Don't laugh. I have been into cb radios for about two years. I have never had that much experince with skip until a couple of months ago I started becoming intrested. Does anyone have any tips on shooting skip?
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How to shoot skip
- Thread starter nat19
- Start date
Spend lots of money on a "Big" radio, even "Bigger" amp, killer antenna then learn how to talk so loud and fast that no one can understand a word you say. 
Or, if conditions are right you can talk all over the country with a Imax and a 2995dx (stock) like mine
Spend lots of money on a "Big" radio, even "Bigger" amp, killer antenna then learn how to talk so loud and fast that no one can understand a word you say.
Thats toooo funny!!!
After you spent all the money for radio, amp, antenna. Then you get it dialed in right. Get on a hill and start responding to people you hear from far away.
Make up a name and number for yourself and repeat it two or three times with your location.
And the most inportant part is to end your transmision with a strong
"im back out" or "im back quiet"
Make up a name and number for yourself and repeat it two or three times with your location.
And the most inportant part is to end your transmision with a strong
"im back out" or "im back quiet"
Seriously, all one really needs are skip conditions to happen. Skip conditions happen when the Sun gets 'sunspots'. They are also called 'solar flares' These flares shoot free electrons out into space.
No solar flares = no skip talking...
If the Sun gives off these electrons - and the Earth is in the electron's path - then they can continue being trapped in the Earth's magnetic field. This charges up the Earth's 'Ionosphere'; the highest and outermost layer (actually; the Ionosphere is made of three different layers - but for now it is enough to know what is happing here). The Ionosphere acts like a giant mirror; as the radio waves can now be reflected back down on the surface. Instead of being absorbed by the Ionosphere - which is what happens if there are no solar flares present. The reflected radio transmissions will now bounce back up and down a few times until they are finally absorbed.
When skip happens, you will not only hear distant stations from all over the country (sometimes other countries can also be heard if the skip is strong enough), but you will also hear all the static as well. It can get downright noisy sometimes - between hearing all of these stations and the static too.
Some skip talkers use a radio as simple as a simple Cobra 29 LTD with a 100 watt amp (or more) to be able to make verified contact with another station a thousand miles away or more. They can use a simple antenna - like the IMAX 2000 (like I use too) - or very expensive multiple beam antennas on 60-100 ft tall towers. The 'beam antennas' can focus the transmitting energy in a given direction to improve the quality of communicating from any one point to another.
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I had the same question a few days ago. But it was answered for me when i started hearing skip. I was supprised to find out I could talk to them and all I have is a small amp and a home brew 1/4wgp up in a tree about 25 feet.
You can talk skip without an amp but with all the big power stations out there, you would get drowd out.
You can talk skip without an amp but with all the big power stations out there, you would get drowd out.
If you really want to talk skip and have more fun than frustration pick up a single sideband (SSB) radio. 100 times easier to talk skip and it's a whole different crowd of people.
OK Nat19, my answer was meant to be "Tongue in Cheek" and funny. I am 52 years young and got into this addiction............I mean hobby in the early 60's at my dear departed Father's side.
When I learned to "Work" skip it consisted of a lot more than what you hear today. We actually carried on real conversations that lasted more than 15 seconds. Now here is the part you will never hear on straight AM....."Break".
That's right, we used to ask for a break in the skip to get in and talk to a distant station instead of all piling on at once.
There are not that many of us out there right now in the hobby and I see no reason why we could not go back to the "Old" ways of "Working" skip.
I have been called a cynic by some for my antiquated views on skip, but I make no apologies.
I spent 15 minutes some months back on ch 16 talking to a nice lady out of Florida about a lot of different things.
SSB is one of the last refuges for a semblance of civility when making skip contacts so give it a shot.
If you ever do hear "Black Dog in North East Alabama" call back to me and we will talk. (if possible over the clutter and mess).
When I learned to "Work" skip it consisted of a lot more than what you hear today. We actually carried on real conversations that lasted more than 15 seconds. Now here is the part you will never hear on straight AM....."Break".
That's right, we used to ask for a break in the skip to get in and talk to a distant station instead of all piling on at once.
There are not that many of us out there right now in the hobby and I see no reason why we could not go back to the "Old" ways of "Working" skip.
I have been called a cynic by some for my antiquated views on skip, but I make no apologies.
I spent 15 minutes some months back on ch 16 talking to a nice lady out of Florida about a lot of different things.
SSB is one of the last refuges for a semblance of civility when making skip contacts so give it a shot.
If you ever do hear "Black Dog in North East Alabama" call back to me and we will talk. (if possible over the clutter and mess).
1. Get the best antenna you can. Don't worry about a lot of power.
2. Listen. Carefully. If you can hear a relatively nearby station talking to some DX but you can't hear the other station clearly, don't call. There may be others who CAN hear the DX well, but your signal is just interference. Wait a few minutes until conditions improve. All the transmitter power in the world won't improve your receiver or your antenna.
2. Listen. Carefully. If you can hear a relatively nearby station talking to some DX but you can't hear the other station clearly, don't call. There may be others who CAN hear the DX well, but your signal is just interference. Wait a few minutes until conditions improve. All the transmitter power in the world won't improve your receiver or your antenna.
Pro 151 where are you located at in north east Alabama as I am located in Albertville Al
I thought this was going to be a forum members 2000 word thesis on how to do it.
For now on the CB bands, just a lot of listening and a lot of patience because the upper bands where the CB band is right now is pretty dead.There will be some sporadic band openings from time to time giving contacts up to 1000 miles if you are lucky. The next solar cycle starts in 2019 but it will still be some time after that before it really improves before it peaks.
For now on the CB bands, just a lot of listening and a lot of patience because the upper bands where the CB band is right now is pretty dead.There will be some sporadic band openings from time to time giving contacts up to 1000 miles if you are lucky. The next solar cycle starts in 2019 but it will still be some time after that before it really improves before it peaks.
Solar cycles peak every 11 years, plus or minus a decade or so. I got my Novice in December of 1959, so I cut my teeth on DX on the 15 meter Novice band (CW). I'd worked all continents in the first two weeks with ONE (1) crystal and 75 watts DC input (maybe 40 watts output) to a 40 meter dipole and/or a triband vertical. Nevada was a very rare state for WAS, so that certainly didn't hurt.
That was a bit after the PEAK of the best solar cycle since they started keeping records. Things grew quiet around the mid-60s and then started climbing, peaking again some time in/around 1970....about 11 years.
That was a bit after the PEAK of the best solar cycle since they started keeping records. Things grew quiet around the mid-60s and then started climbing, peaking again some time in/around 1970....about 11 years.
- No one is chatting at the moment.
...runna pile-up on 6m SSB