History
We must thank Prose Walker W4BW and those that supported and worked with him for having this wonderful band allocated to us at the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) which came into effect in 1981.
Introduction
From RSGB a good short introduction to 30m:
30 Metres, 10.1 – 10.15MHz
10MHz is one of the so-called WARC bands that are traditionally left contest free. It is a narrow band of just 50kHz and is shared with the primary user. Because of the small allocation amateurs have at 10MHz, it is by agreement used only for CW and narrow band digital modes.
It is an excellent DX band and normally has propagation to somewhere in the world at anytime of the day or night and at anytime in the sunspot cycle. It is also high enough in frequency that aerials become a much more manageable size, so even a modestly equipped station should be capable of making regular DX contacts on CW or digital modes.
Look for CW DX contacts and DXpeditions around 10.106MHz. QRP activity can be found around 10.116MHz and IOTA operations are commonly on or around 10.115MHz.
On the menu bar above "30m info" there are useful items for those interested in using 30m.
Unique Band
There are several things that make 30m truly unique among our HF amateur radio frequency bands. These include:
- No SSB and wide band modes in most of the world
- No contests and less "5NN" short burst contacts
- More conversations and regular QSO exchanges
- Few big guns, modest stations can work DX here
- Friendly CW operators and long term fans of 30m
- Many antennas for 30m, not as hard as 40m size
- Much QRP activity with excellent results
- Many countries have power limits thus less QRM
These and other features make 30m unique. It is for these reasons that the unique properties of 30m should be retained and those who enjoy 30m as it is, must remain organized in order to resist any attacks upon 30m in future whether from other radio services or amateur radio.
Our Position
Currently 30m is Secondary Use for Amateur Radio on condition of not causing interference to Primary Users. The Primary Users on 30m are the Fixed Service. There are no broadcast stations, mobile land, maritime mobile nor aeronautical mobile services allowed on 30m.
In future it is hoped 30m will be expanded to at least 10250kHz if not higher, in which case, it would be acceptable to open 30m up to wider modes in some new upper portion of the band and make the section 10100-10150 exclusively non-digital CW.
Until and unless that happens, we must resist any efforts to open this narrow and unique CW and digital band to wide modes such as SSB, as well as higher power in traditional "big gun" and heavily populated areas such as North America, Europe and Japan.
Current restrictions on beacons, broadcasts, contests, and automated unattended stations, should also be retained in order to preserve our precious narrow band slice at 30m.
Keep Active on 30m CW
The best way to ensure we keep 30m as it is and do not lose it to other services and modes, is to use it to the mutual enjoyment and benefit of one another, most especially human telegraphy (CW) of the non-5NN type of activities. This web site aims to facilitate this by sharing of information and building friendships and connections among 30m telegraphists.
Please view the BandPlan, CW Clubs, CW Nets, Propagation Data Beacon DK0WCY, QTT (non-5NN) activity and do share and post in the Forums.
Our Aims
Please see here for more information on the aims of the 30CW Activity Group.
Help Us
Feel free to edit pages where you can improve upon them. Volunteer to be an admin and to maintain this site if you have those skills. Above all, please make the forums a lively and friendly place which facilitates CW activity on the 30m band. If you post there regularly and reply to the posts of others, you are helping to make this site function as intended.
FISTS
30CW is mutually affiliated with the FISTS CW Club, the International Morse Preservation Society.
FISTS has 3 main goals, which we are sure all 30CW members share:
- Further the use of CW (Morse Code)
- Engender friendships among members
- Encourage newcomers to use CW (Morse Code)
Please therefore also consider joining FISTS and engaging in FISTS activities.
ICWC
30CW is a member of the International CW Council
Mission
The International CW Council (ICWC) comprised of representatives from CW clubs world-wide, promotes and aids in the retention and growth of International Morse Code as a mode of communication between amateur radio operators.
Goals
- Retention and growth of the use of International Morse Code as a mode of communication between amateur radio operators
- Promoting and publicizing the mentoring of prospective operators to learn International Morse Code and use it as a mode of communications
- Providing outreach to amateur radio operators, who use other modes, to explore using CW
- Publicizing and promoting the use of CW as a mode of communications to social media, amateur radio and other well-known organizations, by providing resource information for them
- Encouraging inter-CW Club cooperation and joint activities
For the latest information about ICWC please visit https://internationalcwcouncil.org