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Author Topic: Differences on 10M?  (Read 921 times)

WB8VLC

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #15 on: November 08, 2022, 08:37:26 AM »

You don't need to mess around with any of the beacons below 28.3 MHz to evaluate how well your station works.

Just tune your radio to 28.425 USB and listen and write down the call sign of the station that you hear and the signal strength of this station.

Come back to this group and tell us what call sign is of the station and the signal strength and then with this information we can evaluate how well your station works.
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ONAIR

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2022, 09:58:11 PM »

Simple tip, keep an 11 meter SSB CB radio on in the shack and squelched.  You will hear a lot of activity coming on channel 19 AM or 38 lower side band when there is a band opening, and it usually indicates that 10 meters is open as well!
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KD6VXI

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2022, 07:48:35 AM »

Here from the west coast, 10m has been very good into the Caribbean.

Interesting.  I'll have to pay more attention.  My ground mounted vertical is pretty deaf on 10 meters, but I'll see if I can pull something together.

It's odd here.  I won't have ANYTHING on 40-10 meters until at least 10 AM local time.  I get that I'm 4 hours ahead, but nothing even from Central America.  Mostly some faint South American stations.

Even Europe is quiet during this time.

The bands do stay open later though.  I'll go to bed at 10 or 11 and still hear stations from the west coast.  WAY past greyline.


--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI
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KD6VXI

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2022, 07:50:49 AM »

Simple tip, keep an 11 meter SSB CB radio on in the shack and squelched.  You will hear a lot of activity coming on channel 19 AM or 38 lower side band when there is a band opening, and it usually indicates that 10 meters is open as well!

27.555 is the European call frequency for the 11 meter freebanders.

27.530 is the Caribbean call frequency.

--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI
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W5HRO

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #19 on: December 28, 2022, 07:07:36 AM »

I've been a ham for 8 years.  Only very recently has 10M been open like it sometimes is now and I have been working the new to me band.

Over the last several years I have worked much of the world on 20 and 40M using about 500 watts when needed.  Only very rarely have I wished for more.  Antennas are a hexbeam at 40',a 40M 2 element monobander at 75', and an Inv V OCF dipole with apex at 70'.  Amp is ALS-600 with the 10M mod.

15M also improved a lot recently and hexbeam works fine; same as previous experiences with 20M.

When working 10M I consistently have difficulty being heard even with the amp. Hexbeam 10M SWR is below 1.2 and I can hear fine with it.  Also tried tuning up OCF Dipole on 10M just for a comparison and have the same problem.

Looking for comments, maybe this is typical.  I do have a 1500w. amp but it's not even connected as I have found the 500w. amp to be adequate the vast majority of the time.

thx to anyone taking the time to offer advice.

You never need more than about 200W max on 10-meters, even 100W is fine. The key to getting out on 10-meters is the antenna. Usually running a dipole won’t cut it, you really need more like a Yagi with some directional gain. Even a 2 element will work, but 3 elements or more is better. 10-meters is one of my all-time favorite bands and it was a blast back in the mid to late 70’s during cycle 21. I worked guys all over the country and overseas running a lot of old modified tube CB’s even with only 30W to 50W out. Again, the antenna is the key, not running a bunch of power.

Right now 10-meters has not been in very good shape. There is activity down at the lower end of 10 once and a while but it’s been kinda weak and you can occasionally hear the repeaters up at the high-end, but the band and the cycle still isn’t really there yet and whether it will improve is questionable.
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WB8VLC

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Re: Differences on 10M?
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2023, 09:17:59 AM »

I suspect your issue is your timing of the openings because 10 meters and especially 10 FM has been so good the past year or more that it doesn't take a lot of power or a large antenna to work DX in any direction and mobiles even work fine.

 At the peak of the openings I use a Motorola maxtrac hooked to a 67 inch mobile whip on my 4 runner while out and about or a similar Motorola mobile with a small yagi while at home and both antennas perform similarly when the opening are at their peaks.

TN8K in the Congo was worked on 29.05 FM from my crappy 60 watt Motorola Maxtrac and the 67 inch Maxrad mobile whip, not to mention 20 or more Japanese, one Korean a couple of XE Mexico hams an LW in Argentina a WP4 in Puerto Rico and a HK in Columbia.

In fact these stations were almost as strong in my Mobile as when they were on the beam at 30 feet and I'm situated in a RF black hole surrounded by the Cascades to the east and the coastal Mountain range to the west in Northwest Oregon.

Two times last year in January and Feb I worked ZL2Ok in New Zealand on a Motorola MT1000 6 watt handheld with the stock 11 inch rubber duck and timing was certainly the key to making the contact with the smaller antennas.
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