Made first contact

[caspear1978]

Made my first contact on skip about a week ago. I'm in northern Mn about 45 miles south of the Canada border. I hit south of Nashville Tn 37lsb. With my barefoot grant xl and a five foot stainless still whip. Not to shabby in my book. I didn't think it was possible to hit the skip lane. But it worked out that night. His call sign is 313. And I'm 778. Up this way we don't usally get much skip due to the fact we are on the iron range. It plays havic when trying to get skip up here. But we make due talking local. There's a few of us that usally are on 38lsb. There's 338 up in cook,mn. 820 up in angora,mn. And my self 778 up here in britt,mn. Most every night were on the radio. Hoping for some good skip to come up our way. If you hear us on drop on in we welcome any and all who can hear us. I know on my grant xl I'm getting a little over 35 miles on any giving day. But hope to make more contacts as soon as we get skip up here. Hope to hear some new voices out there. This is 778 I'm clear and out

 

[KB1TPX]

Hey, I'm in Hampton, NH. I'll be pointing my beam your way and listening on 38LSB for you guys. That's my home LSB channel anyway.

 

[Robb]

All that iron under you - is a problem?!?

Skip is primarily a cause of sunspots throwing charged particles randomly out into space. Sometimes we are the recipients of these charged particles. If Earth happens to be in the path of these particles - they will charge the ionosphere and mirror/reflect transmitted radio waves around - rather than just absorbing them. Sometimes one can get weak charges hitting the ionosphere and some mild skip can happen. We haven't had any decent skip in a couple of months now, and NASA is saying that the prospects for sunspot activity in the near future is looking pretty weak for a while.

I'm not saying that you didn't talk skip; and from time to time I hear weak/sporadic skip signals coming in. If the 11 year average for sunspots is going to be consistent -as it has been- it is going to get worse before it gets better. About one year from now, skip should be picking up. That is not to say that anecdotal episodes of skip won't happen. Actually, I hope they do. Radio can be a little tedious and boring without it! Hams and CB'ers alike are waiting to make and log DX contacts. The only thing one can do in the interim - is to work on one's station and improve it before skip returns...

 

[caspear1978]

Hey 7732granitestate. As soon as we hear any skip. Well be out there trying. Until then all we can do is hope for some skip.


Hey Rob. Yea I been reading up on the 11 year rule. And honestly I don't like it. But one can we do but sit back and wait. As far as working on the station I know what ya mean. I'm planning on putting a MOSFET final kit in my radio and trying to figure how to build a good base anttenna. I'm planning on a three element. But with this being the first. I'm not sure how it will turn out. Only one can hope it turns out good. But until then. We just sit back and listen to the static on the radio. I plan to put a low pass filter inline and also a 2sc2999 in the radio any noise I can get rid of will be great. As far now I just deal with it. As soon as all is in place and working I'll post a log about from start to finish. Hopefully with pictures of it all together. Hope to hear y'all out there on the air waves. And hopefully y'all can hear me LOL. This us 778 I'm clear and out

 

[skip searcher]

congratulation's on the first contact barefoot from sunny maine down to nashville we are al waiting for 11 metres to open some people state it wont reall'y peak until 2012 but by then we should be able to talk across the pond just like the old days i remember speaking to the states well into the evening hours from up on the mountain with my ranger rci 2950 dx and my linear amp good dx friend 29 wj 450

 

[caspear1978]

howdy Skip Searcher,,,, yea we get little blips here and there through out the day but not much we can give a shout out to, we just do more local talking then anything right now,,,, but we do sit back and just take a listen and see if it does open up,,,, right now there is only 4 of on the radio we all have portables,,,, but 2 of the guys do have base antennas with better radios then i have,,,,,, i just got the girlfriend on the radio last night so now theres 4 out here,,,, shes still new to it all but shell ceom around just like we all have,,, its all about the time you spend on the radio and the practice,,,, from protable to portable we were able to make 15 miles easy,,, and i know with the radio i have in the van at home im getting 30 - 35 miles easy,,, ive got a grant xl with a 5 foot stainless still whip in the van,,,, on the car ive got a royce 639 with a lil will,,, so for the time being we just shoot around the country side up here and talk to eachother but when skip does come in we all try and give a shout out,,,, alot to the times we have the blanket covering us up,,,, so it gets hard from time to time but thats ok by us we all have fun,,,,,,,this is 778 clear and out

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

minnesota to tennessee is definately skip !!
congrats ! you broke your skip cherry !! hehehe

BTW , the grant is about the best CB radio ever made . DONT GET RID OF IT !!

 

[Highlander_821]

Good show on the barefoot skip! Not too easy to do these days. It will only get better. Have fun!

 

[caspear1978]

well i know for a fact i dont plan on getting rid of the grant,,,,, right now im wanting to add more to it but going for a mosfet final,,, not having any luck but thats why im gonna start a new post about that,,,,maybe some one know where i can look to find them,,,, i know a frined wants me to add one in his 148 gtl so we will see how it all goes,,,,,yea i sure did break my cherry that night,, it sure did feel good, i know i am still impressed bvy the fact that i made it down there,,, ive here 313 out there a few times since and havent had any luck getting ahold of him so i figure we had the blanket covering us up here like most times,,,, but thats ok,,,,,778 clear and out

 

[caspear1978]

Most all day it was rolling good from the south southeast directions but throughout the day i was getting skip comeing from the east i was hearing Maine,New York,New Jeresy,Pa,,,,,, at the end of the night id say between 9 pm to 12 pm i was makeing contacts with Tn,Ky,OH,Pa,Va,SCO,,,,, All in all it was a good night,,,,,,then turned on the radio the next day and heard more from down southeast and south so it was good to hear skip for 2 days,,,,, on the 11th it was nonstop up here ,,, turned the radio on about 12 Pm and it was on all day from there on out till about midnight,,,, i found me a good spot to sit next time the skip rolls in,,,,, its up above alot of the trees and hills on a look out out in eveleth,,,, when i first got up there i was hearing skip from jamaica,,,, i thought that was pretty cool to hear from that far,,,, i tryed but didnt have any luck with that one,,,,, but thats ok,,,, after makeing close to 10 hits that night im not upset about hitting jamaica,,,,, maybe after i get a base antenna setup then it will be easier to get out there,,,,,, i just could get out all day do to teh big boys out there with the good set ups,,,, after it calmed down quit a bit i was able to break through and make some good hits,,,,, i look forward to get some more time in the next go around,,,, but if not thats ok,,, i still had fun on the 11th,,,, i just wanted to crop in and let you all know how its going from up here in the clod state of Minnesota,,,, were still up here trying , thats all we can do right,,,, so you all have a safe one and a good one this is 778 clear and out