any place on 80 a person might hang out and find people that

[kb9rqz]

and be people you might want to talk to

[ad4mg]

I'd suggest 3.950, or 3.955, where Charlie (AG4YO) hangs out. Both groups seem receptive to new operators. Of course, spend a little time listening first. Although not arrogant like many groups on 75 meters, anyone will be annoyed if their conversation is interrupted. You may have to sit there for quite a while until an opportunity to join the conversation materializes. And do everything you can to have a decent signal. An amplifier isn't necessary, but it helps. Use a good, and if possible, full sized antenna. trying to check into a group using a vertical and 90 watts isn't going to fly. It's just too hard to hear someone below the noise level. I suggest a resonant dipole up about 50'. I have a 1/2 wave dipole cut for 80 meters, fed with 450 ohm ladder line, that I use on 80-10 meters. With 150 watts (IC-775DSP, 200 watt rig), I don't get any complaints.

Audio is another issue on the lower bands. Bad audio just sounds worse down there. A good rule of thumb is to run just a little, if any, speech compression, and if you are using a 100 watt rig, your voice peaks should stay below 70-75 watts. The meter on most rigs is slow, and if it shows 75 watt voice peaks, you are probably getting more than 100 watt peaks. Overdriven audio on 75 meters is a real turn-off.

With that in mind, have fun! I've chatted with a few folks down at the bottom of the band recently, around 3.625 - 3.675, but SSB isn't my thing. I much prefer CW.

73,
Luke

[wd0ct]

I'd suggest 3.950, or 3.955, where Charlie (AG4YO) hangs out. Both groups seem receptive to new operators. Of course, spend a little time listening first. Although not arrogant like many groups on 75 meters, anyone will be annoyed if their conversation is interrupted. You may have to sit there for quite a while until an opportunity to join the conversation materializes. And do everything you can to have a decent signal. An amplifier isn't necessary, but it helps. Use a good, and if possible, full sized antenna. trying to check into a group using a vertical and 90 watts isn't going to fly. It's just too hard to hear someone below the noise level. I suggest a resonant dipole up about 50'. I have a 1/2 wave dipole cut for 80 meters, fed with 450 ohm ladder line, that I use on 80-10 meters. With 150 watts (IC-775DSP, 200 watt rig), I don't get any complaints.

Audio is another issue on the lower bands. Bad audio just sounds worse down there. A good rule of thumb is to run just a little, if any, speech compression, and if you are using a 100 watt rig, your voice peaks should stay below 70-75 watts. The meter on most rigs is slow, and if it shows 75 watt voice peaks, you are probably getting more than 100 watt peaks. Overdriven audio on 75 meters is a real turn-off.

With that in mind, have fun! I've chatted with a few folks down at the bottom of the band recently, around 3.625 - 3.675, but SSB isn't my thing. I much prefer CW.

73,
Luke

Wow, thanks for the endorsement Luke. I have been on 3955 plus or minus broadcast and other qrm for several years now. We try to talk with anyone we can hear. I will point out that there are several groups on 3955 depending on time of day.
The late group [10-midnight or so start time] is the one I'm on with.

Luke gave very good advice about antenna and all the rest too. My antenna is very similair to Luke's and is only 30 feet high in the center. I do run an amp most of the time, especially when static crashes abound.

Some of us like to play with audio some but I don't think we are obsessed with it.

Keep in mind that 80 has a reputation of being short, long, or both. This means that many times distant stations have good signals while stations from 30-300 or more miles away are not in the skip zone and are nearly inaudible. We are spread out a lot though so normally someone can hear.

I guess you could call most of us old farts and we talk about all kinds of stuff including politics from time to time. We don't discriminate against noobies or /ag guys.

We are just ragchewers so come on by if you feel like it.

73
Steve

[N2RJ]

I might have to join you folks on 3955 one night. Maybe after I get my 80m diapole up. :D

[ad4mg]

Your welcome Steve. I spend the majority of my time in the shack just listening around, and I've dialed up 3955 a few times. It pays to know where to go on 75 meters!

73 - Luke

[kb9rqz]

I'd suggest 3.950, or 3.955, where Charlie (AG4YO) hangs out. Both groups seem receptive to new operators. Of course, spend a little time listening first. Although not arrogant like many groups on 75

Wow, thanks for the endorsement Luke. I have been on 3955 plus or minus broadcast and other qrm for several years now. We try to talk with anyone we can hear. I will point out that there are several groups on 3955 depending on time of day.
The late group [10-midnight or so start time] is the one I'm on with.

Luke gave very good advice about antenna and all the rest too. My antenna is very similair to Luke's and is only 30 feet high in the center. I do run an amp most of the time, especially when static crashes abound.

