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[N1GMV]

Was testing some gear yesterday and to my surprise activity on 10 meters.
From NC we had propagation to the west coast then later in the day to Texas and down into Chile.

Looking forward to some increase activity on the band. 

[ONAIR]

Was testing some gear yesterday and to my surprise activity on 10 meters.
From NC we had propagation to the west coast then later in the day to Texas and down into Chile.

Looking forward to some increase activity on the band. 

  It's been open quite a bit lately!  The good news is that so few people are actually using 10 meters, one can easily make long distance contacts just by running low power (under 25 Watts) into a simple dipole!!   

[KC2QYM]

What frequencies are you listening to?...mmmmm...let's see Old Man...do you have a VFO to explore the band on your own?

[KI8DJ]

10 meters is only going to get worse for the next couple of years unless there are sporadic e openings this solar cycle is just about done.

[ONAIR]

10 meters is only going to get worse for the next couple of years unless there are sporadic e openings this solar cycle is just about done.

  10 meters just comes and goes!  That's why I always keep a squelched CB radio on in the shack to alert me at a moment's notice when 10 becomes open.

[KK5DR]

Darn, I missed it, again. This thing called "making a living" is interfering with my hobby.

[ONAIR]

Darn, I missed it, again. This thing called "making a living" is interfering with my hobby.

   Just retire!  You'll be able to play ham 24/7!! 

[KC2QYM]

The inconsistent openings on the upper bands are just not worth my time to spend listening.  If propagation was consistent or predictable it would be a different story.  There's all sorts of folklore about 6 meters as well which over the years has only appeared twice for me and lasted just a few hours.  Again, not worth one iota of my time and effort anymore.  Ham radio is a just a pastime not a cult or absolute dedication...if you want to monitor dead air for the chance that some distant station will appear then go ahead.  The guts of ham radio HF at least to me are 75, 40, and 20 meters and that's where I spend my time.

[NK7Z]

I got tired of missing openings as well, so I created a set of graphs showing spot counts for all bands, for all CQ zones within the US.  See:

http://nk7z.net/band-conditions/

Click a graph to go to a more detailed version...  The graphs show CQ zones, 3, 4, and 5, for 160-6 Meters...  This gives you an overview of all bands, all zones, in one page, with the ability to zoom in, and see a history.

[ONAIR]

I got tired of missing openings as well, so I created a set of graphs showing spot counts for all bands, for all CQ zones within the US.  See:

http://nk7z.net/band-conditions/

Click a graph to go to a more detailed version...  The graphs show CQ zones, 3, 4, and 5, for 160-6 Meters...  This gives you an overview of all bands, all zones, in one page, with the ability to zoom in, and see a history.

    Very nice!  Thank you!! 

[KC2QYM]

Upper band propagation for me is just so scant that I don't even tune to 10 or 12 meters anymore;  I think my limit is 15 meters to derive any half way decent contacts.  In my opinion, I wasn't missing anything even when 10 meters was open a few years ago.  Throw in a disappointing sunspot cycle and now on the decline and all that 10 meters appears to offer Hams are hope and a prayer.  All the ARRL promises were just hype concerning upper band propagation a few years ago.  And then poof, it became apparent that the propagation was going to be disappointing.  Too bad we can't trade in all that useless spectrum on 12, 10, and 6 meters for expanded spectrum on the lower bands.  And while we're at it throw back the lower 100 Khz portion of 160 meters for more space in the 40 meter band. Yeah, I know that this is just wishful fantasy thinking on my part but I don't have the patience to catch some odd fifteen minutes of an unusually great opening on 10 meters and listen to empty noise the rest of the time.

[K2FW]

I know a SWL who on Sunday heard on 12mtrs a CX7 & CO8 working stateside. And on 10mtrs, heard many stations on SSB mostly from the carribean & South America.  He was also able to faintly hear a station from Turkey on 10mtr SSB.  After 2330Z the signals disappeared.

