OFCOM have issued new guidance for UK licensed Amateurs.

OFCOM licence guidance

Has 5MHz band become a "chat band"

The 5MHz band is now available to many areas of the World, but there seems to be no international co-ordination about it's use. Listening to it's daytime use in the UK it does seem to have become a regular chat band for many Amateurs.

The German Amateur Radio Society (DARC) is presenting a paper to the next IARU meeting , reminding Amateurs that allocation to this band was intended to develop emergency communications facilities and not to be used for regular long chats.
The paper may be of interest.

(Click on the above for a larger image)