There don't seem to be any that I can find, at least not "10 meters only" kits that don't include other bands.  The MFJ9410 is factory wired only.  The MFJ "Cub" products are inexpensive kits, but start at 15 meters and go down in frequency from there.  Ditto the Ten Tec QRP CW kits, they are available for 15 to 80 meters, but not 10.

The Elecraft K1 is inexpensive and works well, and is a kit, but always includes two bands. You could pick 10 meters and another band of your choice, and then just use 10 meters!

WB2WIK/6

If you care to debate, on any subject of your choosing, I'd be happy to accommodate you in a public forum, on the air.  You'll lose.

But I'm willing to prove that!

WB2WIK/6

Steve (OWO): No, I meant cancel the money order.  Whoever issued it has the ability to cancel payment on it.  If they say, "It's too late, it's already been cashed," then you have verification that indeed your order was received and processed, and they have your money.  Then, you can take the appropriate action based on that information.  But if they have no problem cancelling the M.O., then indeed, what AES told you is probably true: They never got your order.

WB2WIK/6

This is great to hear!  A company that's not only nice to deal with, but has a catalog.  Worth keeping in mind, for sure.

BTW, the snap-on ferrite RFI filters like the ones sold by MPJA for $1.75 are $1.29 at Fry's Electronics Inc. -- many locations throughout the western U.S.  They're Steward Ferrite #28A2025-0A0 and hanging on hooks in all the Fry's stores, in the computer "component" area (near the cables, etc).  $1.29's a good price.

73 Steve, WB2WIK/6

General comment: It doesn't pay to buy direct from manufacturers such as Mirage, Ameritron, MFJ, et al, et al, when their products are widely distributed for lower prices than the "factory direct" price.  Always.

HRO, AES, Texas Towers and many others discount the "factory direct" prices by 10% typically, and have 800 numbers you can call to "check stock."  If one dealer has no stock, try the next one, until stock is found.  

Strong recommendation: If _nobody_ has stock of an item, it's vaporware -- don't buy it.  Exceptions to this rule are "made to order" products like ACCOM amplifiers, which cost thousands of dollars and may well be worth waiting for.  But those are truly the exceptions.

WB2WIK/6

Holger made some great points.  I only wish the amateur licensing system here in America were like that of the previous E. Germany.  We would indeed have better operators, more dedicated operators, far fewer "dead" callsigns...the bands would be cleaner, and our reputation as a service would be greatly improved.

I also agree with Holger that it's silly to fret over others' bad operating techniques, or that 50,000 hams calling a DX station completely clobbered a few QSOs.  The bottom line: So what?  Were the guys who had their QSOs clobbered exchanging critical data leading to the cure for cancer?  Or were they just ragchewing?

Every time I hear of such complaints, it makes me consider whether the ones complaining would also complain on September 11th, if they happened to be strolling down the walk towards the WTC, when all of a sudden ten thousand people, running away from WTC as fast as they could, ran right over them.  Who's in the right, there?

WB2WIK/6

One batch of cards in 1-1/2 years isn't much, but if you're just starting out, just let it happen.  When I started DXing many years ago, it took one or two years for me to get my first envelope, then about another year to get the second one, then they started coming quite regularly, about one a month or every other month.  Remember, the "system" depends on many variables beyond our control, or our own Bureau's control, and many cards I've received are for 3-4-5 year old contacts -- and some are for 10 year-old contacts.

WB2WIK/6

N8IK:  It's luck, timing, great band condx, and give yourself a pat on the back because it was probably good operating, as well.

I made DXCC on 28 MHz mobile during the winter season 1989-1990 (e.g., October '89 through April '90), using a barefoot Radio Shack HTX-100 (25W) and a 102" CB whip on a fender (ball) mount.  Actually, it was more than DXCC, it was 112 countries.  Almost 100 were worked in one weekend in December '89 during the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, all from the car.

Sigh.  It truly is a great band.

WB2WIK/6

Since most DX contacts with rare stations last all of a few seconds, I'd think time on = time off, for the most part.

Remember to use only UTC, and make sure you have it correct.  Unless you have synchronizing software or a high-stability time standard, don't use the clock in your PC as a time base, they drift all over the place.  I just set mine to be correct last week, and it's already 10 mins off...

