Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Above 70cm?  (Read 540 times)

N4SRN

  • Member
  • Posts: 509
Above 70cm?
« on: July 02, 2021, 05:42:12 AM »

I have a new Icom IC-R30 radio that receives 0.100-3304.999 MHz. It comes with a short whip antenna and I've picked up a Whistler WMM-860 SkyScan Discone antenna, listed as 25-2000 MHz, hung in my attic.

What might I try listening to? I've not gone above 70cm in Ham radio.

Bret/N4SRN
Logged
Bret/N4SRN
Bedford, NH  USA

W9FIB

  • Member
  • Posts: 3501
    • HomeURL
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2021, 02:01:26 AM »

902, 1296, 2304 Ham bands to start with.
Logged
73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

N4SRN

  • Member
  • Posts: 509
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2021, 01:25:22 PM »

Dead silent - or at least at my antenna  ;D
Logged
Bret/N4SRN
Bedford, NH  USA

AA4Q

  • Member
  • Posts: 64
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2021, 02:34:58 PM »

see if there are any 902 or 1296 repeaters in your area if your receiver is FM only also try 927.5 and 1294.5 FM this weekend. if your receiver has SSB, try 902.1 and 1296.1 and 2304.1 this weekend, which is ARRL Sept VHF contest. If there is any weak signal activity in your area you'll hear it this weekend.

there might also be weekly nets.

Icom IC-R30 does have SSB according to Icom website.

for those SSB calling freqs tune up a bit and listen, if the band is busy they will spread out from the calling freqs

(try also 144.2, 222.1 and 50.125 SSB, as well as 223.5 and 50.525 FM)

forgot to add..... all the weak signal (SSB) activity will be horizontal polarization, FM will be vert, discone is vert. those SSB signals will be ~20 dB weaker at your receiver due to cross-polarization. listen anyway. put the small antenna on the receiver, carry it outside to an elevated spot and hold it sideways or build a band-specific dipole if you want to hear more.

have fun

AA4Q
« Last Edit: September 09, 2021, 02:41:03 PM by AA4Q »
Logged

G8FXC

  • Member
  • Posts: 533
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2021, 12:47:55 AM »

Dead silent - or at least at my antenna  ;D

Once you get above 2m, things are beginning to get a bit arcane! Levels of activity are lower anyway and, in the absence of esoteric propagation modes, range is limited to a few miles tops. So don't be too surprised if you hear very little. VHF/UHF commercial traffic is rapidly going digital which means that there is a high probability that you will not be able to make sense of anything that you do receive.

Martin (G8FXC)
Logged

W1VT

  • Member
  • Posts: 6071
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2021, 04:21:40 AM »

It is even worse above 3.4GHz.  That is when I started building multiple rigs.  That way I'd be able to lend one to a friend to generate more activity on the band.
At one time I had a dozen 10GHz transverters.

Zak W1VT
Logged

N2AYM

  • Member
  • Posts: 375
Re: Above 70cm?
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2021, 07:49:04 AM »

I know this is gonna sound a bit crazy to most but about 15 or 20 years ago
on a 23cm repeater in Naugatuck CT I had a qso with the owner. I was driving
in Seaside Heights NJ and the coastal ducting was strong that night. That was about
120 miles from where I was driving at the time. If your in a coastal area during times
of temperature changes can be excellent propagation such as early morning or late
daytime just after the sun going down.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up