10 Metres

Working at home today and taking a quick tea break I flicked the rig onto 10 metres. One or two stations around and I managed a quick QSO with HB3YGG, Victor. My only HF transmit antenna at the moment is the full size G5RV.
 I would like to try a 10 metre vertical from this QTH as I found the Antron 99 which I used from my previous QTH to work very well on 10 and 12 metres. I have a Hygain AV12 vertical lying in the shed which covers 10-15-20 maybe I should get that up?

Just an update

During the summer months my radio activity has been less than usual with so many other things to be done! As winter approaches I hope to be a little more active on the bands. I have however been having some fun on 10 metres. Over the past week or so my 25 Watts of PSK31 has resulted in contacts with the U.S, Canada, Chile, Argentina and today, South Africa. On ten I have been using the Antron 99 vertical which generally appears to be (slightly) superior to my horizontal doublet on 28 Mhz.

Today's contact with ZS4GB, Gert, resulted in me receiving this QSL card by Email moments later!

10 metre conditions

There was an opening  on 10 metres FM this evening. Here in South Wales I could here a number of stations in the North of Scotland with good signals
I worked GM0EKL located north of Aberdeen. Switching between my vertical and my doublet I found very little difference on received signal strength which often seems to be the case on this band. TX signal did however seem stronger on the doublet.

I only became aware of the opening as I have a new piece of equipment in the shack that was scanning, pictured below.

This rig is in fact a multimode CB rig an Albrecht AE5890EU. It is still in its original configuration in which it covers 80 CB channels with multimode facilities on the lower 40 channels (legal in the UK since 27th June) and FM only on the higher "UK" channels. Changing an internal jumper converts the rig to higher powered 10 metre coverage  with repeater shift facilities. The rig can also be configured to cover the 12 metre band.

First impressions of this rig are pretty good. The CB bands in this area are pretty quiet but there has been a little activity on SSB since its legalisation. I operated CB for a short while in the 1980s as a youngster, but was a shortwave listener before that. In those days the band was crowded. Even though my parents lived in a poor radio location at the bottom of a valley it was difficult sometimes to find a clear channel. It is a very different story today. Unless band conditions are good the entire 80 channels are usually quiet!

Fishing for DX

My "fishing pole" antenna (Pro Whip) at the alternative QTH works reasonably well for what it is. After all its just 6 metres of wire with a 9:1 balun at the end and a wire counterpoise. Its not as good as a wire doublet or dipole which would be difficult to put up at the same location but it does seem a lot more efficient than the little "Buddistick" vertical I have used in the past.

Anyway today I had a short period of operation on 10 metres. 7X3WPL gave me a 59 on SSB and I bagged PU2OAJ with 25 watts of PSK31. Not bad for my temporary set up. I have a copper earth rod which I intend to put at the base of the pro whip plus I intend to run some extra radials which can be hidden and left semi permanently which will also speed up the erection of the antenna in future.

A new one for me!

I have never been . the keenest of Dxers, I am.more of a listener and a ragchewer when it comes to radio. My motto however has always been if I do hear the DX and I have the opportunity I will try to work it!
Tuning around an otherwise quiet 10 metre band this afternoon I heard VP8LP at good strength (a genuine S9) calling CQ. I went back to him and got a 5/4 report on my second call. Proof that the Antron CB vertical works OK on 10. I qsy'ed a little further down the band and called CQ but had no replies. Tuning around I could hear nothing else . I guess that's what makes 10 metres such an interesting band.

10 Metres

Interesting evening on 10 metres. I managed to work HB30OK, IS0DCR and EI6JK as the skip shortened. Oddly though I heard a single Brazilian station, at good strength around the same time. Couldn't get back to him on 100 watts to my doublet though!

Contest surprise

Tuning around the 10metre band I heard V55V/P in Namibia. A contest station they were easily the strongest signal on the band. A quick call resulted in a 59 (!) report and a new one in the log for me.

10 metre mobile

I had a short 10 minute journey to make today, just across the village. Since 10 metres was open again I put the 10 metre whip on the car. Actually its an El Cheapo CB whip that I bought from  a local Maplins shop.

I relly need to trim it for 10 metre use, but at the moment the LDG auto tunes it nicely. I was rewarded with a QSO with an Italian station, located in Sicily. Can't remember the call though, keeping a log is difficult when you are mobile!
In any case that was my first 28Mhz mobile contact.

Higher bands open

I noticed yesterday that 10 metres was open with quite a few signals to be heard on SSB. I managed to work  Rob TA4ZN and then moved on to PSK 31 and worked a couple of Russian stations. Its nice to use 10 metres again, I have seen reports of several band openings but until yesterday I seemed to keep missing them!

CAT control

HF conditions seem to have been pretty poor over the last few days. A few of us locally have been working 6 metres FM as an alternative to 2 metres. 6 seems a very under-used band, unless conditions are good that is when everyone seems to come out of the woodwork.

Anyway there was a bit of PSK31 activity on 10 metres today and I worked I4UUL who has a very good picture of CAT control equipment on his QRZ page- I just thought I would share it here! Now if only I could get one of the shack cats here to pose like that.

If you can't stand the heat.......................

stay out of the shack!

A little to warm to sit in the shack today so operating time was limited. I did notice that 10mand 6 metres were open this afternoon.


I managed to work DO1SKJ on 10 and OE6BMG on 6.

A new one on 10!

Had a quick tune around 10 metres this evening at around 1730GMT. Didn't hear anything on SSB but I did hear some signals on PSK and I managed to work OX1XC. Looking at my log I think this is my first PSK31 QSO on 10 metres!

10 metre opening

Hearing a few (Italian and Spanish) stations on 10 metres this afternoon I thought I would try putting out a quick CQ call.
I was rewarded with a reply from IW1ABM, Mimmo in Turin.
So that is my first 10 metre contact of 2010, lets hope thee will be more to come. I did take a listen on 6 metres but nothing heard from this QTH.

Higher Bands

Listening on 2 metres on my way into work the other day I heard a couple of amateurs talking about an opening on 10 metres this week. Apparently the 28Mhz band was open into Europe up until around 2100. Needless to say I missed that opening, and although I have been listening on 10 metres for the last couple of evenings I haven't heard anything.

When I first became interested in radio, as an SWL in the early 1980's HF conditions and the solar cycle were at their peak. At that time I was using a multiband shortwave receiver with its own telescopic antenna. I can recall being able to listen to CB operators in the USA on 26Mhz at all times of the day and night. Added to this in those days Broadcast stations also used to transmit between 25.5 and 26Mhz. The QSL pictured from Radio RSA was received by me in 1983. RSA used 25790Khz and used to sound like a local FM station such was the strength and clarity of its signal.
Some years later in 1988 when I obtained my full UK amateur licence and was able to operate on the HF bands, the higher bands were still active. My first logbook was full of 10 metre contacts. 10 metres always seemed a band that was kind to operators with simple equipment and low power. Lets hope we will see conditions like this again!