BANDS BEYOND the 40

Just of interest, you say anything below 26.965 Mhz is military....is that land mobile radios? (Motorolla walkie talkies) Or aircraft radios?

 

That is correct. These, or a large number of these are assigned and governed not by FCC, but a little-known agency called National Telecommunications and Information Agency (or Authority). This agency governs internal government radio assignments and use, INCLUDING FCC and, thus, can tell THEM where to get off! People assert that, "those channels are not being used, so I have a perfect 'right' to use them." NOT!!! It all boils down to one's interpretation of "USE" and how the incumbent agency actually uses their frequency assignments. Some frequencies are used as "buffers" or spacers, to separate modes and types of use. "Well, I never HEAR anybody talking on that 'channel", but do YOU know what you are talking about? All radio traffic does NOT TAKE PLACE using AM phone or sideband. The traffic may be in the form of DATA STREAMS that sounds to the untrained ear, used to jabbering on AM, like "BRRRRRRRRRRR-UP"! "BRRRRRRRRRRR-UP" Or it take the form of a number of (to you) unrecognizable things that sounds like just static or noise!

I know for a fact that the military uses their communications in ways that the untrained civilian just cannot grasp: he hasn't been exposed to it, so WHY should he recognize it? However, one example of the military that DOES use those frequencies using all modes uses those 26 MHZ frequencies for some of their search and rescue activities. It could be low-power AM, higher-powered single sideband mobile operations, or even data streams. The most LIKELY use is the first two would be the low-power AM. This is used for CLOSE-IN base-of-operations, flight line.marshalling, and courier. Because it IS low-power AM, it is mostly walkie talkie traffic and they only need to cover less than a half-mile. The second use is "Span of Control" and "Division of Resources". Much air search is done on VHF FM, and these circuits tend to get crowded with messages between air units and mobiles on the ground. By marshalling mobiles on the ground using 26 MHZ SSB, it somewhat corrals the distance desired and permits (in a LARGE operation) more mobiles to operate without interfering with one another. There is also a security problem where news snoops intercept VHF traffic (even tho most of it is transmitted in encodes). But many news hounds' scanners won't DECIPHER single sideband, so they simply pass traffic from ground to air, and then from the mobile to base on 26 MHZ. This serves to bypass the news busybodies and prevents them from revealing details the agency may not want revealed until next-of-kin can be notified. This HAS happened with insensitive news snoops who don't care--just so THEY get their scoop!

Now, I can't reveal actual frequencies due to military OPSEC rules, but one of the popular CB (AND illegal) frequencies is 26.915 and IT interferes badly with one of the SAR frequencies in question. When the CB "skip" is raging, it makes a MESS! To interfere with a Search and Rescue in progress in ANY way is a FEDERAL CRIME punishable by prison and HEFTY fines. You may NEVER get caught doing this, but I do know that such is no funny matter! All it takes is for some military communications officer to say, "I've had ENOUGH of this SH--!!!!!!" If it were ME, I would send interference reports right up thru channels and it wouldn't be JUST some FCC agent knocking on your door, it would be USAF INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS coming to see you! Most of the time, I simply move
down around 20 MHZ if all my resources are flexible enough to move, too!

Honestly, you might never encounter military "talking" on 26 MHZ, but you certainly may hear their DATA STREAMS!!!!! And you can even LISTEN to their transmissions (just don't reveal what you hear).


GF

 

Well I myself am military, USAF to be exact, and my job requires the use of what we call "bricks", or walkie talkies. The antennas on them are maybe 8 inches tall. I don't know what frequency they fall on but I believe it's either in the VHF or UHF range.

 

You are, indeed, correct! MOST of it IS VHF/UHF, high frequencies designed to keep traffic confined to a specific area. Unlike much "hobby" communications where distance is the desired outcome, in commercial and military comms, distance is not necessarily the goal. In some cases, HF can be used to separate task forces, and low-power AM even can be used. Sideband, as mentioned, can also thwart scanner eavesdroppers as, while they are busily scanning VHF/UHF, HF is being used instead.

There is another thing about 25-26 MHZ. It's called ALE: Automatic Link Establishment. This is where a whole range of frequencies, both HF and VHF are stored in a "bank" and the radios "hop" from one frequency to another. You'll hear a burst of sound kinda like a cricket, and this is the ALE protocol attempting to "shake hands", or LINK with the other radios in the network. You, the operator, won't even know WHICH frequency you are on; the system decides this FOR you based on the propagation characteristics of the available frequencies. SO you might be on 26 MHZ or you might be on 5 MHZ. There's the "rub" of having outlaw operators bootlegging on..............say, 26.915. The ALE system has selected one or more of the 26 MHZ frequencies that is nearby, and there's an illegal CB station just tearing his frequency UP. It is the ALE network that's going to be most upset because, with a conventional system, the net control station, or commander, might be able to simply switch DOWN a band or two. With some ALE systems, that won't be so easy, due to built-in inflexibility (a flaw?) BUT the theory is, there's not supposed to BE illegal operators ON those frequencies to begin with, so it shouldn't matter. But that net control station is going to be WELL and TRULY P.O'ed at this fellow that's splattering all over his frequency! This is part of the reason that FCC has gotten BACK into enforcement; complaints from nearby users.

GF

 

Common Gadfly ......

Your spoiling the fun of breaking the law and stepping on others rights to use frequencys that are assinged to THEM ......

NEXT you will say to stay off 10 meters ..... You might tick off some HAMS

Only kidding my friend ....

 

Well, different interpretation, I guess. I don't see the humor in "stepping on" others, etc. I was taught to RESPECT the rights and privileges of others (along with the law) by my parents, and I got what might seem like a rigid adherence to communications regulations from the good old USAF! I respect the privileges that belong to other radio users, and hold in disdain those who think there is some sort of "virtue" in "stealing" spectrum from other users. One of my beefs IS the filching of 10 Meters by outlaw CB operators, and I will turn somebody IN for this in a skinny minute. So long as the outlaws STAY within 11 Meters (40 channels) I don't CARE so long as they are not interfering with ME. I know that, to some, my presence here is a thorn in their sides, but I also know that some other operators, not willing to unknowingly break the law, have been warned OFF 10 meters. Otherwise they wouldn't know that the so-called "10 Meter" radios are illegal, and those "band" switches may lead one into trouble AND a letter from the Feds.

--... ...--


GF

 

After 45 + years of being licensed to hear illegal stations on 10 meters still bothers me .....

You are right the EXPORT users don't have a clue that someone else has rights just lissen to 28.085 ( band e+ ch 19 or 28.535 mhz (Band f +ch 19 ) and you can hear them when ever the band is open .....

It is sad that some just do not care about the rights of others .... and have no intrest in becoming legal ......

BUT I'm just a old phoggy HAM .....

Out of touch with todays world ......

 

My god man are you the radio sheriff or what.You have obviously got the time to play radio god but some of us backwoods inbred truckers just like to talk and ask ?'s.Then here you come all HIGH AND MIGHTY radio god.Speeding is illegal to but i would bet my life you have done that.Falsifying your logs is illegal bet you have done that as well.

 

You must be talking to gadfly .....

 

I've never had one of those Import radios and have never really been inclined to get one...But the more GF runs his mouth the more I think I ought to go get one and have it all hot rodded up and turn the echo all the way up so I can't be understood by man or beast and just....Wait by the mail box with my hands neatly folded in my lap for my "letter from the FCC"


Your horse is just a little too high for my taste...