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Author Topic: 40M - good for many hours  (Read 25841 times)
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WA3VJB
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« on: April 11, 2011, 02:39:23 PM »

With static season having arrived, I've been on 40M more often than 80M the past few weeks, and I am getting a good impression of how much life there is in the band across many hours of the day.

Not only is it good early in the morning (0800GMT apx), but last night I took it right up to 2100 GMT with good signals and a healthy amount of elbow room.

Ran across a guy who had just re-capped a Johnson Ranger, and he was pleased to hear that his transmitter was putting out power and not smoke. 

And Conowingo's old reliable, W3FJJ, rounded out the set.

Receiver was the 1961 Hammarlund SP600

* WB9MEP.mp3 (1932.12 KB - downloaded 725 times.)
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k4kyv
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Don
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« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2011, 02:58:42 PM »

Late afternoons and early evenings at the low end of the band can be good, too, if you can find another AM station to talk to.  I work many curious slopbucketeers trying their transceivers out on AM, which is good for stirring up AM operation, but it seems that once the novelty of the absence of broadcast QRM wore off, there is a dearth of activity by regular AM operators below 7200. I usually begin to get broadcast QRM at the top end, starting about 1900-2000 GMT.

Last evening, the static on 160-80-40 was the same intensity regardless of band, and it wouldn't surprise me to read about more tornadoes. Tornado static has a peculiar sound of its own, and that's what it sounded like last night.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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WA3VJB
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« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2011, 07:17:25 PM »

Late afternoons and early evenings at the low end of the band can be good, too.

Yes, I have had some luck making contact up high and moving down low, but most guys are convinced their antennas won't match and something will blow up.

I'm hoping to work some of the Europeans before the season goes sour.

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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2011, 07:25:50 PM »

Gotta get below 7200 to do that, unless you go split.
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k4kyv
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Don
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« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2011, 12:59:49 AM »

Yes, I have had some luck making contact up high and moving down low, but most guys are convinced their antennas won't match and something will blow up.

Yup, their SWR might climb above 1.4:1.

Quote
I'm hoping to work some of the Europeans before the season goes sour.

I recall the year the broadcasters moved out (two years ago the end of this past March IIRC), we enjoyed several weeks of good condx on 40m.  I remember working several Europeans running AM, and while most were on slopbucket, a couple of times they tuned their rigs to AM, and were perfect copy running less than 50W carrier power. 

But band condx seem noisier with QRN this spring than they were the past couple of seasons.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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This message was typed using the DVORAK keyboard layout.
http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak
WA3VJB
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« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2011, 06:35:11 AM »

A rainy Saturday = radio time.
Will power up on 40M until afternoon thunderstorms that are forecast here.

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K9PNP
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« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2011, 05:10:34 PM »

Yes, I have had some luck making contact up high and moving down low, but most guys are convinced their antennas won't match and something will blow up.

Most boat anchors will load a ground strap if they have to.  [I can testify to that since I actually did it once; and made a CW contact on the ground strap.]  Anyway, even with high SWR the feed line loss at 7 Mcs is low enough.  Just gotta look at the finals once in a while to see what color they are. 

Was on the high end of 40 yesterday, but the noise was terrible and wierd.  Same for 75, but managed a QSO there.  I think Don has something on the tornado static.
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73,  Mitch

Since 1958. There still is nothing like tubes to keep your coffee warm in the shack.

Vulcan Theory of Troubleshooting:  Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
KB2WIG
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« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2011, 04:47:57 PM »

Snice conditions on 40m now ......   w8VYZed anda bunch of others


klc
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What? Me worry?
g3ypz
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« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2011, 05:55:05 PM »

Late afternoons and early evenings at the low end of the band can be good, too.

Yes, I have had some luck making contact up high and moving down low, but most guys are convinced their antennas won't match and something will blow up.

I'm hoping to work some of the Europeans before the season goes sour.


What time and frequency Paul?
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic


« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2011, 08:43:54 AM »

7.290 AM Sat Morning... nearly 9 am Eastern, 8 am Central CAWMOAN!
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AMI#1684
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« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2011, 02:40:33 AM »

 Was on 7290 calling CQ 0400zulu,  lane
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73 from Lane. Columbus,Ohio.
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