ADVANCED LESSON 66logomidi2.gif

             
LEARNING  OBJECTIVES and NOTES
Operating Practices and Procedures - Special events
8d.1 Recall the purpose of special event stations and the format of their call signs

The purpose of a special event station is to celebrate / remember an event such as:
The sinking of the Titanic
The work of the RNLI
The importance of lighthouses.
The 2012 Olympic Games

These can also be opportunities to introduce a wider audience to amateur radio:
Jamboree on the Air
Thinking Day
Bletchley Park special event station open to visitors to the centre.

Special Event Stations also provide amateurs with training in handling a large number of contacts.

Subject to availability special event callsigns are available in the following formats:

GB0 + 2 or 3 letters
GB1 + 2 or 3 letters
GB2 + 2 or 3 letters
GB4 + 2 or 3 letters
GB5 + 2 letters or 3 letters
GB6 + 2 letters or 3 letters
GB8 + 2 letters or 3 letters

Other callsign formats will only be considered by Ofcom.
Operating Practices and Procedures - Band Plans
8e.1 Recall that band plans are produced by the IARU.
Recall that the band plans state that: no SSB operation should take place in the 10MHz (30m) band no contests should be organised in the 10MHz (30m), 18MHz (17m) and 24MHz (12m), bands narrow band modes are at the lower end of most bands, lower sideband operation normally occurs below 10MHz and upper sideband above 10MHz
transmission on beacon frequencies must be avoided
transmissions on satellite frequencies should be avoided for terrestrial contacts.
Questions on beacon and satellite frequencies will be limited to the 14MHz (20m) and 144MHz (2m) bands and a copy of the relevant Band Plans will be provided.

The syllabus is very clear about what you need to know about band plans.

The purpose of band plans is to help in organising the allocated bands into  areas for CW, areas for Digital modes, areas for SSB transmissions. They are agreed by the IARU (International Amateur Radio Union) on a regular basis. They are not statutory but by following them amateurs can make contacts more quickly and avoid interference to specific frequencies. There are good reasons for specific guidance. For example.
  • No SSB on 10MHz band - this is only 50kHz wide covers a large geographical area and many more CW and data stations can fit into 50kHz than SSB stations.
  • No contests on the 10, 18 and 24MHz. Many amateurs decide to spend their weekend off work on the amateur bands, only to find that there is no room because of contests. Others gain a great deal of pleasure out of contests. By not allowing contests on all bands both groups can be catered for. In addition there is less room on the 10, 18 and 24 MHz bands for contests.
  • With the exception of the 5MHz band LSB is used below 10MHz and USB above. This means that everyone knows which sideband to set their receiver and transmitter to.
  • Narrow band modes are at the bottom of bands and wider band modes at the top. Again if you are looking for a CW station then call CQ at the bottom end of the band.
  • There are a number of beacon frequencies which enable amateurs to check band conditions. These use low power to omnidirectional antennas and any interference makes them different to copy.
  • Satellite frequencies should also be avoided as again their signals are fairly weak and any interference would make make them difficult to use. Also, because satellites often have the uplink on one band and the downlink on another band. a station transmitting on the uplink would not be aware that they are causing interference.
Remember questions on beacons and satellites will be restricted to the 20m and 2m bands and that relevant sections of the band plan will be provided. Given that 20m is no longer used for satellites, questions on these will be limited to 2m. But, beacons are used on 20m and 2m so questions on beacons could relate to both of these bands.