SSB question - why LSB ?

[jrd426]

Hi guys, looking for opinions / thoughts on why most north american sideband 11m traffic is LSB? Seems rare to hear folks using USB. I have noticed European and South American stations mainly using USB when i do find someone on the air. My question is geared at channels 355 - 405

73s
Jeff

 

[nomadradio]

The convention on the ham bands for years has been to use LSB below 7.3 MHz, and USB on 14 MHz and above.

Don't know why. 11-meter stations outside the USA seem to all use the same assumption as hams.

Why is LSB the default in the USA on 11 meters?

Don't know, but I have a suspicion. Local clubs of sideband operators were common decades ago, and this would have been a way to have local use of a frequency even when the skip was running. Would help to keep foreign operators from clobbering the local club channel when the band is open.

Just my theory.

73

 

[whiteastro]

My intentions would be if I ever find locals to talk to I will use USB and totally get away from the congestion and the ones who like to misbehave and be childish.

 

[NZ8N]

Why do we use LSB below 10 MHz and USB above 10 MHz when operating SSB HF?

As a relatively new ham operator, I understand that it is customary to use lower-sideband below 10 MHz and upper-side band above 10Mhz when operating single-sideband HF. I'm curious how we got to s...

ham.stackexchange.com

 

[KneeBiter]

My intentions would be if I ever find locals to talk to I will use USB and totally get away from the congestion and the ones who like to misbehave and be childish.

They will follow. No escaping special people.

 

[Alabama Buckeye]

https://www.wearecb.com/cb-radio-frequencies-channels.html

Id gotten the idea 38 LSB was the only SSB with the lower side designated?

From a published source: LSB is mostly used for local area and “skip talking” in English language in North America. USB is used often for long distance, International communications, or Spanish language in North or South America. The choice of which sideband to use is not etched in stone.

 

[fourstringburn]

Because it sounds better to say "go to the low side" would be my guess.


Typical practice for freebanding on CB has been below CB frequencies is AM and above it is SSB and usually upper SSB with DX stations.

Of course with CB, any contact other than local is DX while on Amateur bands it's stations located off any mainland that station is.

 

[whiteastro]

The choice of which sideband to use is not etched in stone.

While not etched in stone people develop habits which sometimes make no sense.

I laugh when I go to a restaurant around here and the silverware and napkin is placed on the left of where you set down. The majority of people are right handed so how did they come up with that custom. I just laugh it off. Oh yeah how about no elbows on the table. Who comes up with this stuff. LOL

 

[Overmodulated]

Started with ch 16 LSB back in the 23 ch days. Got you closer to the "hallowed" RC gap between 15 and 16 (.145), and a bit farther away from the heterodynes on ch 17 when the band was open. Irrelevant these days, I suppose.

 

[Dr. Frankenstein]

As I recall from the days of the 23-channel CB radios, channel "16 LSB" was only for SSB use. Then in the middle 70s came the first of the 40-channel CB radios with or without SSB. At that time channels "36 to 40 LSB" were used (not delegated) as the SSB channels. Sure there were AMers that got in there, but it was mayhem as the skip all over the world was also using LSB during that cycle. No one used USB and would sometimes interfere if they did with those on LSB. At that same time, the free bands also used LSB, then USB use came many years later into the 80s or 90s IIRC. As the population has grown and skip cycles have come and gone so has the use of using either LSB or USB in the free bands, but channels 36 to 40 have stayed LSB.

The free bands were there long before the 40-channel radios came out in the 70s. Kenwood, Yaesu, Icon, and anything else that could be modified to use 11 Meters were the radios of choice back then. The people using them had their own private frequencies (not channels) be it LSB or USB. Is there really a difference? I've heard DSB from some, that's being on both USB or LSB at the same time.

I guess you had to be there in the 70s rather than just questioning why now. The answer to "why LSB" would be that it just evolved in North America from the beginning of the 40-channel radio in the 70s.

My 2 cents just got spent......
73

 

[jrd426]

Thanks for the input. I didn't get into the radio hobby until early 80's. Took me a while after that before i picked up my first ssb radio which was a used modified for ch trc-449. I remember before i got the 449 i had a midland 40 ch am only radio that came modded with the channels below cb ch 1. There was lots of US "skip" down there that was blasting into Canada. Anyways fun to look back
Thanks again all and remember, for us working stiffs "its the weekend"

73s
Jeff

 

[Dmans]

I have always believed that when the FCC carved 11 meters out of the "Ham Only" frequencies and allocated that as "CB" frequencies, Amateur Operators were quite upset and blamed CB operators for their "Loss of Privilege". Since 11 Meters (as an Allocated Ham Band) would have been USB Phone operation (since it is above 10Mhz), CB operators, in an effort to "Stick it in the Eye" of those that were upset over their precious loss started using LSB.

Ask a Ham Operator that was around then-that would be a licensed operator that has held a ticket for at least the last 64 years-if you can find one.

73
David

 

[undertaker]

FM is the way to go that is what we use here in TX .. West Texas that is…

 

[undertaker]

Our local folks that is…

 

[groundwire]

Because alot of people are sheep