as clear as mud. "Field Day" for lawyers, so to speak." But the rules ARE clear here, there's a power level, compared to known quantity, they specifically give both CW center frequencies and USB frequencies as "Channels" they also give specific emissions types that are allowed, also, don't transmit when you can hear a station transmitting (only one station transmitting at any time) now, as for the rationale? that's not for us really, we have the rules to follow. As
a result, the 60m requirements for digital, (FT8 included), have been
summarily ignored if not outright violated. I, myself did so, because I
did not understand how one could reasonably operate a full SSB bandwidth
and that was ok, but could not use the entire 2.8 kHz bandwidth for
multiple narrow band FT8 transmissions. It makes NO sense. But....the rule is unforgiving and I have been told they are going to enforce it. It makes much more sense when you consider the government as primary, with us as secondary, it would take much more time to contact 20-30 stations to tell them to QRT than one or two governments would not try to stuff a ton of traffic in a single channel like this, they go for reliable communications over efficiency, unlike hams Only one signal at a time is permitted on any channel." (From ARRL Band Poster) http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Band%20Chart%20-%2011X17%20Color.pdf More on Center of Channel ( 1500 Hz) Requirement: "With your PSK31 software display configured to indicate audio frequencies, click your mouse cursor at the 1500 Hz mark (see below). With your radio in the USB mode, this marker indicates the center of the channel and it is the frequency on which you should be transmitting." There is no special exemption for FT8, the same center channel rule applies. In Summary from the ARRL: 1. Only one station may transmit at a time. 2. They must be at he CENTER of the allocated channel (1500 Hz) 3. NTIA has defined "on channel" as precisely 1.5 kHz below the assigned channel frequency. These
are highly restrictive and have NOT been enforced. I posted my initial
"Be Careful" message, because I was warned by someone familiar with the
upcoming ARRL take-over of the FCC certified Monitoring Program, that
once the new program had officially started : ENFORCEMENT WOULD BE
FORTHCOMING and the enforcement will include referrals to the FCC for
action. Unfortunately, the comment below reflects the attitude of many USA amateurs: "If the FCC is that concerned about legitimate FT8 use within that 2.8 KHz BW, they need to clarify their own rules and rationale and make this clarification known. Because right now, its as clear as mud. "Field Day" for lawyers, so to speak." The rules are pretty well spelled out, look at the chart above, there's channel info and conversions, , center channels, power requirements in relation to a specific antenna, and emissions modes (PSK31, PACTORIII not AMTOR or similar modes and RTTY, so it's questionable as to the legality of FT8 here anyway. As
a result, the 60m requirements for digital, (FT8 included), have been
summarily ignored if not outright violated. I, myself did so, because I
did not understand how one could reasonably operate a full SSB bandwidth
and that was ok, but could not use the entire 2.8 kHz bandwidth for
multiple narrow band FT8 transmissions. It makes NO sense. But....the rule is unforgiving and I have been told they are going to enforce it. It makes a lot more sense when you consider the PRIMARY on the band, and not us as amateurs that are secondary. governments would use this as close to a clear channel for simplicity's sake especially true in emergency communications, or wartime, so, if you hear someone transmitting, wait, don't transmit on top of them, it could be life or death. We as hams like to make the case for efficiency, the government for reliable communications I
have advocated one thing and one thing only: Be Careful. I don't have
horse this race. It would be a shame, however, if we lost this
allocation or someone would get a QSL card from the FCC because they
refused to exercise some caution in the matter. I
have advocated one thing and one thing only: Be Careful. I don't have
horse this race. It would be a shame, however, if we lost this
allocation or someone would get a QSL card from the FCC because they
refused to exercise some caution in the matter.
On Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 7:55 AM Hasan Schiers N0AN <hbasri.schiers6@...> wrote:
-- “It is a simple feat of scientific electrical engineering — only expensive — blind, faint-hearted, doubting world.”
Nikola Tesla
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