FCC Inquiries Focus on 160-Meter Band Plan

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 4, 2001--The FCC recently asked three amateurs to respond to complaints alleging that they deliberately transmitted SSB on top of CW stations operating in the vicinity of 1820 to 1825 kHz. The FCC has never designated mode-specific subbands in the 160-meter amateur band, so operation on "Top Band" continues to be governed by a voluntary band plan. The current ARRL band plan, revised this past summer, recommends a lower limit of 1.843 for SSB operation.

In the wake of the complaints, FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth wrote George Wehrung, W5TZ, and Dennis Clauder, KT5S--both of Texas--and Derrick Vogt, WA4TWM, of Kansas in mid-September. Hollingsworth asked each to respond to allegations from several other operators that their SSB transmissions deliberately interfered with attempts by others to operate on CW between 1820 and 1830 kHz. Copies of the complaints were sent to all three operators.

"Band plans are voluntary in nature," Hollingsworth acknowledged in each of the similarly worded letters. He said the FCC depends upon voluntary compliance because it minimizes the necessity for the Commission to be called in to resolve amateur problems. "Where interference results from band plans not being followed," Hollingsworth continued, "the Commission expects substantial justification to be shown by the operators ignoring the band plans."

One complainant reported that the SSB operators "started moving up and down the band between 1822 and 1825," ignoring CW operators' pleas that the frequency was occupied, failing to identify and, at one point, mocking the CW operators. Some complainants sent tape recordings to the FCC.

Hollingsworth requested that Wehrung, Clauder and Vogt each reply to the complaints within 20 days.

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