11 meter is very quiet?

[BC Coyote]

all I get is static and very little skip.

That's a little strange. The sunspot cycle is at it's peak right now and skip has been booming almost every day now for months. You should be hearing a lot of skip, especially on 6, 19, 28, 38 etc. Are you sure things are skookum with your antenna?

Not surprised there's not much local traffic though. With the exception of a few folks on sideband, there's been no local CB scene in this part of Canada since the late 1990's. Truckers all moved to VHF up here, and the rest of the CB crowd passed away, moved away, sold their equipment, or moved to the ham bands.

It seems that there are certain areas in the U.S. where CB is still a big thing, but most places it has been dying for years and continues to slowly fade away.........

 

[whiteastro]

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.

I feel your pain ! It's a whole different world out there today and people don't want to chat with strangers like they use to. If you get a radio check most of the time it is ( It's Working ) 1 trucker once told me ( Silence is Golden ) it's only there if they want or need something. Back in the day truckers didn't wear FlipFlops. LOL

 

[Brother DXer]

@ 7:30pm central time I started getting great conditions and made lots of contacts. What I did notice, the skip was short. I was talking to Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and other states not too far from me, that I normally don't hear too often. It was definitely a nice surprise!

 

[unit_399]

I wasn't on the air this past weekend. Luz and I were in the Med buying new tires for her Renault Oroch. We wanted a wider tire and it had to be an "LT" (light truck) spec. Most places always try to talk you out of what you want and sell you what they got. So we always deal with the same shop because they have the best selection of brands and sizes. After looking at several brands, I picked the most expensive premium LT tire in the size we wanted.

Then I sat back and watched the fun.

Luz is one tough negotiator, and never pays the original asking price for anything. After a lot of back and forth, she settled on a price that was $220 US Dollars less than the original price for the set. And she got them to throw in mounting and balance for free. Now her car handles much better, and is way more stable on our rough dirt road.

Watching Luz work the salesman is almost as much fun as talking DX.

- J.J. 399

 

[G-Golly Wally]

@ 7:30pm central time I started getting great conditions and made lots of contacts. What I did notice, the skip was short. I was talking to Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and other states not too far from me, that I normally don't hear too often. It was definitely a nice surprise!

Same here, conditions really took off about the same time in SE Okla. Talked to a couple of Houston stations normally I don't hear a lot out of Texas. I just didn't have as much time to DX as I would have liked.

 

[TM86]

Watching Luz work the salesman is almost as much fun as talking DX.

Next time you're in the US, can I borrow her for a few hours? Thinking about buying a truck and I like to see salesweasels squirm.

 

[c316buckeye]

after talking to many operators, some of the reasons 11m is getting more quiet is because there are so many people sick of getting stomped on by "out of band" ham operators. most of them using WAY more than the allowed power, bragging about their icoms, and cussing up a storm because they are not allowed to on "their bands". nothing new, as this has been the case for many years. citizens have 1 ssb call channel, hams have how many? just sharing information...

 

[Greg T]

after talking to many operators, some of the reasons 11m is getting more quiet is because there are so many people sick of getting stomped on by "out of band" ham operators. most of them using WAY more than the allowed power, bragging about their icoms, and cussing up a storm because they are not allowed to on "their bands". nothing new, as this has been the case for many years. citizens have 1 ssb call channel, hams have how many? just sharing information...

There is some truth to that, but not much. I believe the vast majority of the big splattering stations come from cbs, not hams. I could be wrong, and if somebody knows the truth about it, please correct me.

 

[Eldorado828]

Oh boy, I'm gonna sit back and watch.

 

[techradioman]

There is some truth to that, but not much. I believe the vast majority of the big splattering stations come from cbs, not hams. I could be wrong, and if somebody knows the truth about it, please correct me.

Maybe just stick to the CB Lounge on Facebook then and you'll be alright LOL

 

[BC Coyote]

after talking to many operators, some of the reasons 11m is getting more quiet is because there are so many people sick of getting stomped on by "out of band" ham operators. most of them using WAY more than the allowed power, bragging about their icoms, and cussing up a storm because they are not allowed to on "their bands". nothing new, as this has been the case for many years. citizens have 1 ssb call channel, hams have how many? just sharing information...

What the heck are you talking about ?!?! 11 meters is busier than it's been in years. I am a (mostly) sideband operator and I've been making contacts every day for months and months now. The band is NOT getting quieter.

And what are these out of band ham operators you speak of ? Are you talking about freebanders ? I am one of those and I've never had a ham license. I know lots of other freebanders and only a tiny handful of them have ham licenses. And so what if they are operating on 11 meters and they are hams. No big deal. It's a license free band after all and no rule says hams aren't welcome on 11 meters. I also run a little power....using a properly biased amp with an LPF on the output. Not sure what rock you've been under, but the vast majority of 11 meter operators are using amps, and many of them are running Icoms, Kenwoods and Yaesus. Why wouldn't they?......those radios are better quality than most CB gear.

