What's new with ham radio????

[Fast1eddie]

Hello everyone, I have been inactive for several years now. Getting interested in it again, have a long commute and was looking at the Yaesu Quad Bander-10, 6, 2, 220 and 440. Any openings on 10 and 6?? Things getting hot yet???

Many Thanks!

 

[elk2370bruce]

There have been a very few, brief, openings on ten; six (so far) is deader then Ted Kennedy. Sunspots are "spotty". Data modes, such as PSK31, are becoming interesting. Tropo season, however, awaits. Welcome back!!

 

[zz0468]

10 meters has been getting some nice openings even without sunspots. I've worked Japan, South America, and Guantanamo Bay from the car when the sunspot count was zero. Get on and make some noise!

 

[Bill_White]

If you are talking about the FT-8900R..
Yaesu FT-8900R, Yaesu FT8900 Amateur Transceiver
It’s NOT an all mode rig, FM ONLY.
A lot of spots on the cluster today
for the lower end of 6 & 10 Meters.
Nothing in FM…Yet

 

[zz0468]

A lot of spots on the cluster today
for the lower end of 6 & 10 Meters.
Nothing in FM…Yet

Maybe because no one is trying to talk. Make some noise!

 

[k9rzz]

East coast and the south has been getting some good E's. Not much to the mid-west yet though.

 

[kb2vxa]

> Nothing in FM…Yet.
"Maybe because no one is trying to talk."
No maybe about it.
"Make some noise!"
Why? FM is the most power hungry mode and the very last to be used. You'll hear old "boat anchor" AM rigs blowing the dust out before you hear a peep on FM. If it's noise you want noise you'll find below 28.500MHz.

This is when it starts and next month has a reputation for openings so don't neglect 6M and the same applies, the bottom of the band is where it's at.

 

[k9rzz]

Well, also state that the bottom end of every band will open before the top end just because the MUF requirement is lower. When 10 and 6 are hot though, and E skip extends up and beyond the FM BCST band, there will be TONS of FM (simplex and repeaters) to work and listen to. Pegging your S meter!

Old geezer talk now: Back in the late 80's I had my 100 watt HF rig sitting on the bottom of my bed with a 4 element 10 meter yagi on the roof of the house turned with a TV rotator. Every evening I'd talk to Japanese guys who were so dang loud, I could hear the dog and the baby making noises on their end while the guy was talking. I'd do this 5 days a week! Fun stuff.

 

[nd5y]

10 meters and 6 meters are open a lot more than most people realize.
Whenever you see posts about low band in this forum it means the MUF was at least as high as 30 MHz.
If you can hear low band FM skip on a scanner (usually without a good band specific antenna) you will be able to work plenty of SSB/SW/digital on 10m and 6m with a real radio and good antenna.
Back when I was active on HF and 6m I worked a lot of 10 and 6 and it wasn't necessarily at the peak of the sunspot cycle either.