| Lebanese Ministry of Telecom approves Amateur Radio operation on 6m OD na 50 MHz |
| The Lebanese Ministry of Telecom has approved 6m Amateur Radio operations in Lebanon between 50.000 MHz and 51.975 MHz. This news came on April 18 as the World was celebrating World Amateur Radio Day. This is a true recognition from the Ministry of the Amateur Radio values. Radio Amateurs in Lebanon are extremeley excited and thankful to the Ministry of Telecom for granting them the priviledge to operate on this 6m. The 6-meter band is a portion of the very high frequency (VHF) radio spectrum allocated to amateur radio use. Although located in the lower portion of the VHF band, it nonetheless occasionally displays propagation mechanisms characteristic of the high frequency (HF) bands. This normally occurs close to sunspot maximum, when solar activity increases ionization levels in the upper atmosphere. During the last sunspot peak of 2005, worldwide 6-meter propagation occurred making 6-meter communications as good as or in some instances and locations, better than HF frequencies. The prevalence of HF characteristics on this VHF band has inspired amateur operators to dub it the "magic band". In the northern hemisphere, activity peaks from May through early August, when regular sporadic E propagation enables long-distance contacts spanning up to 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) for single-hop propagation. Multiple-hop sporadic E propagation allows intercontinental communications at distances of up to 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi). In the southern hemisphere, sporadic E propagation is most common from November through early February. Be on the look for OD5 operatios on the DXMAPS More information on the 6m Band Allocations are available on the IARU R1 Page |