10 meter CW

[KG4RPZ]

I am recently returning to ham radio and picked up a 10 meter ssb/cw rig as I wanted both options on limited space for rig/ant/etc.  Is there any cw activity in the novice/tech portion of the 10 meter band?  All I ever seem to hear in that area are beacons.  Why designate a portion of the band for novice/tech cw and not use it?  Am I doomed to ssb only until I can afford another rig or upgrade to get full band privileges?  I want to be one of the ones perpetuating cw use but how can I help if no one is there to talk to?

[WB2WIK]

Interesting question, and problem.

First, there is indeed life in the Novice/Tech+ CW subband on 10m.  What or who you hear is highly dependant upon your antenna, and when you're listening.  Obviously, you'd want to operate when the band is "open" in your area; that's typically during "daylight" hours and not much after dark, unless you have a terrific antenna system.  (Note: With great antennas, 10m can appear to be open 24 hours a day...few hams are lucky enough to have such an antenna farm.)

Pick a frequency and call CQ.  And call CQ again!  If you have an antenna that really works, and operate when the band is open, you should be able to raise a reply.  If I tune around between 28.100 and 28.300 on the typical Saturday morning, surely the upper half of that region is dominated by beacons, but the lower half has CW activity, and I've made many contacts there.  An especially wonderful time to operate in this subband is during a major contest, when the band gets so crowded with strong signals, that contesters begin to "spread out" and definitely work above 28.100.  The ARRL 10 meter contest (last December) was a prime example of this -- there was tons of activity, from all over the world, right up through the Novice/Tech+ CW subbands.  Ditto for the ARRL DX CW contest, which was in February, and of course it happens again in November for the ARRL Sweepstakes and in June for Field Day -- and many other "contest" weekends.

73 & hope to catch you on CW!

WB2WIK/6

[VE7FXY]

I agree with you on the lack of cw activity on 10 meters. I am a truck driver on the road all week, and h
ave lots of time to monitor the bands. I was listning to the beacons the other day and heard someone calling cq lower on the band. I had time to spare that day so I took the next exit and went looking for my key. By the time I got my key plugged in, the other station had moved on elsewhere. If I hear you on the air, I'll do my best to answer your call. I promised my wife I wouldn't do code while driving(hi hi), so it might take me a while to answer. Welcome back.