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It was autumn 1979 that enormous signals were
heard on six metres in the UK from stations in North America and
the Caribbean that fired the interest in the six metre band once
again. Questions began to be asked in the UK about the
possibility of obtaining permits for operation two-way on the
band. At the peak of solar cycle18 permits had been issued to a
number of leading UK amateurs allowing operation two-way on 6
metres and many successful contacts had taken place with other
continents, in particular the first two-way contacts with North
America. Similar permits had been issued for cycle 19 for the
International Geophysical Year (IGY) resulting in other notable
contacts. R. F. Stevens, G2BVN, undertook to negotiate with the
Radio Regulatory Division of the Home Office (at that time the
licensing authority) on behalf of the Radio Society of Great
Britain (RSGB) for a small number of permits that would allow
two-way operation on the 6 metre band. Unfortunately G2BVN became
a silent key before the negotiations reached any material
conclusion and the matter was allowed to lapse into obscurity.
Steve, G4JCC, had been a SWL on the 5 metre band and had met and
talked to some of the amateurs who had been involved in the tests
during cycle 18, although he had been unable to hear any
transatlantic signals at that time. Steve became concerned
because although there was great enthusiasm and much activity
around the peak of solar cycles, other interests took people away
during the trough of the cycles and there was no organisation
which collected and circulated information about the 6 metre
band. He discussed this with the late Harold Rose, G4JLH, and he
encouraged him to carry out further inquiries amongst those UK
radio amateurs who were still actively working cross-band between
the 6 and 10 metre bands. Steve then wrote to G6DH who had made
the first two-way trans-Atlantic contact with W1HDQ during solar
cycle 18 and he encouraged Steve to go further although W1HDQ was
no longer active on VHF. Steve met and talked to Al Slater,
G3FXB, who had been working cross-band in cycle 21. Al gave him
much valuable advice, but was himself pessimistic about obtaining
a permanent 6 metre allocation in the UK. Best of all, Steve met
and talked to Ken Ellis, G5KW, who had a great wealth of
experience and knowledge of VHF both at home and abroad. He
agreed to support the embryo idea and Steve felt that his
influence in those early days was of the greatest importance to
getting the group off the ground.
It was during these discussions with many people that Steve found
out that it was probable that the UK television transmissions on
bands 1 and 3 were to be discontinued but that the future of
those frequencies could not be ascertained. More discussions with
G4JLH coined the name ‘UK Six Metre Group’ and it was
decided that the aim of the group was to collect and disseminate
information about the 6 metre band and press for a permanent
allocation of frequencies. A temporary committee was formed to
guide the new group with G4JLH as chairman and Steve as
treasurer, secretary and editor. They made arrangements to have
their first Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the 1982 VHF
convention at Sandown Park, at which the temporary committee
resigned to allow proper appointment of committee and officers.
The UKSMG as it was now known had some early success with a
license for a beacon on the north west coast of Anglesey beaming
out across the Atlantic, on air as GB3SIX. They continued to
press for permits to be issued for the 6 metre band and soon some
40 permits were issued, this was later increased to 100.
Steve’s information about television transmissions was
correct and the UKSMG were able to make representations both as a
group and individually to the Home Office committee formed to
consider the future of these frequencies. The result was that the
committee recommended that a permanent allocation of an amateur
band at 50 MHz should be made. This lead in 1986 to 50MHz being
available to amateurs in the UK!
There is no doubt that the formation of the UK Six Metre Group,
with it’s newsletter keeping amateurs informed of all
matters relating to the 6 metre band, had considerable influence
upon the changes that took place at this critical period. This
influence has continued with the UKSMG’s support for
amateurs in other countries seeking a 6 metre allocation.
Over the last ten years the main aim of the Group has been to
encourage 6m activity in all countries throughout the world, with
an especial focus on Europe. In the early days the UK was
virtually alone with most European countries not being allowed on
the band. But, using the UK as the example, many European
amateurs were writing letters to their regulatory bodies in an
attempt to persuade them to give them have access to 6m. A common
request from these lobbyists was for material to help them with
their cases and work was done by the UKSMG to help them in their
endeavours by sending letters and statistics to many European
regulators supporting local applications for licenses. Indeed,
this is still going on but more rarely now that there are over
sixty countries in Europe licensed for 6m!
Another area of major activity for the Group has been the supply
of beacons and equipment. Many beacons have been constructed by
enthusiastic amateurs like G3JVL and GJ4ICD and shipped to many
parts of the world. Many of these beacons are still active today
although some have been deactivated for more reason or another.
Some countries that spring to mind that have accepted UKSMG
beacons are Gibraltar, Iceland, Zambia, South Africa, and Jordan.
Over the last ten years the Group has supplied many transverters,
tranceivers, and antennas to amateurs who the Group felt would
really use such donations to come on the band. Most times this
has worked out well but there has been the occasional amateur who
took the gifts and were hardly ever heard on the band much to our
disappointment. These days a lot of questions are asked before
equipment is shipped off to an amateur pleading for donations of
equipment. However, the most impact the UKSMG has had has not
come from equipment donations at all but from the many
‘evangelistic’ members of the Group doggedly
encouraging amateurs in rare countries to get 6m equipment and
get active on the band. Here the list is endless and it is
impossible to thank all those that have contributed. Some of the
countries that come up on 6m as a result of this persistent
propaganda are Poland, Belarus, Khazakstan, Western Sahara,
Lebanon, and Andorra.
A more recent activity for the Group and an increasingly
important one is the provision of financial donations to 6m
enthusiasts activating new countries for 6m through the mechanism
of a DXpedition. Several members of the UKSMG activated Jordan
for the first time in 1994 and the UKSMG helped with a donation
of £1,500. In 1996 the UKSMG committee voted to provide a
donation of £800 to the Canadian group who plan to activate
Sable Island, CY0, for the benefit of European 6m amateurs. It is
beneficial for the Group to be seen to be encouraging
DXpeditions.
The annual Sporadic E contest held in early June has proven to be
THE main contest of the year on 6m in 1990s. The contest is open
to members and non-members alike and has been a spectacular
success when the contest has coincided with massive sporadic-E as
it has done several times in the last few years.
Of course, last but not least, is Six News the Group’s
quarterly newsletter. This has been the backbone of the Group and
is the main reason most members join the Group. There have been
many editors over the years but in the 1990s it has developed
into a singularly impressive magazine. It always comes as a
surprise that there is sufficient material to fill it each
quarter but given the nature of the addiction of most members to
6m I doubt whether the flow of material will ever drop.
Let’s hope not.
There have been many 6m enthusiasts involved in running the Group
over the years so it is difficult to thank everyone individually
who has either contributed to Six News or has taken an official
position in running the Group. Without this commitment and
enthusiasm the Group would not now be in its fourtenth year and
everyone predicts that it will achieve its twentieth in due
course after yet another sun spot cycle in the late 1990s.
The End
UKSMG 16 February 2003
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