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Author Topic: 40 meter QSO ANYONE?  (Read 16043 times)
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WG9P
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« on: November 22, 2012, 04:42:49 PM »

I have my 32V2 fired up with a new skywire attached. Im monitoring 7.295 and will until 4 PM CST. Give me a call - WG9P - mike
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VE3LYX
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« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2012, 08:30:10 PM »

Slip down to 7135 or 7140 . I dont have a lot of power but signal is readable and clear. I will check around 10 pm before I go to bed. 7295 is a bit congested for a wee rig like mine. Even my DX60 would have a hard time there I think.
Don VE3LYX


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Don VE3LYX<br />Eng, DE & petite Francais
VE3LYX
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« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2012, 07:51:45 AM »

I gave it a shot but it was awful noisey at 10 PM.
Anyway I am around those frequenciies anytime I am in the cellar (my homebrew shack) Feel free to call if you can get down there. I will answer. Because I am a Ham. Not an apple polishing SWL. Equipment is to be used. Other Hams are to be communicated with. Furniture is to sit on. Radios are for talking.
Don VE3LYX
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Don VE3LYX<br />Eng, DE & petite Francais
VE3AJM
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« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2012, 02:54:05 PM »

There was quite a bit of AM activity on the top end of 40m today. You may have better luck calling CQ there. I never seem to have a good copy on you Don even when there are good local propagation conditions on the band.

Al
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VE3LYX
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« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2012, 09:35:30 PM »

I know AL. I am sorry about that as I like talking to you but short of breaking the bank or building something foolish I dont know what to say. I am just in the wrong spot and down a couple of WTs. I have no trouble working deep into the south so it may just be my location and antenna layout doesnt favour you.  
Anyway Mike needs to try out his rig. A sked anywhere he can go would do the job.
Don VE3LYX

I should mention though Al on 40m I am in my downstairs shack where everything is homebrew and mostly on wood . The 40M HB transciever is a 4 tuber a pair of 12sl7s and a pair for 50l6s. Half Rx and half for tx. That drives a HB PA with a 6l6 blackie for a buffer/ driver and a parallel pair of 6l6EH tall boys for power. On a real good day it might make 15 to 18 watts out so it is a long ways even from my DX60 even. All my own design. The other rig on 40m is a mixer tube osc /modulator with a speech amp dual triode in and a rf PA dual triode out. It has a couple of watts. Today I designed up (no schematic, just from my head) a 5293 (HD 6146B) PA for it. I prewired the tube socket, made the parasitic choke and wound the grid coil. Might have it going tomorrow or the next day. Need to make an RFC for the plate before I can finish it. This is what I enjoy about ham radio. Freestyle building and experimenting. And on a good day when conditions are right who knows? And one good day makes up for all the bad ones.
Don
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« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2012, 09:44:57 AM »

With a 6146B final I should be able to copy you. But ultimately, its all in the antenna as you know. QRP with the transmitter is fine, BUT...not a QRP antenna system. With that setup it would be a very frustrating experience..and seeing that we now have some white stuff flying around here ...they say the best antenna work is done in the bad/cold weather...what about plate modulation Don? Best efficiency for a AM final..it doesn't have to be HiFi audio. Just a well modulated and undistorted AM signal. That seems to cut through the best Smiley.

Al
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VE3LYX
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« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2012, 10:03:29 PM »

What folks dont seem to realize is I have been using these antennas very successfully with a 5 watt Cw rig. I have worked the east coast down to the Calolinas and never had less then a 599 report. Worked Maine as well. Also west of here in western Ontario. The Impedance is bang on the big one and the SWR is about 1.5 to 1. Both my 40m (two band inverted Vee) up here I use on the cw rig as well as the DX60 and the inverted L downstairs are less then that on 40m. About 1.1.1 to 1.2 to 1 SWR. I monitor my signal in the shack both for strength and audio. Upstairs with my slop bucket rig , a TS 830s I have worked the world with ease. Russia Austrailia  Capetown SA even Antartica. (once) So if a 5 watt CW rig Bare Essentails 50l6 rig and a TS830S can do a good job there should be some success with the others.  And I have had a bit . I can work the lads on 7295 not bad with my DX60 except when the Asian broadcaster starts up.  I had a bit of a QSO with some VE2 SSB QRMers yesterday with my bigger HB rig. My french is not great but it was good enuf for that.
I got the Linear done and fired it up today however My PS isnt up to a 6146B or its equivalent. Plate voltage under load sagged to 167. Nothng frying or smoking. Just a little transformer that cant do the job. I have a bigger PS but it is high power and until I am sure of everything I dont want to fry it or me. Still have to adjust the neutralizing cap  properly and find the right bias for pop in pop out operation. (bias is adjustable and is in the cathode  so it will work. )
So every night during my least favourite TV shows I go down and call CQ and listen. I use both rigs. The 2 watter and the bigger one. I am in around 7120 to 7140 where ever I find a window. Plate modulation? By far the best except you have to almost build two radios to do it. One AF one and one RF one. I am currently consumed with exploring some of the other alternatives. My bigger HB has the crisp Military sound . Clean and clear , not much bass. I like that. The other rig has a lot of audio and is easy to over modulate which is why I built the monitor thing.  So if anyone is hanging around these frequencies some good night you will probably hear me.
Don VE3LYX
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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2012, 10:39:04 PM »

CW has at least a 15 dB SNR advantage on fone. Any claims of coverage and signal reports do not translate well to fone.
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VE3LYX
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« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2012, 09:41:45 AM »

