The AM Forum

I just came into the shack and turned on the rx.  The static level is about S-6 and no thundering blasts.  I tuned from 3.890 down to 3.650 and below 3.8 I did not hear one signal, not even an SSB.  I guess ham radio truly is dying.  I sure hope fall brings out more stations.

timtron and a group were on 3880 when i shut down at about 10:35, they had been in there since around 9:30 at least. i was calling cq between 3888 and 3890 for an hour. the only response i got sounded like some idiot telling me to go back down to the window where i belonged. i believe there was another group on 3885, and maybe another on 3888, but they were really weak here.
shelby

7 PM to 8 PM PDT here on the left coast, QSO on 3.885; WD8KDG, WA3QGD, & KE7AOM. The midwest carriers were in the background and the band was stretching out.

Craig,

I didn't bother to listen, since the lightning map showed a solid swathe of T-storm activity south of here, taking out almost all of GA and SC from the TN and AL line all the way to the Atlantic coast. I suspect the sound of Sherman's cannon fire along the way to Savannah would have been drowned out by the thunder.

Sometimes, the mere assumption of QRN keeps people off the air even when the band is actually quiet.  I have been known to call CQ till I was blue in the face (or maybe I should say till my MiniDisc automated CQer was warm to the touch) with no response, on a rare summer night when the static level approached wintertime conditions. Maybe I should have turned on the receiver anyway.

The striking thing to me was the absence of signals below 3.8.  In 15 minutes of listening I didn't hear any loud enough to overcome the S6 noise level in the lower part of the band.  That includes SSB as well as AM. 

Sorry Jim, I was on 40 meters with a good group till 8 P.M.
I'll checkout 75 and listen for ya this week.

Last night I had the smug rig parked on 3880 while I was working on the bench. Between roughly 10 and 12 PM, WA1HLR, W2NBC, W1AEX, WA2PJP, KA2xxx(call escapes me), and several others were all booming into central NJ with solid signals. Even Fred, further down the band on SSB, had a great signal, easily riding over his consistent nut case "fans".  Noise floor seemed high at times but lightening crashes seemed minimal.

it wasn't ka2dzt was it? i think i heard him in that group

I think I heard me in the group too

Fred

KA2DZT