I feel your disappointment Thumper. One of the reasons I point this out is so that newcomers understand that right now may not be the moment to invest lots of time or money upgrading a station for DX on this band. If the DX bug has bitten you good, it's probably a good time to consider earning a ham ticket. While DX will virtually disappear on the upper HF bands, the lower bands, especially 80 meters will still experience long rang contacts at night through the solar minimum.
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11 Meters is Awfully Quiet Today!
- Thread starter Unit 194
- Start date
That's also something I've been seriously considering, Shockwave. Someone gave me an old Kenwood base rig while I was in highschool over 20 years ago. I've always wanted to try it out but haven't really messed with it because of the lack of a ham ticket. Guess I need to hit the books!
Same here thumper!! Need to hit the books. I too have been bitten lol. I am kind of lucky as I live near the ocean and intercostal waterway, but when Mother Nature doesn't allow, thank god there are still a great group of locals that are around. I am now looking into an old yaseu FT-101E. Gonna try to move on up some. I like the FT-101E, a lack here has one and it's a talker!! Anyway, conditions aren't too bad right now, just not like weeks past, like posted the solar activity has slowed. I can't tell though as it HOT here in FL. Lol. God bless and hopefully you get your ticket soon. If I didn't work out of town soo much it would make things a bit easier, but where there is a will there is a way.
It's funny, I've always had a cb in my personal vehicles since my highschool days (now in my late 30's) and from time to time, have heard skip rolling in when conditions were good. I always figured, just beacause I could hear them, didn't necessarily mean they could hear me......especially since I've always run a bone-stock, barefoot Cobra 29. Be damned if I wasn't wrong!! I've been driving a truck for about 10 years now, and finally started venturing away from 19 a little more here lately, especially since hardly anyone runs a radio anymore. I started trying to make contacts on 26 and 28 (from South and West Texas) during this recent spring cycle, and low and behold, started getting my number called from Ohio, Michigan, and a couple other states in that area. So yeah, I'm hooked!!
BTW, love this forum. I've been lurking back in the bushes for awhile now, just reading older threads. LOT'S of good info here!
BTW, love this forum. I've been lurking back in the bushes for awhile now, just reading older threads. LOT'S of good info here!
Years ago growing up in Miami, during a solar cycle lull, I would stay up all night on my CB talking to a guy who would take his sailboat from Miami to Bimini just about every Friday night in the summer. He would leave Miami around 8:00P.M. and arrive in Bimini during the early morning.
He stuck a cheap, 3' marine CB antenna on the top of his mast. I was on my barefoot base: a Realistic TRC 448 with a Turner +3 desk mic feeding an Archer .64 ground plane. We could talk all the way across - some 50 miles. If he had used a better antenna, I'm sure we could've talk further into the Bahamas. Solar cycle DX would have made those communications impossible.
Now in the lower Keys, with the solar cycle tapering off, I'm hoping to soon hold similar QSOs.
He stuck a cheap, 3' marine CB antenna on the top of his mast. I was on my barefoot base: a Realistic TRC 448 with a Turner +3 desk mic feeding an Archer .64 ground plane. We could talk all the way across - some 50 miles. If he had used a better antenna, I'm sure we could've talk further into the Bahamas. Solar cycle DX would have made those communications impossible.
Now in the lower Keys, with the solar cycle tapering off, I'm hoping to soon hold similar QSOs.
was doing ok on 37 lsb until someone came in on am with the audio audio.
mod was lacking, but the key up was enough to drown out the south carolina station I was talking to.
mod was lacking, but the key up was enough to drown out the south carolina station I was talking to.
Its dead down in south florida. Ch 19 was totally dead on the expressway. Although I did make a contact on LSB 38 from my home on a 102 inch whip to someone in Louisiana.
With the exception of this Joker stepping on some guy all day long.
"I got 7000 channels, and will follow you" hehe
http://youtu.be/mD7Pftjo12Y
With the exception of this Joker stepping on some guy all day long.
"I got 7000 channels, and will follow you" hehe
http://youtu.be/mD7Pftjo12Y
We have skip here in SC but it's hard to make anything out with all the co channeling on 26.265 am. Headed for the Tennesse mountains today. See how that's different.
I did really good down that way yesterday. along with AL, DE, GA, MO, and OK all over the course of 1/2 an hour @10ish in the am.
I could hear a few stations out of PA but they couldn't hear me.
It was hilarious to listen to. The guy he was messing with then started to tell him he was gonna call the cops on him etc.. for not letting him use the CB.
Then a little later he stopped, I guess he got spooked. the whole thing went on for like 15 minutes.
he is running really high power but he splatters like shit. takes up like 5 CB channels, probably looks good to him on the bird meter but he is wasting a good chunk of his power spreading it all over like that. Its funny seeing him on the screen eating up a bunch of channels with massive splatter.
At one time he splattered across the whole CB band and then some but he must have fixed up his setup and cut the splatter down to 4-5 channels.
here is him on the scope at one time splattering all over. "The Reaper" lol
http://youtu.be/fU622dtH64M