K8AC's post was accurate and perfectly correct. The USA stations were transmitting out of the band.
I'm sometimes amazed at how people no longer respect the band edge, or perhaps are so stupid they do not know what the band edge is.
The law is we cannot have modulation products extend out of the authorized band or segment available to the operator. Even for the Extra class of license in the USA, this means NOTHING can appear below 7.125 MHz. Zero detectable emissions from phone can extend below 7.125.
This means, for exceptionally clean LSB transmitters with a highest modulating audio frequency of 3 kHz, the suppressed carrier frequency would have to be above 7.128. In reality, with a good antenna and/or higher power, even 7.130 is pushing it for most rigs. Rigs just aren't that clean and, with a strong signal, it is easy to have products above background noise.
Years ago I used to listen to some people in the eastern USA meeting every day on 7.200 kHz LSB when the phone band used to only go to 7.200. One day they stopped showing up, and I found them up on 7.205 complaining that they all received FCC "show cause" notices.
Too bad the FCC doesn't still do this.
73 Tom
A few years ago I heard a high scoring "2" land station running for hours on end on 7125 during an ARRL contest. No disqualification, or any action by either the FCC or contest sponsors. In fact every contest I hear people right at the band edge. Nothing is done.
