QRP Band Recommendation - QRP Forum at eHam.net

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QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by K8QLW on September 8, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Hello again. My Ham radio operation had been limited to a Sunday night SKED with my brother in TX with a Century 21. (Being a 24/7 caregiver makes operating CW difficult.) My wife will be in the hospital for the next month or so and I was thinking of getting back on the air with a mono-band QRP rig for 30M. My plans changed when I had an outstanding offer to purchase an Argonaut 516. Years ago there was CW operation on 30 from about 10.100 to 10.128 or so. Above that was all digital. I put up a 30M antenna this week end and was totally unprepared for what I heard. It was wall to wall signals with digital all over the place. In fact, I checked all the 30M call frequencies for QRP, FIST and SKCC and all those frequencies had strong digital signals! Additionally, the QRN seemed higher than I remember. Having the 516 and not a 30M mono-bander I switched to 20 Meters and there was quite a difference. There were fewer signals and digital was all above 14.070. So, that leads up to my question. I would really appreciate your recommendations for the Best band for QRP operation with casual rag chew being the primary focus. (Daylight Hours primarily) Thanks, Kent

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by K4EQ on September 8, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Probably 30 or 40 meters would be good for what you want. Your high noise level will probably decrease this winter, plus many of the signals should be stronger as propagation improves. I sure don't hear all the digital signals on 30m that you hear though. With the exception of the RTTY station at the bottom of the band, most of the digital stuff I hear is above 10.120 MHz. It's a great band for CW ragchewing with a lot of good DX thrown in. Of course, 40m is like that too. --Dale, K4EQ

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by VE3WMB on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Personally I like 40m as it is always open to somewhere. It is a very good choice of bands for a mono-band QRP rig. Also for casual QSOs 7.030 MHZ to 7.060 MHZ is a good range as it encompasses the QRP calling frequency as well as FISTS, SKCC etc. Rigs like the Small Wonder Labs SW-40+ will easily cover this tuning range. A low dipole will work well for daytime contacts on this band out to about 500 miles. Michael VE3WMB

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by KO1D on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
One of the reasons 30 is so crowded is the MUF has been hanging out right around there for months. I have heard a lot of good stories about DX'ing and worked a few good ones on 40 while mobile myself. 80cw, 40cw or perhaps 20cw may give you options if you stay high in the band. Good luck!

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by N9GGE on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
On 40m, now that most BC stations have moved up the band, 7.100-7.125 is a nice place to ragchew.

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by N2UGB on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I too don't hear digital from top to bottom on 30M. It is a good DX band. Problem is, pile-ups. Some West European operator get on the air and a thousand Yanks are chasing him. That's the way it is with today's propagation. Not the best rag-chew band. I'd go to 40M for that...if I had an antenna.

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by K8QLW on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Thanks much gentlemen. I should have mentioned that I am limited to one antenna at a time. 20M and 30M are no problem, but 40M would be tougher, though not impossible. So far it appears that 40M has received the most recommendations with 30M being second. No one has mentioned 20M for day time rag chew. I thought perhaps someone would. I sent the 516 off to Ten Tec today, so it's back to the old Century 21 for a while. I took the PAR EF-30 down and replaced it with an EF-20. I haven't given up on 30 yet and when the 516 gets back I'll spend more time checking it out. Kent (K8QLW)

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by WD4ELG on September 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I used the EF-20 and had pretty good success with it. Be advised that depending upon time of day, your signal may skip beyond the target. And QSB is (my opinion) a bigger factor on 20. Just one thing to consider. You never know until you try. Good luck Mark WD4ELG http://wd4elg.net http://wd4elg.blogspot.com

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by K8QLW on September 25, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Since I last wrote I have sent in my Argonaut for updates and when it came back I put up a 30M antenna with 1.1:1 SWR. I haven't operated much, just listened to the 30/20/40/80 bands different times during the day. I have come think that perhaps, except for a SKED with my brother, 30M might not have been a good choice. As an example I just checked the bands 1830 hrs. EDT. (Friday 9/25/09)(QTH = Coastal SC) 30M: Wall to wall digital signals. There was not one CW signal to be heard! 20M: Several QSOs in progress on CW. No digital below 14.070. 40M: Several CW QSOs in progress (more than 20M) with a very loud digital signal at 7.040 and a LSB QSO on 7.050. 80M: Forgot to check. Still checking...

RE: QRP Band Recommendation	Reply
by K8QLW on September 26, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Just thinking - was there some kind of RTTY or digital contest this weekend? kent

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