11 meter is very quiet?

[whiteastro]

There are several different layers in the ionosphere that reflect 11 meter band signals. The most common reflector is the F2 layer, and that is the one that produces the long range (over 2000 miles) skip. F2 is also the layer most affected by the sun and the 11 year sunspot cycle.

The E layer is lower down, is less affected by the sun (and more by seasonal variations), and produces much shorter skip. Single hop E skip is generally around 1000 to 1500 miles (but can be as little as 500 miles). We tend to have strong E-skip seasons in spring and fall every year.......
When you hear states that are closer to you, that is E-skip. When you hear the other side of the country, or South America or Europe that is F2 skip.

There are of course, a number of other skip modes, but E and F2 are by far the most common. Hope that all made sense !

Thanks BC no one ever mentioned that to me and it sounds reasonable. When I started in CB back in my mid 20s into the early 30s a SSB radio was only a wishful thought. I had to play the 23 channel AM game because of NO MONEY! LOL
PS. I didn't get my first 40 channel Cobra 29 mobile until some time in the 90s and that wasn't SSB either but it was a start back into CB radio. Still have that radio and works fine the last time I turned it on.

 

[Rwb]

last few nites talked to virginia,ky,tenn and w.va. and they were very stout. all was more than a hi good signal n bye

 

[c316buckeye]

i found ssb about a year ago after 20 years of driving and using only AM. it has been interesting to see how the conditions move around depending on the season. haven't heard europe for a couple weeks, but there's been a whole mess of those E clouds and short range skip has been happy. it has been wonderful not to hear the 11111 guy in texas and all the foul language out of the southwest.

 

[c316buckeye]

I was tuning down thru the channels to check out chan 16, when I heard some clear ssb audio on chans 28 & 29. I was going to meet some one on 16 and didn't stop the listen or chat. Forgot about it 'til now. Anybody using 28/29 for Dxing ??

J.J. 399

heard you clear as a bell, 5x7 top of Ohio, good sounding radio. my 10w didn't get through, but figured we'd let you know you made the trip

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Nothing but crickets and one guy on channel 6...

 

[whiteastro]

Yeah it wasn't to good around here today. A sharp contrast to yesterday.

 

[unit_399]

Talked to alot of old friends today. Channel 37 wasn't crowded, but the big boys were loud and proud in my receive. My kind of DXin'.

J. J. 399

 

[Rwb]

back to the bench was on yesterday

 

[Eldorado828]

Am 19 skip just started rolling heavily on my trek i40 across New Mexico. Yesterday skip filled the receiver too through the south plains of Texas. It seems conditions have shifted to the lively side.

 

[unit_399]

Anyone else noticed that the music man who plays hip-hop all day long has been gone?? Haven't heard him for several days. Did he get caught? Rig blow up? Or did someone PUT him off the air? Whatever... at least he's gone for now.

J. J. 399

 

[Eldorado828]

Anyone else noticed that the music man who plays hip-hop all day long has been gone?? Haven't heard him for several days. Did he get caught? Rig blow up? Or did someone PUT him off the air? Whatever... at least he's gone for now.

J. J. 399

I've never heard the one you speak of but yesterday I did hear the good, the bad, the ugly followed by the black Betty song all throughout the day.....

Now as to the guy you mention....Maybe conditions just aren't in his favor right now. That would be too good of a thing is he was really just gone. Those guys are like a plague and it's not easy to rid them.

 

[BC Coyote]

Anyone else noticed that the music man who plays hip-hop all day long has been gone??

Yes I noticed that was gone. Also haven't heard any of the 11111 guys for a while now either. Conditions have been spotty lately so it's possible they are still on the air but I'm just not hearing them.

Has anyone else heard the crying baby on 38 though ? That seems to be a new 24 hour a day operation. Supposedly it's been DF'ed to the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, which makes sense as I only hear it when Florida and Jamaica are coming in here.

When it comes to those guys, it's kind of like wack-a-mole. One shuts down and another starts up somewhere else.

 

[whiteastro]

I heard some clown whistling on 38 lsb today and he wasn't even good at it. I only made 1 contact today with needle bender in SC but did a lot of shouting. The old DX 979 worked good today since I tinkered up the external speaker jack.

 

[Milliwatt since 1960]

I live in rural area have not heard a soul in days?

I live in a town with a population close to 90,000 and I seldom hear a soul. Some trucking companies (less than 4) talk once in a while, but they act like they can't hear me, they never answer me and it's not my radio, they just act like I'm not there. I've been around these CBs since 1959 and this town used to never be quite on the radio and everybody talked to everybody, now all I get is static and very little skip.

 

[Milliwatt since 1960]

I live in a town with a population close to 90,000 and I seldom hear a soul. Some trucking companies (less than 4) talk once in a while, but they act like they can't hear me, they never answer me and it's not my radio, they just act like I'm not there. I've been around these CBs since 1959 and this town used to never be quite on the radio and everybody talked to everybody, now all I get is static and very little skip.