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11 meter is very quiet?
- Thread starter Tweetybird
- Start date
You’re quite a ways from here. I’m right in the coast near Emerald Isle.
Very quiet today. I usually park right in the inter coastal waterway and that helps my ears a bit!
Very quiet today. I usually park right in the inter coastal waterway and that helps my ears a bit!
Everyone here heads west for vacation, and everyone we run into comes here. Always makes me laugh!
Oh yeh, different revitalizes us for a short time then good to get back home.
Wide open here right now. All kinds of contacts in the Caribbean and South America.
I have heard of people attaching a wire to their metal bumper and dropping the other end in the water. Have you ever tried that?
I sure did. This was probably 1997 or so, I had a pickup with a superstar 121 I bought from a pawn shop, and I used a homemade 9’ copper antenna on a ball mount for DX when parked.
For the wire: I used a car radiator, and soldered a heavy copper wire to it. I bolted it to the frame of the truck and tossed the radiatior in the intercoastal waterway.
Honestly, if it made any difference, I couldn’t tell.
Just parking on a point where you’re nearly surrounded by the water made all the difference. On days where there is noticeable QRM showing on the S meter, it will often go up 2 s-units as you pull up to the shore.
With my 8 watt radio I had no problem talking DX on AM any time it was open, and generally speaking, could talk to absolutely anyone I heard. Would often get flack trying to tell people I was on a mobile. Some people even got nasty, and cussed at me.
Much the same today, when the band opened up this afternoon I could pretty well talk to any station I could hear, provided we could agree on a language (English). Just 35watts or so, Wilson 5000 magnet mount, and no problem working Brazil, Bonaire, Venezuela, and several islands I’ve never heard of. Once I pulled away and headed toward the house, no more dx. The difference today is the guys get a chuckle on SSB when I tell them I’m mobile.
For the wire: I used a car radiator, and soldered a heavy copper wire to it. I bolted it to the frame of the truck and tossed the radiatior in the intercoastal waterway.
Honestly, if it made any difference, I couldn’t tell.
Just parking on a point where you’re nearly surrounded by the water made all the difference. On days where there is noticeable QRM showing on the S meter, it will often go up 2 s-units as you pull up to the shore.
With my 8 watt radio I had no problem talking DX on AM any time it was open, and generally speaking, could talk to absolutely anyone I heard. Would often get flack trying to tell people I was on a mobile. Some people even got nasty, and cussed at me.
Much the same today, when the band opened up this afternoon I could pretty well talk to any station I could hear, provided we could agree on a language (English). Just 35watts or so, Wilson 5000 magnet mount, and no problem working Brazil, Bonaire, Venezuela, and several islands I’ve never heard of. Once I pulled away and headed toward the house, no more dx. The difference today is the guys get a chuckle on SSB when I tell them I’m mobile.
I saw your post earlier and turned a radio on...nothing but locals on AM and nobody on SSB. No DX at all.
Salt water must help.
I've heard folks say it does.
Using the water as a ground plane. I would find a ramp for boat launching and back down it. I used to attach a chain to my truck bumper and throw it in the water. Made a huge difference 
I'm getting a lot of South America coming in. Talk to "Andy" One-seven in Trinidad almost daily around 1pm Central time.
I'm getting a lot of South America coming in. Talk to "Andy" One-seven in Trinidad almost daily around 1pm Central time.
Lol - I’ve talked to 17 several times this week, also. He’s been hitting me at an s9 just about every day.
Done that with jumper cables into San Antonio Bay. Connected alligator clamp to snatch lug on front of truck, other end into water. Contacts from Hawaii to Maine. Oklahoma and Porto Rico, West Indies.
Local Seadrift Cop thought he had caught someone "parking" at the kayak launch. He questioned why the cables run into water. Had to explain ground plane and that I was talking skip. Cop didn't believe I could make contact that far off....
"How 'bout ya Hawaii?".......
Immediately,......"Aloha, aloha.......got you U812"
"How 'bout ya Oklahoma?"......."How 'bout ya Oklahoma?".......
Seconds later,....."Goad ahead Red, got ya here too!"
Cop was amazed that a CB radio could talk that far.
I usually water my antenna for a few hours. Gets ground rod continuity more better. Not sure if the mast grows any.
I've definitely found that being near the water makes all the difference in the world. My barefoot base gets plenty of skip just hooked up to an A99, but my Cherokee AH100 SSB walkie talkie works amazingly well with a simple 4' telescoping walkie talkie antenna when I am out on the boat.
Hmmm...I’ve got a salt water swimming pool. Might need to mount my A99 on a buoy anchored dead center. 
Funny thing is...I always used to think about how good I could do parked on a mountain top. But the times I’ve travelled and tried it, I didn’t have near the luck I do at sea level.
Anyway, I still imagine that there’s some good dx to be had from the mountains, but it doesn’t seam as easy as pulling up to shore.
Interesting observation by Redbeard, also. Note Maine and Oklahoma are north of San Antonio bay. My results have been the same, in that you don’t necessarily have to be talking across the water to benefit. One of my best contacts this week was Maine, as I sat looking south into the White Oak River.
Anyway, I still imagine that there’s some good dx to be had from the mountains, but it doesn’t seam as easy as pulling up to shore.
Interesting observation by Redbeard, also. Note Maine and Oklahoma are north of San Antonio bay. My results have been the same, in that you don’t necessarily have to be talking across the water to benefit. One of my best contacts this week was Maine, as I sat looking south into the White Oak River.
- No one is chatting at the moment.
...runna pile-up on 6m SSB