10-12 meters
- Thread starter GaRebel
- Start date
ALL the time.... lotsa QSOs.
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- Jun 13, 2018
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Lately I have been 'parking' my old Icom 575 on 29.6 FM.. I am amazed at the activity- my best exotic DX this summer has been Colorado into central Alaska on 10 Watts.
I like 12 but it has been quite dead.
I like 12 but it has been quite dead.
It seems as if the openings on 10m phone are still relatively sparse, but are increasing. If 10 is open, I reflexively check 12 and 15, and can usually make at least a few contacts. I've been running WSPR on 10 to quantify.
That's pretty awesome. I have to admit that I've overlooked FM and the higher end of the band on 10m altogether.
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10 metre FM is a weird duck..... there are several simplex channels, but most activity that I know of occurs on 29.600. It remains very quiet where I am- except when the band opens and then its a train wreck of one station on top of another. Fortunately that is quite rare these days-- but in years past when 10 FM was more popular it could be Bedlam whenever the band opened. This summer the squelch rarely opens- but when it does its can be easily a 1500 mile contact.
I never venture onto any 10 repeater- its less painful to poke myself in the eye
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A little known fun spot to keep an ear out is on 29.000 MHz AM. Its a a small niche frequency used by low power AM types - and was made popular as 'the' frequency for converted CB radios ---back in the day when hams did such thing.
I have somewhere a old converted Lafayette CB radio I got at a hamfest that was converted to 10....
When I lived near Washington DC I had it attached to a dipole outside my condo. One evening on 29.000 AM I heard these unusual callsigns with the prefix's "2E1's"
(I think they were 1's) ---
"............what in the world was this?"
With my little 5 Watt toy radio I tried an call--- and Bingo!---one came back to me.
Turns out the 2E prefix were UK Novices and I was talking to England,--- on 5 Watts AM and a dipole.
(Apparently these Novices where restricted to the never-lands of the high ends of 10 metre's.)
10 can be full of surprises.
Lauri
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I never venture onto any 10 repeater- its less painful to poke myself in the eye
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A little known fun spot to keep an ear out is on 29.000 MHz AM. Its a a small niche frequency used by low power AM types - and was made popular as 'the' frequency for converted CB radios ---back in the day when hams did such thing.
I have somewhere a old converted Lafayette CB radio I got at a hamfest that was converted to 10....
When I lived near Washington DC I had it attached to a dipole outside my condo. One evening on 29.000 AM I heard these unusual callsigns with the prefix's "2E1's"
(I think they were 1's) ---
"............what in the world was this?"
With my little 5 Watt toy radio I tried an call--- and Bingo!---one came back to me.
Turns out the 2E prefix were UK Novices and I was talking to England,--- on 5 Watts AM and a dipole.
(Apparently these Novices where restricted to the never-lands of the high ends of 10 metre's.)
10 can be full of surprises
.Lauri
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I just monitor, but I haven't heard any recent activity on 12 or 10 meters. Did hear some Latin American outbanders on 27455 or so earlier today, so the upper bands might be opening up a bit more. When 11 is active, generally it means that 12 and 10 are probably open.
Tune in 24.915 MHz on 12 or 28.074 MHz on 10.. USB.. You'll pretty well -always- hear the squealing of FT8 there during the day. (It's the digital mode that ate ham radio)
I make a few contacts on 12 every week...a few more on 17! I decided to be a bit more successful, I built rotatable dipoles for both bands...both up about 30 feet! I like the emptiness and quiet of 12! When a signal does pop up I can usually work it.
W8HDU
Member
There were some guys on 28.350 shooting the bull for about 2 hours last Monday. And some CW in the 10 meter portion. JWT873 has me interested in putting the FT8 back on and checking 12 meters. 6 has been active in the mornings.
This morning it was open from western Ohio to eastern Wisconsin. Heard a mobile saying he was going to Milwaukee, and he was on I-43 just south of Knellsville. That's a 267.30 mile (430.18 km) trip on 52.520FM. I'm hearing NWS stations to the WNW, so the opening has not died as of 07:00 8/18/2022.
This morning it was open from western Ohio to eastern Wisconsin. Heard a mobile saying he was going to Milwaukee, and he was on I-43 just south of Knellsville. That's a 267.30 mile (430.18 km) trip on 52.520FM. I'm hearing NWS stations to the WNW, so the opening has not died as of 07:00 8/18/2022.
10 meters had a decent summer e-skip season. From here in CT, I was hearing 4s, 5s, 8s and 9s all the time. There was a decent long-haul opening on FT-8 (28.074) this morning. Hearing EU stations plus American stations on the west coast.
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Abot a week ago I was showing off 10 metre's to a friend who recently got her General Class license. There was some SSB skip on the lower end of the phone band, but it was all 10-10 local net stuff.
My Icom 575 does SSB, but also FM and AM as well
"Let's try this" I said , and gave out a --
"CQ twenty nine hundred.....this is------"
on 29.000 MHz, AM.
Ever gone fishing; you cast out, and on the very first try get a hit ? Well the same thing happen here- ham radio-wise.