[KU4UV]

Upper band propagation for me is just so scant that I don't even tune to 10 or 12 meters anymore;  I think my limit is 15 meters to derive any half way decent contacts.  In my opinion, I wasn't missing anything even when 10 meters was open a few years ago.  Throw in a disappointing sunspot cycle and now on the decline and all that 10 meters appears to offer Hams are hope and a prayer.  All the ARRL promises were just hype concerning upper band propagation a few years ago.  And then poof, it became apparent that the propagation was going to be disappointing.  Too bad we can't trade in all that useless spectrum on 12, 10, and 6 meters for expanded spectrum on the lower bands.  And while we're at it throw back the lower 100 Khz portion of 160 meters for more space in the 40 meter band. Yeah, I know that this is just wishful fantasy thinking on my part but I don't have the patience to catch some odd fifteen minutes of an unusually great opening on 10 meters and listen to empty noise the rest of the time.

I don't know how long you've been a ham radio operator, but I have worked the world and all 50 states from here in Kentucky on 10 meters with nothing more than a C.B. antenna or dipole and 25 Watts.  Yeah, the current sunspot cycle was a dud, and we have to wait a few years for the next one.  This hobby, much like many other hobbies, often involves patience, knowledge, and luck.  I certainly wouldn't trade any of that "useless" spectrum on 12, 10, or 6 Meters like you propose.  Hams used to have privileges on the 11 meter band, and we lost it, primarily because of what you are suggesting on this post.  10 meters and some of the the other higher-frequency bands are open to somewhere a lot more often than you would think.  If no one ever bothers to put out a "CQ" how do you expect to make any contacts?  That is like going fishing without baiting your hook and then throwing it in the water.  I can't tell you the number of times I have tuned across a supposedly "dead" 10 meter band, only to call "CQ" for a few minutes and have someone thousands of miles away come back to me.  Patience and a good antenna go a long way sometimes, especially when the solar activity is in decline like it is right now.  I still wouldn't take your suggestion even under the worst of conditions.

KU4UV

[ONAIR]

Upper band propagation for me is just so scant that I don't even tune to 10 or 12 meters anymore;  I think my limit is 15 meters to derive any half way decent contacts.  In my opinion, I wasn't missing anything even when 10 meters was open a few years ago.  Throw in a disappointing sunspot cycle and now on the decline and all that 10 meters appears to offer Hams are hope and a prayer.  All the ARRL promises were just hype concerning upper band propagation a few years ago.  And then poof, it became apparent that the propagation was going to be disappointing.  Too bad we can't trade in all that useless spectrum on 12, 10, and 6 meters for expanded spectrum on the lower bands.  And while we're at it throw back the lower 100 Khz portion of 160 meters for more space in the 40 meter band. Yeah, I know that this is just wishful fantasy thinking on my part but I don't have the patience to catch some odd fifteen minutes of an unusually great opening on 10 meters and listen to empty noise the rest of the time.

I don't know how long you've been a ham radio operator, but I have worked the world and all 50 states from here in Kentucky on 10 meters with nothing more than a C.B. antenna or dipole and 25 Watts.  Yeah, the current sunspot cycle was a dud, and we have to wait a few years for the next one.  This hobby, much like many other hobbies, often involves patience, knowledge, and luck.  I certainly wouldn't trade any of that "useless" spectrum on 12, 10, or 6 Meters like you propose.  Hams used to have privileges on the 11 meter band, and we lost it, primarily because of what you are suggesting on this post.  10 meters and some of the the other higher-frequency bands are open to somewhere a lot more often than you would think.  If no one ever bothers to put out a "CQ" how do you expect to make any contacts?  That is like going fishing without baiting your hook and then throwing it in the water.  I can't tell you the number of times I have tuned across a supposedly "dead" 10 meter band, only to call "CQ" for a few minutes and have someone thousands of miles away come back to me.  Patience and a good antenna go a long way sometimes, especially when the solar activity is in decline like it is right now.  I still wouldn't take your suggestion even under the worst of conditions.

KU4UV

   I've even made some great contacts on 10, using just a 25 Watt mobile rig and a CB antenna INDOORS!!!  The trick is to call CQ on 10 continuously for at least 5 minutes.  When I do that, over 50% of the time I get a response!! 

[W5YZR]

What is the best beacon on 10 meter band that I can hear in Oklahoma on a regular basis? I have found some but they are not reliable and go down a lot. Thanks!