The AM Forum

I'll be mobile on 15m in about 10m, calling CQ on 21.425.

I heard a big signal just now on 15 meters.  I'm tuned up on 21.425 AM but it's gone.  Calling CQ now, 20:45 UTC (2:42 central)

I got to work N2IDF on 15, but we had to resort to SSB... well, -he- did ;D  Barefoot, he was ok on SSB, but 20w on AM while the receiver is mobile, is like trying to train a St. Bernard to use a doggie door.  It could happen, but not without a -lot- of struggling! ;-)

Never heard anyone else on 15m.

Worked WN5V in Welch, LA on 75m on the way home.

BTW, JT... I took a run out to Brenham, TX, and on the way back, the night dispatcher said "be at Widgets-R-Us (fake name) at 8am to pick up a load going..." doesn't matter.  It's not going to Orange and therefore looks like I'm not, either.

73

Yeah those pesky night dispatchers ruin everything. *grin*

Had a great QSO on 21.425 with WB8KRY in Ohio this morning.

I was tuning around the band with the K3 and heard a carrier, so I flipped over to AM and worked him with a commanding 25W carrier.  ;D

I wasn't expecting AM up here! Can someone remind me why there is so little activity above 40M?

Have no antennas for those frequencies; have antenna but can't remember antenna tuner settings; rig a pain to tune at those frequencies; receiver has little sensitivity above 10 MHz; don't like talking to strangers; etc.

Ahhhh. Okay.

Thanks for the reminder.  ::)

Seriously, it's far easier for people like myself (no space to put up efficient 160M/75M/40M antennas) to get on these bands and make some contacts. Even when conditions are less than stellar.

Granted, the higher frequencies will not be very useful in the evening until we get more solar activity.

Oh well. I guess I'll just keep trying...

Post activity here prior to calling CQ.  I've never gotten an answer on the times I've called CQ on anything higher than 20 meters. maybe a little coordination will help get the ball rolling.

You have all those problems Pete? It can't be all that bad ;) ;)

Remember, 40 meter antennas often play well on 15! 

Listening on 21.425 AM

Not me. I'm good to go all the way to 432 MHz and 33 cm and 23 cm antennas should be added this summer. I generally find the 160 and 75 meter long rambling QSO's  very boring and lose interest very quickly. The only real time my interest perks up on these frequencies is during a contest weekend. 40 meters and above tend to be, at least to me, a lot more fun and interesting.

Tim, N8UH, I hear you and I'm going to give you a shout back in about 5 - 10 minutes after this phone call.

Doh! I was about to run out the door and saw your post. Thought I'd be able to get in a QSO. After a couple of calls, I had to go.

I'll probably be on tomorrow though. Catch you soon!

15 is a bubblin awaay.

klc

Heard the tail end of John/kx5jt's call on 425, but my PW 25W wasn't cutting it. I'm going to hurry up and run a patch cable from my Viking station to my Elecraft station (different rooms) so I can get the Viking up on the "high bands". Should have it up and running by the weekend.

There is a huge solar storm going on right now. Interesting static on the bands!

Listening on 21.425 AM

We're going to hit SOMETIME!  I heard you the day before, you heard me the day after... could that be a contact? LOL

A contact? Well that's pretty close...  ;D

I'm going to try and be on working or listening regularly before work during the week. From when I wake up till around 1100 PST. I'll continue to post.

We gotta drum up some activity on these bands!

Listening on 21.425 AM

It's lonely up here!  :P

You need to be *calling* up there.   ;D

Seriously, if we all just listen and nobody calls much, we won't make many connections.

Many moons ago, one of my buddies at the college station at Clarkson K2CC, made a point of going up on 10 meters when we were in the depths of the sunspot cycle back then. He worked all kinds of stuff. The usual comment was "I have been listening up here for 'n' weeks and you're the first station I heard." Once he got some activity going, often more activity would show up nearby as others recognized that the band was open and join in with nearby QSO's.

When I get my automated voice keyer re-integrated with my station I'll try making some noise up on 15 and 10 when I'm in the shack to do my part. Last sunspot peak I loved all the 10 meter AM activity, especially from the mobile. And 15 always seems to be underused.

Okay! Listening and robo-calling on 21.425!  :D

Cool! I have the SDR receiver at home dialed up on frequency but not hearing anything in central NY. How often are you calling? The band looks mostly quiet, though I can hear traffic on .390.

Big European sigs today... Mediteranean area too (including SV land)... from about sunrise to noon. I was only listening on my 36" shielded loop @ 12' high too. I didn't even hook up the high yagi or transmit as I heard no AM around .425 but it may be worth trying some skeds?

Was on 15 meters about 21.430 Sat afternoon. burried in the mess of contest idiots. Warren W1GUD came back. I had to resort to the Junkston 600 to make a point. Warren and I continued for about two hours therafter.I have been up on 21.430( crapstal controlled) a number of times. I have bellowed out many a CQ to no avail. I will try to troll the band in the afternoons when I am around. De Tim WA1HnyLR

Good to know Tim.  I usually check between 21.400 to 21.425 making calls on 21.425

I'll expand my range up a bit and make some calls on 21.430 too.