We snagged a fellow in Georgia..... "59".... A nice, though brief conversation followed. The Georgia ham said there was "quite a bit of 10 metre AM activity all over- its just never talked about - "
"Everyone these days is on that (Blank) FT8"
Lauri
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My Icom 575 does SSB, but also FM and AM as well
"Let's try this" I said , and gave out a --
"CQ twenty nine hundred.....this is------"
on 29.000 MHz, AM.
Ever gone fishing; you cast out, and on the very first try get a hit ? Well the same thing happen here- ham radio-wise.
We snagged a fellow in Georgia..... "59".... A nice, though brief conversation followed. The Georgia ham said there was "quite a bit of 10 metre AM activity all over- its just never talked about - "
"Everyone these days is on that (Blank) FT8"
Lauri
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.
El_Kabong
Member
10m was hoppin earlier today. 17m was great as well.
^^^^^ Have to ditto the idea that calling CQ is a definite help. Even on the lower bands, I've copied some hams who send maybe two or three CQs and maybe only give their callsign once while doing that (not accounting for fading, which sometimes can be considerable). And then they give up after one or two CQs.
Or the times the band is dead and I hear one ham from the other side of the country slamming my radio S4 or S5, indicating that there are decent conditions. It's like they threw a party and nobody decided to come by.
Or the times the band is dead and I hear one ham from the other side of the country slamming my radio S4 or S5, indicating that there are decent conditions. It's like they threw a party and nobody decided to come by.
When it comes to CQ, I'm one of 'those' who answers a lot more than I call.
Simplex FM at 29.600 can be fun. I've worked quite a few countries using it. You can access distant FM repeaters too when the band is open. 10-Meter Repeater Directory for North America
Simplex FM at 29.600 can be fun. I've worked quite a few countries using it. You can access distant FM repeaters too when the band is open. 10-Meter Repeater Directory for North America
W8HDU
Member
Short story ... driving from Toledo OH to Lapeer MI, I monitored 52.52 FM/sim all the way. 2-hr 2-min (116 miles) on the road.
Just before reaching my destination I called CQ. BANG! Instant pileup of probably 10 or more stations all vying for contact, which only increased over the next ten minutes.
It seemed that everybody was listening. Nobody thought to call CQ. There was a HUGE opening that day.
Just before reaching my destination I called CQ. BANG! Instant pileup of probably 10 or more stations all vying for contact, which only increased over the next ten minutes.
It seemed that everybody was listening. Nobody thought to call CQ. There was a HUGE opening that day.
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I tend to just answer CQ's too.... on frequencies where conversations are found by spinning a dial. Its just a matter of happenstance that someone tunes across you--- and then wants to talk.
On channel-ize frequencies its different matter... Just announcing myself on a frequency like "52" will usually be enuff if someone wants a chat.
"QR-Zed 52, this is ___________"
It seems like most hams are listeners-- at least on the FM channels. I will say that a female voice is often all it takes to break the silence.... kind'a unfair, but hey, it works for us.
Who this really works magic for is my friend Barb. She is French with a charming parisienne accent. She can break thru the thickest pile-ups or stir up a pile-up of her own on a 'dead band' with just a single "QRZ."
I'm not jealous
Lauri
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On channel-ize frequencies its different matter... Just announcing myself on a frequency like "52" will usually be enuff if someone wants a chat.
"QR-Zed 52, this is ___________"
It seems like most hams are listeners-- at least on the FM channels. I will say that a female voice is often all it takes to break the silence.... kind'a unfair, but hey, it works for us.
Who this really works magic for is my friend Barb. She is French with a charming parisienne accent. She can break thru the thickest pile-ups or stir up a pile-up of her own on a 'dead band' with just a single "QRZ."
I'm not jealous
Lauri
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Kd8lzl
Newbie
I was calling cq 10m cw the other day for 15 or so minutes. Was coming up on the reverse beacon network in South America. No takers. I guess there's always next time.
freqhopping
Member
10m is working right now, at least to/from PR on phone and all the usual SA on FT8. I'm getting to the west coast on 10/12 FT8. I received a CA QTH at +30 on 10 earlier.
I've picked up one of those "export" radios, a CRT brand SS7900v, and so far I am impressed with it. It has CTCSS & DCS and adjustable repeater splits, and seems to have a good receiver.
I've tried others i.e. an Alinco DR-135UK and President Lincoln II, but found them too small in size and therefore fiddly to use. In particular, the display of a frequency was usually in small text, and the "channel" number instead large and readable, not something we in AR prefer.
The SS7900v can be set to display the frequency in large text with the channel number in the small field below the meters. After a few seconds, that field reverts to either the default "7900V" or can be programmed with any 5 characters.
The overall size I would describe as medium, not as large as the old Cobra-type CBs and not as small as the Lincoln etc.
Looking forward to conditions on 10m improving over this way to you folk
I've tried others i.e. an Alinco DR-135UK and President Lincoln II, but found them too small in size and therefore fiddly to use. In particular, the display of a frequency was usually in small text, and the "channel" number instead large and readable, not something we in AR prefer.
The SS7900v can be set to display the frequency in large text with the channel number in the small field below the meters. After a few seconds, that field reverts to either the default "7900V" or can be programmed with any 5 characters.
The overall size I would describe as medium, not as large as the old Cobra-type CBs and not as small as the Lincoln etc.
Looking forward to conditions on 10m improving over this way to you folk
