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10m question...

Louisiana Mudd

Louisiana Mudd

X Marine Researcher - AUV / ASV Pilot
May 25, 2020
125
158
63
North West Texas
N00b HAM question...

Is 10m used much? I don't hear much on the band when I visit it on SDR and my Ranger. If it is being used what activity is found there?
 

Not nearly as much as the old days. There is still activity now and then. I never hear any stations even when the band is open, weird. I use to love working the fm repeaters above 29.6 but haven't heard any for literally many many MANY years.
 
groundwire said:
Not nearly as much as the old days. There is still activity now and then. I never hear any stations even when the band is open, weird. I use to love working the fm repeaters above 29.6 but haven't heard any for literally many many MANY years.
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the reply, I listen from time to time when I'm not decoding digital voice but never pick up on anything. I listen on my 11m radio (10m export) also and nothing there but I don't think it covers the whole 10m band, I would have to check.
 
groundwire said:
Not nearly as much as the old days. There is still activity now and then. I never hear any stations even when the band is open, weird. I use to love working the fm repeaters above 29.6 but haven't heard any for literally many many MANY years.
Click to expand...
Nope it stops at 28.307 so the whole band is not covered.
 
28.000 - 28.300 is cw and digital. 28.300-28.500 is the most active ssb portion. USB. Some activity above 28.500 ssb for the General and Extra class guys. 29.100 +/- a little bit you might hear some AM activity if the band is hot. 29.600 is the FM simplex call. 29.62, 64, 66 and 68 are the repeater outputs.. .52, .54, 56 and 58 are repeat inputs.

I love 10, it's my favorite HF band. To say it's not active means you're not on it at the right time. I have made thousands of contacts on 10 through the years, and when the cycle is up international DX is no problem. You dont need 1 kw and a bunch of aluminum at 100 ft either. I've worked word wide on 100 watts and a vertical at 30- 60 ft and 3 elements horizontal at 50 ft. Its all about conditions. Summer E skip is in now and we had sporadic E opening on and off all weekend. Many stations up and down the east coast ssb. Worked a couple FM on 29.600. Also heard 3 different repeaters though I didn't mess with working them. Shit loads of fun to be had on 10.

Get your ticket, get a rig, build/buy an antenna and enjoy..

73..
 
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We are (or supposed to be) at the start of the new 11 year solar cycle which means we're on the low side of it. Currently sunspot activity has been 0 for weeks on end with only occasional bumps that last for only a few days at best.

This is why having at least a General Class is better because there is always some activity on 20m and 40m at night. It's not currently as good when the cycle is up.

In these last few days, there have been some sporadic E which can give propagation up to 1000 miles.

When the sunspot numbers start to climb and remain more consistent, you should start to see more 10m openings and should get some real good DX.

The upper bands above 20m rely on good sunspot numbers to really be workable with a lot of activity.

10m is an excellent band when open. I have made DX contacts into China and other areas in the east Orient on a mobile HF rig during the last solar cycle while driving down the road.

Be patient and keep listening!
 
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Blackcat630 said:
This is a good reference. If you're not by the radio you can still check the bands for openings..
https://www.dxmaps.com/spots/mapg.php
Click to expand...
I really like the map tool that you sent. I have a very extensive background in constructing carrier vehicles and their payloads. The only difference is I am used to working through a water column and now we are working through the atmosphere. Although they both host their own variables (water: salinity, temperature, hydrostatic, dissolved solids, seafloor terrain... air: electrical interference, weather, atmospheric conditions, surface terrain...) they share some of the same conditions that need to be considered such as frequency and carrier vehicle structure. I have been spending a lot of time reading study material for the exams, the road to extra is proving to be an exciting one.

Thanks again my friend.
 
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10m is very busy last days in EU.
ES is strong, I could work many close located countries, but China, Indonesia or Japan as well. On SSB.
Look at FT8 traffic I attached from 2 min ago.
ft8 SP.jpg

Band is wide open.
Mike
 
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