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Getting back into SSB on the 11 meter band

222DBFL said:
I swear man, it's a totally different deal if you can find a good used HF radio for a bit more then what you paid for the optima. Shoot even new, the Alicno sr8T at $500, isn't a bad deal for a 100w HF radio!
And you may find that 100w and a good antenna setup is all you need to make all the contacts you want on 11m ssb. I took the plunge and am glad I did. Love my Icom 746!! And my kenwood ts140s is a great little backup radio!! JMHO. Hope you get all resolved and find a radio.
Click to expand...

You got me thinking about saving a couple hundred more dollars and trying out the Alinco. Dumb question here, can I use a cb antenna to recieve all the frequencies as I have always wanted to listen to ham radio even if I don't believe I would ever get a license but you never know.
So would the Alinco cover 11 meter or is there a mod that needs to be done. You are right for just a little more then a optima or rci you get a lot more bang for your buck
 
Would that be easy for a novice like me or would it require a good tech? It would be nice to listen to the other frequencies. But really would like to use it on 11meters.
 
KsKev said:
Yep, there is only one way to plug in the power cord..... didn't think much about it.
Plug it in and hook it up to power didn't even turn it on ... then the pop and then smoke.
After looking into it further this what I found!
View attachment 17576
Knowing there is only one way to plug this in I didn't think of checking this....
Click to expand...


Yeah OK well that is something that I personally would not refer to as "defective" . I would refer to that as just plain F'ed up. LOL So in fact it was hooked up with reverse polarity which was caused by an improperly wired power cord that was missed both at the factory and during installation. I will admit that is the first time I ever saw a power cord messed up like that one.
 
Hello, I'm a little late to the party on this post, but I live about 2 hours from Walcott, and they do fine work, and are great people to do business with.

I tried to buy a radio from Bells, but they never seem to answer their phone. Bud is good about emailing, and they are likely short of help, but they too do excellent work.

Also FWIW, I use a Galaxy 94 and an RCI 2950 at home. The Galaxy is a great piece but does have some drifting on SSB until it gets warmed up, same with the Roger beep. It also seems to have a much noisier front end than the RCI. Hard to beat the variable power though and has the voice changer and echo built in. It will dead key right on 30W out of the box and swings about 110 on SSB. Nothing but clean reports.

As a side note, it seems the band has been pretty dead except for a day here and there when Mother Nature cooperates with some conditions. Not much activity here in Iowa anymore.

Good luck with whatever you choose, and hope to catch you on the air soon!!

595 NE Iowa
 
Hurricane, where at in Iowa are you? I'm near Waterloo. We have SSB check-ins based out of the Manchester area on Monday and Tuesday nights on 36LSB and 39 LSB respectively, and there's a morning coffee group on 40 LSB on the mornings from about 6-7 AM or so.

~Cheers~
 
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WOID!! What's up Exit13! How goes it my friend? Hope all is well! Been a while since we have spoken on air, but I will say I have been having Iowa as of late come to think of it! I'll shoot a PM if I hear anything your way today. Didn't listen much yesterday, it was kinda dead here. Anyway. Have a good one and talk soon. And what are your #'s Hurricane95?? Just curious. That way if I hear you I'll call back!! I don't talk much anymore, just sand bagging LOL!! Anyway. Back onto topic. Hope KsKev gets a radio he truly likes!! For serious SSB, IMO, an HF radio is the way to go. But what do I know, I'm just a CB'er!!
 
Hey Exit13, Waterloo here too! I work 2nd shifts or I would be all over that. I do get on when I have the time, and just got a new dipole finished up for the attic last night, but no idea if it works yet as the band was completely dead last night.

222DBFL, my numbers are 595 Northeast Iowa. I do hear a bit from the southeast occasionally. Usually MS gulf Coast and a few out of GA. Last time I was on and conditions were really rolling though, some alligator out of NY was squashing everything and making it hard to hear anyone else.

Hurricane 595
 
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Hey 222DBFL are you able to listen to the ham bands with a 11 meter antenna? That Alinco sure does sound interesting, would be nice to listen to the other bands and have a good radio for cb and freeband.
 
Yes and no. Some antennas work on other bands and others don't. My dipoles work well on 40m as well as 20m and 11m. But my sirio vector 4K doesn't do so well on these other bands as far as receive goes. There are other radios with more than 1 antenna port, like my Icom 746, which allows me to run 2 antennas for HF/6m and one for 2m. So I am able to run more than one antenna. A coax switch can do the same!!
Like I said, some antennas will allow you to hear other bands, but how well is determined by the antenna. I just know that for 11m SSB use, they rock, I don't care what anyone says LOL!! I got tired of spending big money for the same basic BS export radios just in a different chassis, and just added some more money to the pot and got a hell of a lot more radio!! JMHO. Like I said, depends on what you like to do and how well you want to do it. A radio built for SSB use is going to be better than one built for AM use. If I want a good AM radio, i would use my galaxy dx55. It sounds good on AM. Guess you have to ask yourself if you're going to get that serious about radio, or you like having a bunch of radios. But I've found that once you find a radio you like, your other radios make their way to the closet not to be seen for a while LOL!!
 
I already have a Magnum S45HP that kicks butt on am and from people I talk to it sounds great on sideband. Plus I have my 980/RM203 as well. So I believe I am covered for cb and freeband. But it would be good to hear what else is going on out there. I had thought about buying just a receiver, but for that kind of money I might as well get something like the Alinco SR8T. I also see a Alinco 70t on ebay that could be all I want. Right now I would be using it mobile in the semi until I find a place to live. I moved out of the house I had rented and stay in the truck 5-6 days a week. But I could always add an antenna to the mirror bracket to recieve more bands.
How active are some of the other frequencies anyway?
 
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You'll have to ask some of the Ham guys that. I know 40m has been pretty good in the AM time here.
 

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