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HEY LOOK ITS "SKIP"


In short, it is a rough estimate of how high in frequency the "Maximum Usable Frequency" (MUF) will be on a given month and time of day. When it is LOW your "skip" will be almost non-existent. If it is at around 18 MHZ,for example, the users of that band can talk all over while the CB band is "dead"--along with 10 Meters. It also explains why, at times, CB can be roaring and howling with noise/skip and 10 Meters is quiet as a grave. Sometimes, it so happens that the MUF just STOPS at 26-27 MHZ, and 10 Meters just ain't there....often leading to the brag by CBers that, "We got skip while the 'hammies' ain't". Sort of a NANA NANA BOO BOO thing :D
BUT! Leave us not laugh so quick!!!!! If the MUF is BELOW 27 MHZ, then those hams just drop down a band or two and keep talking. Then "we" can NANA NANA BOO BOO back! :P

OH! BTW! There is a way to somewhat tell how the bands are doing, if you are a shortwave listener or ham. Listen to WWWV or WWWVL or other time standards. You will find WWWV, Fort Collins, CO at 5, 10 15, 20 MHZ on your dial. Switch between them to tell how high the MUF is. Hams do it--and even the military sometimes listens to WWV to set a net frequency (MARS).

Hope this helps.


CWM
 
bigred222 said:
How do i listen to those WWVL or whatever bands like what Freq is it on. i have a scanner and i can listen to just about every ham band and most other bands Except CB.
Click to expand...

To do that you'll need a general-coverage receiver...or an HF ham rig with general-coverage receive capabilities.

If you want just a receiver (no ham TX capability) I highly recommend the following:

Drake R8B
Icom R71A
Icom R75
Icom PCR1000/1500
Kenwood R2000
Kenwood R5000
Yaesu FRG100

If you would rather get into the commercial grade stuff, consider these:

Collins HF2050
Harris RF590/590A (get spare display tubes!)
Mackay Marine 3031A/AR; 3041A, MSR5050
Racal 6790
Ten-Tec RX340
Watkins-Johnson HF1000


There are a good number of other choices besides these...but all of the above make my list because they work very well and tend to keep on working.

Special merit: Drake R7. This is one of the best non-military-grade HF receivers ever built...but prices of the rigs reflect that. Expect to pay $1500-$2000 for a used one that's loaded with filters/NB and other options.

IMHO, the Kenwood R5000 (avg - $300-500) performs as well as the R7 in day-to-day use...
 
A simple portable sw radio made by drake or grundig (never gone wrong with the later) can pick up wwv.

As stated 2.5 ......5 .....10......15 and 20MHz are continuous broadcasts. If 20MHz is coming in good I would check 11m. There is a chance it's good for dx.

The MUF BTW is not constant. The reason you often dont hear hams on 10m is cause they are not bothered recently with 10m. (It's dead most of the time)

However whenever 11m is open the small morse code beacons from 28-28.3 often are active from what i hear.


WWV is also on 60KHz with digital (ithink :?: )

I hear odd tones down there but I use an 80m dipole for that.

A good cb antenna hooked up to a simple sw receiver will get you wwv with no doubt. A long wire would be better though.
 
TheBandit said:
A simple portable sw radio made by drake or grundig (never gone wrong with the later) can pick up wwv.
Click to expand...

You'll go wrong if you get the later Grundigs...the last rigs of any account to come from that outfit were the Satellit 400/650.

A used SW8 often fetches more than many of the consumer-grade base rigs I've listed. I would suggest that a newcomer to SW get the best rig he or she can afford at the time....one that will encourage, rather than frustrate. Many portables are cheaply made - and frankly, their selectivity sucks.

As stated 2.5 ......5 .....10......15 and 20MHz are continuous broadcasts. If 20MHz is coming in good I would check 11m. There is a chance it's good for dx.
Click to expand...

How do you figure? That's an 8 MHz jump and the MUF will often lie between those points...never making it to the bottom edge of 10M.

The reason you often dont hear hams on 10m is cause they are not bothered recently with 10m. (It's dead most of the time)
Click to expand...

Not true. You're discounting sporadic E; we're coming up on one of the seasonal peaks, by the way.

On Field Day I made 10M contacts as late as 1AM...as far away as California during the evening hours...

However whenever 11m is open the small morse code beacons from 28-28.3 often are active from what i hear.
Click to expand...

Correct. Go park a receiver there and listen for yourself. Also keep one tuned to 28.400 USB and in the 29 MHz FM repeater subband.

WWV is also on 60KHz with digital (ithink :?: )
Click to expand...

It's WWVL and they use pulse-width encoding for transmission of data.

A good cb antenna hooked up to a simple sw receiver will get you wwv with no doubt. A long wire would be better though.
Click to expand...

It it's simple you're after, have a look at a RadShack DX300/302 or a Yaesu FRG7. They just keep on working. Cheaply. A used example in very good to excellent shape can be had for ~$200 or less.
 
As stated 2.5 ......5 .....10......15 and 20MHz are continuous broadcasts. If 20MHz is coming in good I would check 11m. There is a chance it's good for dx.
Click to expand...

How do you figure? That's an 8 MHz jump and the MUF will often lie between those points...never making it to the bottom edge of 10M.


A chance. At least you know the MUF is moving higher then 'normal' these days.
 
TheBandit said:
A chance. At least you know the MUF is moving higher then 'normal' these days.
Click to expand...

I've observed WWV at 20MHz at various times...rather strong...headed up to the 15M band and heard absolutely squat. Same for 10.

A better indicator of 10M propagation is good ol' Channel 19. If you cannot stand the chit-chat, put an integrating squelch (such as those sold by Ten-Tec) on the output of your receiver and just let it sit.

When the average signal level reaches a certain threshold the squelch opens; can be used to activate alarms, pagers, etc.

I use this method quite often to spot 6M band openings. Put a scanning SSB transceiver online, set it to cover 50.100-50.200 and adjust the integrator threshold so an S2 or higher signal triggers the alarm...
 
WWV, the time standard, or atomic clock. What you will hear is a kind of "ding-ding-ding-ding-ding" (I can't imitate it here, but you'll know it's a clock), then right before it announces the time it start to "tock-tock-tock-tock". One the hour it will announce, "National Bureau of Standards, WWV, Fort Collins, Colorado, at the tone, 2 hours, 17 minutes, coordinated universal time". 'BING! and back to the musical-sounding "ding-ding-ding-ding".................................. Until the next minute.
Maybe someone else can do a better job of "mocking" it than I can! :D


73

CWM
 

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