7MHz IARU Region 1 Bandplan (effective 29 MAR 2009)
IARU Region 1 is Europe/Africa/Russia/MiddleEast.
More details: http://hflink.com/bandplans
===
FREQ kHz (BANDWIDTH) PREFERRED MODE AND USAGE
===
7000-7025 (200Hz) CW, contest preferred
7025-7040 (200Hz) CW
[7030= QRP Centre of Activity]
7040-7047 (500Hz) Narrow band modes - digimodes
7047-7050 (500Hz) Narrow band modes digimodes, automatically controlled data
stations (unattended)
7050-7053 (2700Hz) All modes - digimodes, automatically controlled data
stations (unattended)
7053-7060 (2700Hz) All modes - digimodes
7060-7100 (2700Hz) All modes, SSB contest preferred
[7070= Digital Voice Centre of Activity]
[7090= SSB QRP Centre of Activity]
7100-7130 (2700Hz) All modes
[7110= Region 1 Emergency Centre of Activity]
7130-7200 (2700Hz All modes, SSB contest preferred
[7165= Image Centre of Activity]
7175-7200 (2700Hz) All modes, priority for intercontinental operation
More details on bandplans:
http://hflink.com/bandplans
Some comments and notes on the new bandplan
de Bonnie KQ6XA:
1. Region 1 is Europe/Africa/Russia/MiddleEast.
The IARU Region 1 bandplan has been updated,
effective 29 March 2009, and it includes the
ITU change of the 7100kHz-7200kHz band to
allow ham radio use in Region 1.
2. In some cases, Region 1 hams may need to
disregard the suggested IARU R1 bandplan in order
to communicate with operators of countries which
have different rules and regulations for frequency
use. This includes USA, Japan, some countries of
Africa, South America, and Asia.
3. The shortwave broadcast stations of Africa,
Asia (especially China, etc) or South America will
probably not move out of the 7100kHz-7200kHz band soon.
They will continue for a long time, to make this part
of the band nearly useless from evening to morning.
Some countries opposed the removal of this band
from shortwave broadcast... they are the most likely
ones to be reluctant to move out... or they may
never actually move.
4. Placement of the Emergency Centre of Activity
Frequency at 7110kHz is interesting. However, it
will be plagued by strong QRM from rogue broadcasters
of various nations for years into the future. The
bandplanners might have been naive to remove the
existing 7060kHz Emergency Centre of Activity
Frequency from the 2006 bandplan. It would have been
better to list both frequencies during the next
few years of interim changes in spectrum use.
5. Unfortunately, like previous years, the bandplan
committee paid scant attention to the needs of the
auto digital ham community. The plan provides only
one channel for high speed data in a shared
overlapping area of the band where SSB voice will
continue to be widely used by the operators of
Region 1 (and 2, and 3). Although some auto data
entities will try to meet this suggested change,
the reality is that this leaves most operators
involved in the constant volume of fast data
activity with little choice other than disregarding
the bandplan's suggestion.
6. Many countries of Region 1, Region 2, and Region 3
likely do not plan to update their ham radio spectrum
allocations, and it may take many years for it
to happen (if ever). In the interim, it is more likely
that the band will continue to be used by 3rd world
bootleggers and pirates... as well as government
entities. There is really not much recourse for hams to
deal with those problems.
73 Bonnie KQ6XA