While I realize that is absolutley true I guess the point I am making or trying to is if a cw qrp can be heard at all then an AM  rig many times that power will work also on the same antenna. Maybe not to the same extent but to a useable level. What is the real problem is there are very few AMers around especailly on 40m. There is the group at 7295 and the Marine net but everyone seems to go there. I dont real have anything signifcant to add to those nets so I just read the mail. Some of the key downs go on for 30 minutes or more. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Tim VE6PG has said he went on 7120 several times on Sunday afternoons with no repsonse. Tim works a lot of AM so it isnt his set up or antennas etc. It is simply no one else listening on 7120 in AM mode. If we expect to enjoy this we need to occupy a bit more of the band. 7120 (which I realize is too low for some of you) to 7140 is not heavily used except during CW contesting.  Here as we started this thread Mike was needing to test his 32v2 rig. For me 7295 is a bit crowded with my low power however there are hundreds folks who read these posts. No one stepped up and said Sure Mike I will be there at 0800 . That what is needed. The reason I know this is I built some old breadboad rigs  and yes they were CW  (so far) I had gotten to the point of thinking they were not working after a couple of years. One day Lou Ve3AWA of AWA yho grp suggested we try a sked. Worked perfect. Within a week I had worked several. Same is true on AM . When Tim VE6PG was off in the mornings we were on 3725 everyday. One can go on about power antennas rigs audio quality but the truth is if you are sitting there even with the legal limit at full power if no one is listening on your frequency es machts nicht. For me and Al it is hard since I do not propagate well to his place. And yet Tim, who is much much farther away, hears me well.  Just happens to be in the right place. However we are all gathering on that frequency. If we all got up and called CQ on different freqs, all 6 of us chances are only one or two or even none would get and answer. But everyone cant hang around 7295. Needs to be a test spot say. 7135. Pop a note like Mike did that you will be testing there and someone commit to being there.  And I am most days at least listening around there. And if my PW HB rigs cant cut it it is a simple matter to switch on the DX 60 in the upstairs shack which I would do in a heartbeat if someone needed it.  
Don Ve3LYX  
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« Reply #9 on: November 27, 2012, 12:04:19 PM »

There is plenty of activity on 40 meters, especially on the weekends. In just a few hours of listening I can hear 20-30 different stations. There aren't any nets on 7290 or 95, just random QSOs. Join in. You'll get a much better idea of how well your signal is propagating by checking into a group that is geographically diverse.

As was noted before, calling on 7120 is only useful if you want replies from Canadian stations. USA stations cannot go below 7125 and only AM it would be 7130 kHz. There are numerous Canadian ops on AM, but the reality is that there are orders of magnitude more USA ops on AM. It's like fishing - go where the fish are.  Smiley
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W2PFY
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« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2012, 12:43:10 PM »

Quote
There aren't any nets on 7290 or 95,

There is now a net that I heard for the first time this summer. It starts up on 7.295 every week day at 1 PM eastern time. It is out there in 8 or 9 land and has quite a check in list.  I never checked into the net and I forgot the hosts name. Maybe someone else heard this net? At 1 PM eastern time a strong BC station come on 7.290 and wipes everyone out so most go below 7.285. Then a BC station out Italy comes on later in the afternoon on 7.295 with Bible Beater Brother Scare to further decimate the band Cry Cry  My question is, will I live long enough to see the BC from the top end on 40 go away?
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VE3AJM
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« Reply #11 on: November 27, 2012, 05:10:21 PM »

I believe that net is called the Noontime forum. Jack near Chicago in W9 land runs it usually. I forget his call.
He has a very good signal out here when I happen to tune in.

Don, the same thing happens to me in occasion on 3725 and all. Sometimes there aren't any stations looking for a QSO when you happen to call. Its just the way it is. No guarantees anywhere. 7290 and 95 are open from my listening etc. from about 10am to 3pm. As has been noted here, you might have more luck there if you call CQ, or join in on an existing QSO.  Smiley
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ve6pg
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« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2012, 06:37:35 AM »

  ah yes the lost art of calling cq...i call frequently, and usually get someone...the reason for 7120 is that is quiet there, and it usually works out ok. jack, k9act as al stated, has his noon time forum. cst, that is...good bunch on there...i might call on 40 today, 7280 up...

..sk..
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VE3AJM
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« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2012, 08:39:51 AM »

Yeah thats who it is Tim..you remember calling CQ in the summer til we were blue in the face and no one would answer...what are you going to do? Wink

Thats life...not this "Oh ham radio is this..where is everyone"..P&M' ing..no I don't think so..

Not everyone checks here to see if someone is on a particular frequency calling CQ..or that they are listening in. Thats not how it works most oF the time. But it can help.

However if they can't hear you, how can they answer?, if you do call CQ. Hope the roads are clear up there in the snowbelt Tbo.

Al
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VE3AJM
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« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2012, 01:09:20 AM »

Nice 20db over s9 signal from Tom KB2OUA near Erie, PA yesterday morning in QSO with Dirk WA2CYT.9:15am local time at 7290kc.

Tom was using 10!...watts with his ricebox xcvr. Hmmm. Great job with low power.

Al
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ve6pg
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« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2012, 06:37:52 AM »

..on wed. 40 was in great shape...too busy to join in, but all the regulars were on 40...very strong sigs, but guys have to spread out abit..
..sk..
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