Furthermore, even those sidebanders operating within the legal 40 have 6 sideband calling channels to choose from (35 to 40), not one !

The problems on 11 meters are NOT being caused by hams, they are being caused by mentally deficient CB'ers operating unfiltered splatter box amps, and driving them with radios that have been "peak and tuned" (butchered) by truck stop techs with golden screwdrivers !
Not sure which operators you've been talking to, but you might want to find some new ones as they seem to be feeding you a big helping of BS.

 

[c316buckeye]

i guess 2 disclaimers were insufficient: "according to" and "just sharing information". now i can go to those operators and tell them what the cb bible operators say. i hate swearing on the radio but can do nothing about it besides turn it off. we don't have as good of conditions in ohio as people closer to the equator, from what i noticed. i have s5 noise floor where here and use <20w on a radio out of the box. no screwdrivers or people allowed in my radios after bad experiences. thanks for the replies

 

[c316buckeye]

What the heck are you talking about ?!?! 11 meters is busier than it's been in years. I am a (mostly) sideband operator and I've been making contacts every day for months and months now. The band is NOT getting quieter.

And what are these out of band ham operators you speak of ? Are you talking about freebanders ? I am one of those and I've never had a ham license. I know lots of other freebanders and only a tiny handful of them have ham licenses. And so what if they are operating on 11 meters and they are hams. No big deal. It's a license free band after all and no rule says hams aren't welcome on 11 meters. I also run a little power....using a properly biased amp with an LPF on the output. Not sure what rock you've been under, but the vast majority of 11 meter operators are using amps, and many of them are running Icoms, Kenwoods and Yaesus. Why wouldn't they?......those radios are better quality than most CB gear.

Furthermore, even those sidebanders operating within the legal 40 have 6 sideband calling channels to choose from (35 to 40), not one !

The problems on 11 meters are NOT being caused by hams, they are being caused by mentally deficient CB'ers operating unfiltered splatter box amps, and driving them with radios that have been "peak and tuned" (butchered) by truck stop techs with golden screwdrivers !
Not sure which operators you've been talking to, but you might want to find some new ones as they seem to be feeding you a big helping of BS.

yes, i basically live under a rock. working 14hr days in the transportation industry using 27.185 to hear and inform others about road conditions for 25 years. never talked on ssb till a year ago. apologies for violating everybody's sanity with my comment

 

[Eldorado828]

yes, i basically live under a rock. working 14hr days in the transportation industry using 27.185 to hear and inform others about road conditions for 25 years. never talked on ssb till a year ago. apologies for violating everybody's sanity with my comment

I don't believe you had bad intentions with the comments but please understand that it appeared as if you came in hot and swinging. There are both hams and cb'rs in here and although we don't always agree on some things we try to do so without discord. Now on the topic you bring I would say that both hams and cb'rs would agree that it's idiots who cause those problems and those idiots are found in both groups.

Now you being new to ssb all I can say is get used to it. Those idiots have always been and they will always be and we all have to tolerate them.

Now as to being new to the forum, just take it easy and get to know the folks here, lots of good people both of thr ham and cb spectrum. If you're perceived as coming in hot, you'll get the same in response and especially if nobody knows who you are.

Hopefully this can deescalate things and you can hang out and get to know us who at times share the same frustration about idiots.

Welcome to the forum.

Now on to your regular scheduled 11 meter programming

 

[c316buckeye]

I don't believe you had bad intentions with the comments but please understand that it appeared as if you came in hot and swinging. There are both hams and cb'rs in here and although we don't always agree on some things we try to do so without discord. Now on the topic you bring I would say that both hams and cb'rs would agree that it's idiots who cause those problems and those idiots are found in both groups.

Now you being new to ssb all I can say is get used to it. Those idiots have always been and they will always be and we all have to tolerate them.

Now as to being new to the forum, just take it easy and get to know the folks here, lots of good people both of thr ham and cb spectrum. If you're perceived as coming in hot, you'll get the same in response and especially if nobody knows who you are.

Hopefully this can deescalate things and you can hang out and get to know us who at times share the same frustration about idiots.

Welcome to the forum.

Now on to your regular scheduled 11 meter programming

yessir, 2 decades on 27.185 has got me very used to all kinds of folks. ssb has been a very welcomed change in comparison. sometimes, i like it when 11m ssb is very quiet. static gives me a reassurance that nothing bad is happening, and i don't communicate with that facebook thing. if i have ever talked to any of you folks on the air, it has likely been a blessing.