The AM Forum

Hello or should I say CQ CQ to everyone the static on 75 meters has been so bad I could hardley hear a single station. I moved to 20m and what great conditions and QSO's. Now that the sunspot activity is up 14.286 is great, I think the AMers could make a hole up there using frequencys on and around 14.286.

See you there. John W9BFO

I called CQ on 14.286 for an hour this morning.   Maybe next weekend when I'm not working nights, I can do it in the afternoon when I'm more likely to get an answer.

The problem I have had with 20 in the past is you quickly wind up with at least three stations in a roundtable but two can't hear each other and the third has to relay.   On the other hand, a halfway decent antenna and 50 watts can do wonders; QRO not needed like it often is on the low bands.

I was on 7290 yesterday afternoon with 50 watts and my dipole and had a nice QSO with W0VMC and W9AD for 2 hours but 40 was a bit like 20 in that one guy could hear a breaking station I could not, so relaying would have to be done.  If not 10 or 20 then definitely 40 in the daytime.

Yeah but sometimes I have hit a small roundtable where 3 stations in different areas of the country can actually carry on.  Otherwise, nothing wrong with a station to station QSO.

14.286 is an awful  frequency. Too much QRM. Much better 14.330 or 14.340. Much quieter.
I had half a dozen QSOs yesterday with the USA.
73 John
G(R)3YPZ

I agree John, but .286 has decades of tradition with many just monitoring the frequency. For me anyway, it is next to impossible to initiate daytime AM activity on .286 due to all the SSB QRM. Even if you can "claim" the frequency, slopbuckets will come in there and completely ignore the AM use of it. In addition there are several "nets" within 3 Kc of .286 during the day, that make it even more problematic. I confess that I will turn my VFO +/- 500 Hz on TX when getting significant QRM so that way I cannot be "zero beated" by the slopbucketeers.  ;D

Like yourself, I tend to go above .330 after 00:00 UTC. It's quieter and much more enjoyable if you can find someone on AM to talk to.

Another problem is that it is within 1KHz of the international QRP ssb frequency. I've been ticked off before over that.
Although I don't ordinarily subscribe to self spotting on the cluster, I have found this a very useful way to stimulate AM activity on various bands and I now do this as a matter of course. I was on 330 for well over two hours on Monday and had some great QSOs. Last night was no good as I think there had been a flare and conditions were awful.
73
John

 Ok, I am in trouble now. After reading this thread, I tuned up my Gonset G76 on 14286 at about 50 watts RF out into my 80m Windom. Everything tuned fine until the XYL says the phone is making 'funny' noises. The two wireless phones lost the programming, and had to be reset in the base. Then the wife says that all the shows on the DVR are gone! Even the ones protected from being erased.  :o

  If I get on 20m I need a balanced antenna away from the house. The XYL has not made the connection between 20M and the DVR...

Jim
WD5JKO

 I plan to be on 14330/340 this weekend. Let's give a try...73  Lane :)

Why not use .286 as a "calling frequency", then QSY up to .330 or above to carry on the QSO?

If a breaking station can hear both parties in an ongoing QSO, both parties should hear him.  In that case it would be safe to enter the QSO; everyone should hear everyone else (until propagation shifts).  Good operating practice dictates that a potential "breaker" listen long enough to make sure all stations in the QSO are audible before attempting to break in, and if he is reported as piss weak by any party in the ongoing QSO, he  should either bow out or keep transmissions extremely short.

20m is more ideally suited for one-on-one QSOs.  That's one reason I haven't attempted to work the band for years.  I don't enjoy listening to a blank frequency, or QRM/noise for periods of 10 minutes or more at a time.

More AM presence would be generated on the band if .286 remained a calling frequency, while two or more simultaneous AM QSOs were taking place on .330-.350.

Unless you have a specific reason or desire to contact a particular station and cannot wait until the ongoing QSO is finished, I consider it rude and poor operating practice to break into a QSO or roundtable when you already know you won't be able to hear one or more of the participants.


Ah, yes.  The old "exit stage left" or "exit stage right" tactic.  But more effective when you move ± 1 kc/s.

I'd prefer to go below 14.200.  Sometimes even 14.330-14.340 can get a bit busy.  14.286 may be the traditional AM calling freq., but it's been my experience that it's in an area of the band, where a lot of clowns hang out.

Of course, below 14200 is in the advanced/extra class portion.  There probably would be less slopbucketeer activity and fewer idiots, but would exclude a  lot of AM ops. The best way to handle the clowns is to "strap softly and turn up the wick".

there is activity on
14.286 now.

  CQ CQ CQ 14.325 @2053gmt . Will call CQ 14325 til 2130...

I'm listening and calling CQ but the frequency is clear... No
SSB activity except for some Espanial DX down a few kCs...

 Talked with John G3YPG today on 14.330@ 2111gmt. Conditions poor to fair.. Thanks John, 73 from Lane.. :)

Calling CQ 14.286 AM

Sounds good in Ohio with some fading.

J,

yer making it into C NY.

Can't make out the other guys to well.

klc

Yep, George AB2KC sounds great here but he's having issues copying me.  W9AD Dave also sounds great here as usual.  I worked a few others, Joe W5ABI in New Mexico, Jim KE4INM in Florida (his first AM) and Rick KJ4OHL in Augusta, GA.

Just turned dark here.  I need to go see my folks, they have some BBQ for me.  8)

I will get back on a bit later and see what's happening since I'm all tuned up.

CQ Calling CQ 14.330 @ 1940utc...lane