I’m just getting started with the HF digital modes, but I’ve run into trouble already...

Q I’m just getting started with the HF digital modes, but I’ve run into trouble already. The “help” file in one of the software packages I recently downloaded from a source in Europe suggested an operating frequency on 160 meters between 1.838 and 1.840 MHz. I tried this and quickly discovered— the hard way—that I was in the middle of the 160-meter CW DX window. Was the software programmer mistaken in his choice of suggested frequencies?


A For the IARU Region in which he lives, I’m sure his suggestions make perfect sense. For amateurs living in Region 2 (North and South America), it will cause no end of headaches. See the ITU/IARU map in Figure 1.

Figure 1—ITU zone/IARU region map. The IARU regions are
bordered in black.

You’ll find a comprehensive chart of IARU Region
bandplans on the Web at www.iaru-r2.org/p11e.htm. The
chart is too large to publish here, but let’s take a look at just
the 160-meter portion.

As you can see, on 160 meters in Region 1 the recommended digital segment is 1838-1840, so 1838 is okay in that part of the world. For hams in Region 2, however, 1830-1840 is for intercontinental operating only. Routine domestic operation is 1800-1830, so Region 2 digital operators should be lower in the band. It pays to remember that our world is host to a diversity of bandplans; what works in one location may not be appropriate in another. When in doubt, double check.

From QST April 2001