It may be time to use the scanning mode in the riceboxes to 'troll'. One would load in , say, 14.286, 21.430, 29.0001, set the squelche to medium and scann away.  Or even try that se que thing..............

klc

That does it.  I'm putting the bug-catcher on 15m in the afternoons.
21.430.  Just not the SBE please ;-)

73

Just threw out the ol Sea Que and nobody answahed......  Not surprising, I don't even hear slopbucket on 430 now... 

Ima tune the bands and look.....

--Shane
KD6VXI

I called CQ til I was BITF again on 10M yesterday. I'd call for 5 minutes, listen, swing the beam 45 degrees and do it again. Went all the way around the compass......... NADA!

Listening on 11 meters showed the bands open to the south and west coast!

Seems there just ain't enuf guyz lurking about to make it worthwhile yet.

You'd  make a good corn-tester, Buddly !

No need to be insulting, Paul! ;D

I called cq with the ft857 yesterday and a mobile whip on the xterra on 425 and a 5 lander answered and we chatted for a few minutes. QRM inside the city is nasty in places though and there was a fair bit of QSB. But it was nice to work AM on the ricebox mobile. I'm basically tuning around up there and if I hear any activity showing the band open, I'm heading to 420-430, and calling cq on 425. I should only get better for the next few years.  ;D

I caught G3YPZ calling AM CQ on 21.420 at 18:40 yesterday. He was running a K3 at 25 watts carrier with a two element quad. He was peaking 5/7, and we chatted for just over 10 minutes. Then the band tanked. A few hours prior I was working stateside contacts on 21.430, with 5/9+ signals coming into Florida from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

I find it helpful to post myself that I am calling AM CQ on DX Summit. Initially people will tell me that they saw the spot, and wanted to work AM which is something that haven't done in a very long time if at all.

It's all part of getting the AM word out IMO.

I've had company visiting from the Bay area of California.  I'll be back behind the mic tomorrow afternoon, and cruising 15m AM frequencie.

73

Working W7TX on 21.420 now

Nice....  Rolled up to 420, and snagged ya :)

Sitting on 420 now, listening to you call CQ.

Condx NOT the best, but was able to pull ya out...  QSB bad at times, but you're still in and out here.

Thanks for the contact!

--Shane
KD6VXI

Many Tnx Shane. Good 57/8 here in the UK.
73
John

g3ypz and kd6vxi QSO on 21.420 again... 

Other Eu stations in there sometimes, ypz heard Bulgaria. 

AM alive and well!


--Shane
KD6VXI

I can't hear them on the west coast, but I hear John g3ypz working Bulgaria and Norway on 21.420 am now..

Any big east coast stations out there that can hear these guys?

Pity you couldn't hear the two Bulgarian Stations, Shane. You were a big signal - 58 at best. I've got bad powerline noise here -s5. I'm waiting for the power company to replace some bad insulators.
I worked ZS3Y on 14.286 on Tuesday - my first 2 way AM on 20M with South Africa.
73
John

Calling CQ now 21.420

Where is everybody? 21.420 beaming USA now.

WB8KRY 59 - good signal

Chatting with wb8kry now!

WA1HLR
Tim has been very strong here for the last hour.

On 21.420 now.

Just worked Greg WB0OQR @ 57

I have no real 15 meter antenna, so I decided to see if I could load up my 40 meter delta loops. I could get the SWR down to about 1.8:1. So I called CQ for a while on 21.420 and back came DH3FEN with a booming signal. He was running 500 watts and an 8 element LPA.

I also heard lots of SSB lower in the band. I worked a V5 in Namibia. The band is definitely open if I can make contacts with my crazy antenna lash up.

Just worked (barely) John - G3YPZ. He was only hearing me 35. John was a nice 56 but then faded out near the end. Thanks for taking my call John. Hopefully, I will soon have a better antenna for 15 and you'll actually be able to hear me!

Thanks for your patience, steve, High noise level here and you faded out. Hope to catch you again soon.
73
John

You will John. I'm motivated to put up a better antenna. Before today, I hadn't made a contact on 15 meters in something like 20-25 years. Thanks.

The 40 meter delta loops do apparently have some directivity on 15 meters. I could hear it on many signals when switching the pattern. But according to the modeling, the take-off angle is way too high and the gain is nonexistent. I'm sure I can do better.

A simple extended double zepp will work well and give you about 3Dbd. i used on on 15 in the last cycle. Solong as you can get it a half wave high and broadside to me there will be no prblem, I'm sure.
73
John

Was considering just that, an EDZ. Another thought was a pair of dipoles stacked. The stacked dipoles provide more gain at a lower take-off angle and and with broader azimuthal beamwidth. I'll probably start off with just a dipole and go from there.