7160 kHz AM Activity???

[W1VD]

Haven't heard much AM activity on ~7160 lately...sure was a busy spot right after the broadcast stations departed. Big round tables with stations coming and going from all over were common many an evening. Maybe more stations will return as summer static levels pick up on 75. Bellowed out a few CQs earlier but no takers - just slop buckets trying to move in. Need some big AM signals to re establish a presence in that part of the band.         

[k4kyv]

Just like the 75m frequencies below 3750.  Once the novelty wore off people lost interest. Migrated back to the "regular" frequencies in the Ghetto.

[WA3VJB]

I was on this winter down there.
You're right, I slipped back up the band.

OK, tell me what propagation is doing now that we are into Spring signals.
Is there a night time interval where we could cover 300-400 miles or more?

I really forget how the band behaves at night / early morning.

My operating opportunities are roughly 6-9PM, 4-6AM weekdays.

Daytime weekends but less during the summer.

[KX5JT]

I check it 7.160 pretty often during evenings that I am not working.  I am usually met with with the area chock-a-block with SSB signals.

However, 7.290 , 7.293 and 7.295 are often clear.  Sometimes there's a broadcast station coming in but often one of those are clear.

I have noticed after 11pm or so, 7.160 clears up.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

You make an excellent point John. I've also noticed that 7290/95 kHz are clear later in the evenings. One of these weekends I will toss out a CQ and see who comes back. At that time of night, you and I should be able to make a a contact easily. I regularly hear and/or work stations from the west coast at night on 40 meters.

[W1AEX]

Jay, My experience with 7160 is pretty much the same as yours. I check it several times a week in the morning, and if I hear nothing, I make a call, but have gotten no AM replies for several weeks. What I have noticed, is that even if it is quiet for 15 - 20 minutes, before I get around to walking over to the transmitter, one CQ call by me on AM will often cause SSB activity to auto-magically begin. There are some "frequency possessive" personalities there that don't like our carrier mode. In the evenings, it appears to be a sea of animated slopbuckets.

Don, what time are you checking below 3750? I can almost always find lurkers down there between 3:00pm - 6:00pm EST. I must admit that I have not tuned down there late in the evening for a long time.

Rob W1AEX

[w5dud]

Listening this AM, I will fire up a rig with some fire and see if we can wake up 7160, W4DUD

[K5UJ]

ah, people who probably just leave their plastic radios tuned to 7160 and wait to hear AM then start calling CQ with LSB.  Isn't that sweet.  Too many people, with nothing to do.  One of the underlying causes of a lot of problems in society.

[KX5JT]

I'm calling CQ on 7.160 AM presently.

[KX5JT]

Listening this AM, I will fire up a rig with some fire and see if we can wake up 7160, W4DUD

Hey, is it W5DUD or W4DUD? 

CQ CQ CQ 40 Meter AM phone on 7.160 Megacycles... This is KX5JT Over!

[KX5JT]

Dudley was whopping in with a Howard Mills restored Johnson 500.  Very nice!

[w5dud]

Hello JT it is W5DUD,Just remember it,s a DUD, W5DUD

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I called CQ on 7290 last night around 10:30 PM ET. No takers. Maybe again tonight.

[W1VD]

A few summers back W8VYZ would show up nights at 10 pm EDT on 7290 and call CQ. The frequency was often quiet until his arrival...immediately a number of stations would check in and join the QSO. It became the 10 pm (fill in your local time) 'activity period' I guess. I'm not big on structured operating but if calling CQ on the top or bottom of the hour means more folks would be willing to check the frequency it might be something to consider.     

[k4kyv]

Now that we are entering static season, 40m is often considerably quieter than 75 when you might just as well forget about 160.  Maybe we'll find more AM stations actively listening. If the new sunspot cycle actually manifests itself, the band shouldn't go quite so long after sunset, making it possible to hold non-DX QSO's during the evening hours.

[K0ARA]

 Just finished up a QSO with KX5JT & WA5BLQ on 7160kc. A couple of station had cleared with John and another had joined when I signed.
Other than the normal QSB pretty quiet conditions.
                                                                              Mike

[k4kyv]

About 2030 GMT ran automated CQ on 7160.  After 2nd cycle, W5JGI responded, followed by KK0K and then W5JO.  No roundtable; each station called after the previous one had signed. I closed down at 2200 GMT.  Too nice a day outside to spend the whole afternoon indoors.

Conditions weren't excellent, but all stations were readable, with minimal atmosphere noise and SSB QRM.

[K5UJ]

Don, I actually heard you, while trying to get a Bird 74 coaxwitch to work in my feedline.  I had everything tuned to 3885, the matchbox, the noise phase nulling box  but I put one of my receivers on 40 just to try to get a daytime signal for testing the Bird switch and heard you on 7160.  That you came through in spite of all the detuning here told me you must have been putting out a heck of a signal.

Rob