The AM Forum

I'm making a lot of progress with the 813 Amp and have a couple options for the schematics.  I can go with 5 bands 80-10 but am wondering if there is any AM activity on 10?  It has to do with simplifying the input turret.

29.000 through 29.200 (mostly below .100 though) has quite a bit of AM when the band is open.  If those 813's can make it up that far, do it!

Do you operate 10 meter AM now?

If not, then I think you may have already answered your question.

Steve your confusing me on several of your replies tonight.  He is asking if 10 meters sees much AM activity.  Indeed AM can be found on 10 meters when the band is opened.

We do have a "band watch" section for 10 meters on this forum:
http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?board=74.0

I only operate on 75 right now but if I build the amp, I want to have the capability to operate on 10 IF there is activity there.  Otherwise 15-80 would be just fine.

Personally, if I was building the amp. I would include 10 meters. As indicated, we still have activity and generally during the summer, we have lots of Sporadic E activity. Having the extra power of the amp can make the difference for reliable contacts. Heck, I could get on 75 meters at 2 in the afternoon and find just about zero activity but that wouldn't stop me from including 75 meters in an amp.

If you don't include 10 the band will stay open in your area.

If you do include it, CBers will break into your house and steal it.

They don't need to do that.....just go to eBay and look up "10 meter Lee knee are's"
There's more of them in the Ham radio section than Ham amps.
The Ham amps you do find are gutted and modified for one band operation. ....  Sigh.

Still,  I'd include 10 meters in your new amp.   Have and not need vs Need and not have???

If the OP now has a 100 Watt transceiver; then that is generally all that is needed on 10M, and even be world wide.
Fred

JT,

If one is not already operating on 10 meters (especially in the last few years at the peak of the cycle), it's not clear to me why they would once an amp is built. Thus, my question.

Personally, I'd build the amp with 10 meter capability.

I work 10M AM as my exclusive AM band, at least for now (My wire antenna came down and will stay down until the snow and ice are gone!).

There is a fair amount of action at 29.000 +/-. In the past few weeks I have worked Hawaii, UK, Belgium and stations from all of the continental US and Canada - all from the east coast of the U.S. What I find interesting is that you often won't hear anything until you call CQ. Suddenly the band is popping! It seems many listen, few call CQ. HMMM, what's that all about?

100 watts is plenty since you won't be working your way through pileups. It's more like the olden days; we have real discussions, not just QSL, 5X9, 73, QRZ. It's a ball. Give it a try.

True confession: I just tried 10M FM (can I say that here?) for the first time yesterday. It was every bit as enjoyable.

73
Jack
WA2OLZ

The only reason I exclusively work 75 is because that's the only band I have an antenna for!  When first licensed in the early 60's I worked 40 and 15.  I'd just as soon work all bands and will once I can rig some antennas for them.

Not hard to make plenty of low band antennas work on 10. You might even hear some stuff on it just the way it is now.

I work 10 AM on my 80/40 fan all the time. Lotsa Europe this winter.

I actually made a slew of contacts on 15 during the early 60's with a rotatable 15 meter dipole made from a piece of 2 x 2, 4 insulators, a floor flange and two pieces of thin-walled conduit.  My other antenna was a copper weld 40 meter dipole up about 20 feet.  No baluns on either.  Using a DX-20 and a Ranger, I worked 38 states verified while in High School.

Went to college, license expired and then I got my second ticket about this time 5 years ago while recovering from heart problems.  This is my last shot at the "Big Rig".  Come spring I'll add some antennas and probably modify the 75 to include 40 with traps.  I have the specs from an ARRL antenna handbook for a trapped four-band job.

Differing antenna selections have become religion.

80 meter AM operation these days requires frequency agility. There's activity as low as 3685 and as high as 3962. One easy way to make the antenna play those places plus other bands is a balanced feed and coupler.

Not many AM people use traps, for long. Duty cycle and QRO can make things get ugly.

Have fun! Welcome back!

Very nice story and article Mike. I've always wondered who the original Elmer was; now I know.  ;D

Still have that gorgeous audio consol?

You'll find 10 meters just as much fun as 15.  Also AM's useful for local contacts on 10 too.

I operate 10 AM using a couple of converted 11 meter Johnson Messenger I , II transceivers and a business band Johnson Messenger 202 transceiver as well as a DDS VFO controlled Johnson Messenger 223 on 29.0, 29.012, and 29.018 xtal control but anywhere between 29.0 and 29.1 with the VFO controlled Johnson Messenger 223. Power output is between 5 and 7 watts into a 10 meter inverted vee. At one time I thought of feeding the AL-811 amplifier on 10 but since I have not had any problems working stations I can hear and who are on or very close to my transmit frequency, I squelched the amplifier idea.

10 meter AM low power is fun, hope to hear you on 10 AM.

73
Mike W5RKL

I'm thinking of plate modulating my DX-60.  Maybe that would be a good place to start.  Come summer I'll be doing some antenna work.