Channelized Ham Bands To you readers who are new to Ham Radio, you may have noticed that Hams have a short-hand system, a set of "Q" codes. These are mostly 3 letters long, and each has a special meaning. Although they started on CW as brevity aids, many of these Q-codes are also used on other modes, such as Phone. For instance, you might hear someone saying "the QRM is bad". QRM has a very special meaning, which is "you are being interfered with by another radio station". I would like to discuss this matter of QRM, how it affects operations, and how we deal with it or at least endure it. Then I would like to propose a solution. QRM has plagued Amateur Radio Operators from the very beginnings of the hobby, some 70 years ago. This is because a Ham Radio station can choose any frequency within the band edges on which to operate. Of course, for some 70 years it has also been stressed that you should first listen to the frequency you are about to use, to see if someone else is there. In my experience, there are a lot more people now asking "Is this frequency in use?". This is a good sign that many Hams are trying to prevent their being QRM to someone else. Here is a real experience that occurs on 75 meters every Sunday morning. At 6:30 AM, every day of the year, a certain net meets for about an hour. It is on 3.939 MHz. There is a group of Hams that operate on 3.941 MHz, which is 2 KHz above the net. Often the net control cannot copy a weak station on the net due to QRM from other Hams on 3.941 MHz. It appears that when 2 stations are making QRM to each other it's both groups secret plan to get the other group to move one more KHz away. About 30 minutes before the end of the net, two stations begin a weekly schedule on 3.9400 MHz. This is one KHz from the net, and one station in the QSO is weak, but the other is 5-9 plus 20 DB. So for the first half of the net they have serious QRM from the stations 2 KHz up. During the second half, the net can only work while the weaker station 1 KHz up is sending, which is about half the time. This is the way it has been for years. It doesn't have to be this way, but it will take some major changes in how Hams operate. As we know now the FCC will let us do about anything we want to so long as it is within the regulations and supported by the users. I propose that we decide to use Channels on certain parts of our bands. We have the 60 meter band which is channelized by regulation. I propose to do the new channelization by asking the Users to use it. Tell them to please use the channels and remind them when they forget. For example consider 80 meters which runs from 3.5 to 4.0 MHz in our region. Regulation says that SSB can be used from 3.8 to 4.0 MHz. To control QRM we will recommend that channels be used from 3.8 to 4.0 MHz. Through a lot of experimentation it has been shown that two properly operated stations can operate 3.0 KHz apart and not tell the other person is there. Since 80 meters uses Lower Sideband, channels will start at 3.8030 MHz with the next at 3.8060. There is 200,000 Hz between 3.8 and 4.0 MHz. Since each channel is 3,000 Hz there can be 200,000/3,000 = 66.6 channels which will support 66 channels with .6 x 3000 = 1800 Hz left over. The 66th channel will end 1800 Hz below 4.0 MHz. Doing this same thing for 40 meters will cover from 7.2 to 7.3 MHz which is 100,000 Hz. 100,000/3000 = 33 channels. On 20 meters we will cover 14.2 to 14.35 which is 150,000 Hz. 150,000/3000 = 50 channels. So for the 3 most used HF bands there are a total of 149 channels. In the most simple terms this means there can be 300 Hams if it's just 2 people talking to each other on the available channels. But this does not include the many more that can use the same channel since they can't hear the other QSO. If conditions change and you begin to hear another QSO you will be hearing voices, not off-frequency noise. At any moment there can be a thousand QSO's in progress across the world using the channels and no QRM. Every HF Ham will need the list of channels. There is a single page listing of the channels on 80, 40 and 20 meters on several web pages where you can print a copy for your own use. If you have one of the newer radios you can put all the channels in your radio's memory. Now we know what we want. If every Ham on 80, 40 and 20 Meters is willing to get the channel charts and start using them it would be up and working in a week. Alas there are too many people who have nets and coffee drinking get together that have met on the SAME frequency for 40 years. The thought of changing frequencies is just not acceptable. These bands are used by Amateurs in Mexico and other countries to the south. It will be important to get the Hams in these countries to also use the channels. The gain from using channels is a complete lack of QRM. To many this gain is worth changing frequency just a little. But not to all. There will be many Hams who do not want to use channels because it's too much like CB, or some other service. Again this is not a change to the Amateur Radio regulations. This is a call to all Hams using the defined parts of 80, 40 or 20 meters to use channels in a voluntary way to gain freedom from QRM. It does require that almost all Users agree to the plan. Even our friends in Canada need to agree. When it is all working here is what you will hear tuning across a band. You will hear talking in the channels that are busy, and just band noise in channels without users you can hear. If your wanting to call CQ you find an empty channel and first ask if anyone is using the channel. If no response then call your CQ. If you hear some friends on a channel talking and want to join in call break please and they will let you join. How do we get started and how do we convince those not interested to get interested? We start with this paper and select a date to begin. A tentative date will be March 1 2006. What will the bands sound like when we start the switch to channels? We will still hear the hap-hazard transmissions across the band but with a difference. You will hear some station telling another that he is not in a channel and is interfering with his QSO. If he is smart he will ask the person off channel to please move to channel 23 which is a frequency near to where he is now. If the person doesn't have a list of the channels get his email address and send him the file. As this plays out over a few months the persons not on a channel will stick out and more than one person will call them and say please get on a channel. Listen without getting mad while they explain this frequency is MINE! Then explain we don't own any frequency and if you expect to stay here forever you will have trouble forever. Twenty Meters already has a primitive channelization in place over the part we want to use channels. There are just a couple of places where two nets are just 2 KHz apart and they are causing QRM for both nets. There are 50 channels between 14.200 and 14.350 MHz which should be enough to handle the nets and Slow Scan Television. We hope that every net and QSO on 20 meters can continue on as if nothing happened but you moved one or two KHz to be on a channel. Channels are assigned with no interest in mind other than to get the most channels per band. So if your net falls on a channel your just lucky. Most will need to move a little. My net that is now on 3.939 MHz will move down 1 KHz to 3.938. The guys on 3.941 will not have to move since they are on a channel now. For channels to work and remove QRM we need to sell this idea to all the Hams in all the countries in the world. This is another reason it must be voluntary compliance since making it a regulation in many countries would be nearly impossible. But we need Users in other countries to push the same channels.