Some of us like to play with audio some but I don't think we are obsessed with it.

Keep in mind that 80 has a reputation of being short, long, or both. This means that many times distant stations have good signals while stations from 30-300 or more miles away are not in the skip zone and are nearly inaudible. We are spread out a lot though so normally someone can hear.

I guess you could call most of us old farts and we talk about all kinds of stuff including politics from time to time. We don't discriminate against noobies or /ag guys.

We are just ragchewers so come on by if you feel like it.

73
Steve

well right now gathering data waiting for the snow to melt enough to dare and put up my longer anttenas sorta stuck with a hunderd watts at this point (unless I buy an amp or a new radio) I should be getting the long one's up about 45 feet to pulleys on the abandon utily poles running through the yard but still un willing to drag a 40 ft ladder through 5 ft melting drifts just for antennas and the 20m zeep just doesn't get all that muchuch past the turner for some strange reason ;)

I did get on and and try to say hi to some local and gt a dressing down that is hard to believe, and from in one case member of my local radio club sorta promotted the phrasing of the original post

[KU4MY]

Your welcome Steve. I spend the majority of my time in the shack just listening around, and I've dialed up 3955 a few times. It pays to know where to go on 75 meters!

73 - Luke

Agreed on all. Oh and I am all about 99.9% listen and .1% transmit here too. In the SE Quadrant of Misfitness, 3.895 is pretty good around the clock too, if you can stand our funny accents. The Freewheelers are a good little late evening net on 3.916. The morning bunch on 3.773 are all a nice bunch too and at night, 3.851 is the best spot for a laugh. Be sure you have an empty bladder for the latter.

[N9FE]

and be people you might want to talk to
you are welcome to check in with us on 3.913, but don't just jump in, or you will get run over like a frieght train, also you you better be quick on the key, and 20 over s9 to open, we have alot of very young operators with our group, the main thing with any group, listen, and listen for awile, you WILL learn alot, alot of very very seasoned people,

Well back in my day, I hung out on like 3720. (This was back in 1976) I remember I met females on there. One was Connie. I asked her if she had pictures of her on her QSL. She apologized after getting my tender age and told me she was over 60.

One afternoon, I worked one named Brenda. I figured that she was probably another retiree, so I did the obligatory asking her what her age was, and told her that I was 18. She apologized also and said she was 15. But she had a seestor who was 18.

Wow. Brenda was really cute, and here sister was pretty wild. I ended up dating the sister once and we had little in common. She hated radio.

But out of a family of 4 kids, the dad had 3 of the kids licensed.

The novice band is gone now. SSB is allowed all the way down to 3600.

Back in my day we had 50kHz for novices on 80M, and we liked it. It was packed on there.

[K1OU]

Threads like these are my favorites!

'RQZ, how much space do you have? Perhaps the loop idea would work well. Secure in the neighborhood of 270 feet of wire as well as the necessary length of 450 ladder line to get to an ATU. Just try to get the loop as high as possible. Dimensions aren't critical, but keep in mind that you should strive to get as much space inside the loop as possible. An antenna like this served me very well for several years. I had no problem being heard on a regional basis due to the high take off angle.

When I added an AL811 amp to the system, the thing REALLY took off. No problems with toilet ticks, because on 75, like it or not, you'll get your share and need the extra juice.

On other bands, it is about what you'd expect. Worked extremely well for local stuff on 40. On 20, 15, and 10, as lobes increased, it was more of a crapshoot.

Another concept would be to have a dipole fed with 450. And again, it is relatively the same pattern but theoretically has less gain.

[kb9rqz]

Threads like these are my favorites!

'RQZ, how much space do you have? Perhaps the loop idea would work well. Secure in the neighborhood of 270 feet of wire as well as the necessary length of 450 ladder line to get to an ATU. Just try to get the loop as high as possible. Dimensions aren't critical, but keep in mind that you should strive to get as much space inside the loop as possible. An antenna like this served me very well for several years. I had no problem being heard on a regional basis due to the high take off angle.

When I added an AL811 amp to the system, the thing REALLY took off. No problems with toilet ticks, because on 75, like it or not, you'll get your share and need the extra juice.

On other bands, it is about what you'd expect. Worked extremely well for local stuff on 40. On 20, 15, and 10, as lobes increased, it was more of a crapshoot.

Another concept would be to have a dipole fed with 450. And again, it is relatively the same pattern but theoretically has less gain.
just a small place only 58 acres right ow got up 215 feet fed by 450 up arround 35 feet give or take I am coming to the conclusion that I need an amp but that will have to wait for maybe this fall geting my wife and myself radio for hf andsorta taps the budject a bit