Experimentation by radio amateurs in the nether regions of the radio spectrum continues quietly and largely unnoticed outside of the LF community. Since the FCC turned down the ARRL's 1998 petition to create an Amateur Radio "sliver band" in the vicinity of 136 kHz, some US amateur licensees have obtained FCC Part 5 Experimental licenses to research the possibilities of LF, including transatlantic and transpacific propagation. A few hams in Canada have obtained special permission from Industry Canada to operate on LF using Amateur Radio call signs. The latest noteworthy accomplishment was a 137 kHz QSO http://www.w1tag.com/XDWQSO.htm October 29 between US Experimental licensees Laurence Howell, KL1X--operating as WD2XDW--and John Andrews, W1TAG--operating as WD2XES.
"This is the second two-way between US Experimental licensees in that frequency range, the first being a 25-mile CW contact between K2ORS/WD2XGJ and myself last year," said Andrews. The QSO between Andrews, in Massachusetts, and Howell, in Oklahoma, spanned some 1340 miles.
