Canadian Amateurs Get A New Band - 630m !

As of May 1 st, 2014, hams in Canada now have access to a new part of the spectrum...just slightly below the standard AM Broadcast Band, on 630m. The actual band is very close to the old Maritime International distress and calling frequency of 500KHz and runs from 472-479KHz. Hopefully we will soon see many Canadian stations using this very interesting MF band as it presents a wonderful opportunity for homebrewing and experimenting on several fronts.

I'm presently using my old 2200m transmitter, converted now for two-band operation, on 630m but will be building some lower powered transmitters which I will describe once underway. At the moment I have had just one contact on 630m, that being with John - VE7BDQ, near Vancouver and about 15 miles away.

630m Antenna Loading Wound on PVC

Over the next few months I hope to present as much information as I can about 'getting started on 630m' and would like to encourage anyone interested in the new band to warm up your soldering irons and join in on the fun.

For more information on LF and MF activity in Canada, see my website page 'Canadians On 630m / 2200m'.

http://www.qsl.net/ve7sl/136.html