Remember that rare DX and most DXpeditions log 60-180 contacts per hour, so if your logged time is off by 10 minutes, you're probably really far away from where they're looking in the log and might not be able to verify the contact.

If PSK31 QSOs are lasting a "long time" with rare DX stations, well, I'll be darned.  That's a new one, on me.

Also, make really sure the DX station has your call logged properly.  On phone or CW, the only way to tell is to listen carefully to how he says or sends your call when he replies.  On PSK31, I guess the biggest problem might be a "typo," hi hi.  But I'll bet that happens, too.

73 de Steve, WB2WIK/6

How about that they are just crappy operators?  Or, giving them the benefit of the doubt, inexperienced, untrained operators.

Nobody's perfect, and those of us who think we are took years to get there!

Grin and bear it.  But better still, every chance you get IN PERSON to meet with new DXers and prospective DXers (like at local radio club meetings, at Visalia, at Dayton, wherever -- but not on the air), teach them a thing or two about what really works.  Done right, they'll appreciate it!

73 de Steve, WB2WIK/6

If you sent a money order, you should have its receipt (stub, duplicate, or whatever).  Simply call the issuing agency and cancel it.

WB2WIK/6

N9AVY: Great post.

I agree wholeheartedly with all you wrote, especially the part about putting the money into the antennas.  After 37+ years hamming/DXing, I use this example when teaching prospective hams, mostly kids, about ham radio:

Given a $1000 budget for ham radio, here's what to do:

-Spend $900 on a used tower and the best antennas you can install on it; and then

-Find an old rig from a garage sale, SK estate or whateverm, and buy it for $100.

That ratio will serve you better in amateur radio than any other ratio will.

WB2WIK/6

Call it what you want.  If you don't like the practice, always order stuff "freight collect," and pay the carrier directly.  That option is always available from any reputable business entity.  It is not available from "QVC" and similar "TV stores," but they make no bones about the fact that their charges are "shipping and handling," not just shipping.

Most people who take issue with this have zero experience in actual business.  Remember that when anyone ships anything, there's more cost involved than simply paying the UPS bill.  There's the packing materials (the ICOM box or whatever is not a shipping container, it's a product carton -- it is not intended to be used as an outside container for shipping product; the factory does not ship this way, nor should domestic dealers, or you, or I), and the time it takes to pack, cut a packing slip, and transfer to the carrier.  Time is money.  In my business, the average cost to pack and ship virtually anything is about $15, before any freight charges apply.

WB2WIK/6

It may be a "scam," as you say, but it's actually standard and respected business practice.  If you expect to pay only the shipping fee (UPS, FedEx or whoever) and not a penny more, order for shipment with "shipping charges collect."  Period.  You will then pay the carrier exactly what they charge, the person making the shipment will charge (and pay)nothing.  Easy stuff.

Also, it's impossible to predict what anyone making routine shipments via UPS (or any other common carrier) is paying for the service.  In the corporate world, these are negotiated rates, often negotiated on blanket agreements annually, and the best negotiators, often having very high volumes, get the best rates.  Not everybody does.  $22 to ship something the size of an FT100D overnight sounds like an extremely good rate -- it's much less than I've paid directly to UPS, by bringing my stuff to their depot.  Sounds like wherever you made this shipment from has a very good contract rate.  Texas Towers may not.

WB2WIK/6

Most effective thing you can do, which is also easy to implement and very low in cost:

Disconnect your antennas and toss the feedlines and connectors outside when you're not using the rigs and antennas.  Then, plug them back in when you are.  Don't leave the equipment connected when you're not home.

You should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have a "lightning" ground inside your home, or even close by.  A "lightning" ground should be independent of any other grounding, very low impedance, and both outside, and as far as possible from, your living quarters.

If this cannot be achieved, do not use any other method.  Neither your scanner antenna nor your J-pole require any sort of ground to function properly.  To drain "static discharge" from distant lighting, any old ground will do, including sticking a 10 penny nail in the ground with some wire attached to it, and an alligator clip attachment to your antenna's ground point.  There's no current in this static, it's just voltage at very low energy levels.  

WB2WIK/6