10m craziness

[W7TFO]

With all this going on, what is the quick-N-dirty antenna of choice here?

I've seen re-purposed CB whips, wire dipoles, eTc.

Space for antennas is no object here.

73DG

[kb3ouk]

dipole seems real easy to do for 10m, easier to get it to an optimum height, compared to on the lower bands, too. try here for some simple 10 m antennas that provide a little more gain over a dipole or cb whip.
shelby

http://amwindow.org/tech/htm/tenmant/tenmant.htm

[KX5JT]

Last cycle, I used a 108" whip (i think, you know the cb whips) on a mount atop a tv mast with 3 drooping copper wire -- egg insulator -- whatever for the "radials/guywires"...

Worked the world on SSB (I was still a technician).

[W7TFO]

It seems the antenna type really doesn't matter in the present cycle of exceptional propagation.

Just thinking about 10m can get you a QSL card...

I think I'll try a ground plane in the future.

73DG

[ke7trp]

I have had alot of luck with my retuned A99 cb antenna.  Its at 15 ft.  Has wire under it.  Its centered at 28.400.  Just today I heard a guy calling CQ.  I keyed down once, and said my call. He came right back. He was in Peoria IL.  As if he was down the street.

C

[KX5JT]

CLARK!! Forget 28.400 Bud!! 29.000 - 29.100 AY EMMMMMM!!!!

[ke7trp]

Uh.. Yeah. I know where AM is on 10.   28.400 is the mid point where I have my antenna tuned.

C

[KX5JT]

I just ribbing ya Clark.   

[W7TFO]

Clark has enough ribs.  Eve never got to him.

73DG

[N8UH]

C'mon Dennis... Even I can get on 10M here... 

TK

[Detroit47]

I've got a 3 element cb beam pruned for ten and it smokes. It's not big and it sure makes a diffrence.

N8QPC

[KX5JT]

It's not big and it sure makes a diffrence.

N8QPC

   I appreciate all you stations with the beams that are able to swing my way! Seems like you pick me up well too!

[WA1LGQ]

John you were strapping both into my mobile and on the 1/2wave vertical J-pole at home...........Larry

[KB2WIG]

"Clark has enough ribs.  Eve never got to him. "

So, he can spare some?


klc

[WU2D]

Yes the high dipole! My last 10M AM rig was a homebrew with a 6CL6 2E26 829B combo modulated by a pair of 6L6's.

But I have run several antennas on 10M that "worked".

The best - a simple quad made of a 2x4 and PVC pipe and some #14 enameled wire fed by coax up 15 feet. Unbeatable for the time investment.

Next I like the vertical rectangular loop which matches 50 coax perfectly. This when bottom fed is actually horizontally polarized.

The good old ground plane on my kids swing set.

The 5/8 Ground Plane. I have used a 21 ft piece of wire pulled up into a tree with 4 quarter wave radials at 90 degrees just over my head and a simple shunt coil matching scheme made of #12 wire on a pvc form. This worked slick and was a 2 hour EZ-up antenna.

Last cycle I tried a Vee beam. 120 ft on a side at a 45 degree angle like an 80M inverted Vee on its side. The feed was a quarter wave shorted stub matching section of open wire and a 4:1 balun and coax to shack. Very nice.

Mike WU2D

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I use a simple 4 element beam on a 75 foot tower.

[K9PNP]

Used the old military standby:  RC-292 ground plane.  4 vertical sections and 5 sections in each drooping ground plane radial.  SWR was less than 2:1 across whole band.

Had it down last year changing out some other antennas and somebody must have seen the copper.  It walked out of my fenced yard.  Wish they would have left the base assembly and insulator.  Hope they made enough to buy some more drugs so I will continue to have job security.

[KX5JT]

John you were strapping both into my mobile and on the 1/2wave vertical J-pole at home...........Larry

Was that on 10 Larry?  I know we worked on 40.

[flintstone mop]

This is where we test the wet noodle concept, when 10 is open.

Must be certain parts of the USA.....been monitoring here and some SSB and that's it. Seems like an early evening thing?

Fred

[KX5JT]

Fred, I've been working Left coast from LA to Vancouver (from the Louisiana Gulf Coast) as well as New England MA to ME from 3 pm to sundown.  One VK also....

Penn is probably too close because RI was the closest I worked, but I see no reason given the distances of 1400 miles + that you couldn't work into the southwest and left coast, if there are stations on of course.

About an hour after dawn.... (when I drag in from the night shift) I have worked France and Greece on AM.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Last Saturday early afternoon, I worked from NJ, several Europeans in France, Italy, England and then swung the beam around and worked Hawaii. All this with 22 watts output and probably less by the time it reached the antenna (35 year old coax).

[KM1H]

Last cycle I had 4/4/4/4 on a 100' tower. Then down to one 4el when I downsized the aluminum curtain here and presently just a rotary DE at 115' as its all thats left after the storm.
Still its been working all over EU, Mideast, Pacific, JA, VK, etc the past few weeks on AM with the Viking II barefoot.

Carl

[Steve - K4HX]

I wrote this last sunspot cycle! But it works now too.

http://amwindow.powweb.com/tech/htm/tenmant/tenmant.htm

[flintstone mop]

Lemme check this 10M craziness out this afternoon 4ish or so.
We should have something on AMFONE to give current sunspot count?
YUP we do and it looks interesting 167

[W1AEX]

I played around on 10M yesterday at around noon EST and was stunned to find it so wide open. I called CQ on 29.050 MHz with 75 watts into a vertical half wave dipole up at about 30 feet and was immediately called by a 25 watt mobile station in Italy. We chatted for a few minutes and then he moved off to work a few others. I was immediately called again by another station in Italy running only 4 watts into a vertical. He was tougher to hear, but at times reached S-7. This could be fun if it continues through the winter!

Rob W1AEX