emd001
Member
Anybody use 10 meters? A fellow ham in my local club gave me a 10 meter radio because he was going to throw it out, its a radioshack htx-10. Anyway its been scanning for a couple of days and im just curious if anyone uses 10m anymore?
10 meter radio
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When the band is good, 10Meters is great. The band is at the bottom right now. Wait a few years and should be great again.
k9rzz
Member
Ten meters should start coming to life soon with sporadic E openings. I know that there have been reports of a few openings expanding above 10 meters, up through 6, and just into the FM broadcast band already this spring, so stick with it, they're fun as heck when you catch 'em!
jhooten
Member
29.6 was open to Costa Rica about and hour ago.
ki4rvh
Member
I worked Florida on 10 Meters the other day. I worked Puerto Rico on 6 Meters today. Things are starting to liven up a little bit.
Hang an antenna up, and turn the thing on! There's 10 meter opening at least occasionally, regardless of the state of the sun.
During the solar peak, 10 meters acts more like an HF band. During the solar minimum, it acts more like a VHF band. There was a very nice opening just a week or so ago all up and down the west coast of North America, I heard and worked stations from Washington to Baja.
Park it on 28.400, or tune around from 28.200 to 28.300 and look for beacons. If the band is open, you'll hear 'em.
BTW, The HTX-10 is a decent little radio. The guys I know that use them primarily use them as IF radios to add transverters to for higher frequency bands. But you have to have a decent radio to start with.
During the solar peak, 10 meters acts more like an HF band. During the solar minimum, it acts more like a VHF band. There was a very nice opening just a week or so ago all up and down the west coast of North America, I heard and worked stations from Washington to Baja.
Park it on 28.400, or tune around from 28.200 to 28.300 and look for beacons. If the band is open, you'll hear 'em.
BTW, The HTX-10 is a decent little radio. The guys I know that use them primarily use them as IF radios to add transverters to for higher frequency bands. But you have to have a decent radio to start with.
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mike_gain
Member
I agree, 11 M is how I check for openings on 10 M. Alot of fellow HAMs keep saying 10 meters is dead, while 11 meters is poping. Plus, TE openings can always happen during solar minimums.
nexus
Member
The best time to listen for activity is during the weekends and specifically during contests. We're in the bottom side of an 11 year sun spot cycle. That means the fewer sunspots will cause poor to unusable conditions on the higher HF frequencies (I.E. 10 meters to name a few) This is also when the lower frequencies like 3.5 mhz and 1.6 mhz are at their prime because sunspots kill those bands, but give the higher bands hyperactivity.
The good news is that we're at the very tail end of this low-end of the solar cycle, and a new cycle is expected to emerge soon. Scientists anticipated 2013 for it to begin peaking, but now they're extending that date because the sunspots have yet to return.
So your friend threw out the 10 meter rig too soon. Your good fortune. Hold on to it, and in a year or two, maybe three you'll be able to talk all over the world on 10 meters for the next 11 years, day and night. Right now openings are sporadic but during contests it seems that a lot of people try to use the band and an opening can just suddenly occur and you'll hear people all over.
Bottom line is don't give up on it yet, you'll see in a couple of years it'll be blowing up like gangbusters.
The good news is that we're at the very tail end of this low-end of the solar cycle, and a new cycle is expected to emerge soon. Scientists anticipated 2013 for it to begin peaking, but now they're extending that date because the sunspots have yet to return.
So your friend threw out the 10 meter rig too soon. Your good fortune. Hold on to it, and in a year or two, maybe three you'll be able to talk all over the world on 10 meters for the next 11 years, day and night. Right now openings are sporadic but during contests it seems that a lot of people try to use the band and an opening can just suddenly occur and you'll hear people all over.
Bottom line is don't give up on it yet, you'll see in a couple of years it'll be blowing up like gangbusters.
KR4BD
Member
Don't give up on 10 meters. Those "10 meter-only" transceivers are not popular right now due to the low activity on the band, but I promise you, when things start hopping again, those radios will be worth their weight in gold! The sunspots are just "not with us" right now, but I can tell you from experience that 10 is a great band. Around 1990, during one of the previous solar peaks, I regularly talked to Australia, Japan, New Zealand, etc., almost daily from here in Central KY...running just 100 watts SSB. In fact, my most memorable QSO came on 10 meters during that period when I talked to an op in Central Australia for about two or three hours with armchair copy. We found we had a common interest in railroads and trains. I sure learned a lot about rail activity "down below" and a week or two later, I received an envelope from him with a QSL card and a bunch of newly issued stamps featuring trains on them. I can honestly say that I have met some very interesting and kind folks on ham radio.
I'd like to remind you guys that sunspots are not necessarily a requirement for excellent band openings.
During the this current solar minimum, on 10 meters from the west coast, I have worked Japan, Hawaii, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, South America, Mexico, Canada, and a handful of states in the U.S.
Sunspot count on virtually all of those contacts was zero. Many of those contacts were mobile, and some within the last two weeks.
Get on 10, people! It opens more often than you realize. There are beacons between 28.2 and 28.3. If you hear some, call cq.
During the this current solar minimum, on 10 meters from the west coast, I have worked Japan, Hawaii, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, South America, Mexico, Canada, and a handful of states in the U.S.
Sunspot count on virtually all of those contacts was zero. Many of those contacts were mobile, and some within the last two weeks.
Get on 10, people! It opens more often than you realize. There are beacons between 28.2 and 28.3. If you hear some, call cq.
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