Get on 160 meters ;)

[PA5COR]

Just worked VO1TA, and KB3AF on 160.
Good conditions but not much takers....:cry:

Now's the time to DX

[W3WN]

Can't tonight, but I will try to be on for the Stew Perry.

Now, if you can somehow hear (let alone work) my meager 160 signal, THEN I'll be impressed!

[n2ize]

Well, if I get an antenna up between now and Febuary I'll try. Nothing like soome goood 160 meter AM.

[PA5COR]

VO1TA worked with an inverted L as well, but only with a few radials.
I could hear him with his 100 watts on my inverted L
Our little dx group normally runs 4 - 500 watts.
But even one of the group just running 100 watts made it to him with 5/7.
KB3AF from West Virginia was a little less loud, but even with the inverted L he was good, the EWE gave 5/7
With the inverted L here, 21 meters high, 23 meters sloping back to 10 meters and about 700 meters length in radials, it works fine, absolutely no great DX antenna.
So, if we can, you can ;)

[W3WN]

I can't lay down a radial field anywhere near that. I have permission from my neighbors for the wire in the air, but that's all.

I had some "stealth" radials buried for awhile, but my one neighbor dug up part of his back yard to put in some french drains, and there they went.

And on 160, the radial field can make a huge difference.

Just have to do the best I can with what I have.

OTOH, I did hear a G3 come through last night around 1 AM EST (0600 Z) at a 469 with QSB, although he didn't answer me. So it's not impossible. Just tough. Or better yet, challenging.

[PA5COR]

My plot is just 100 by 25 foot...including the house 30 x 25.

Sneaking a few radials out under stones sideways and the rest is on the plot i have.
Still working, i just can't get a shovel in the ground without hitting one radial, but then most of it is paved over, and the radials just under it.

[n2ize]

Here's what I used for 160. I had an 80 meter doublet way up in a tree fed with balanced line. For 160 I'd remove the balanced line from the antenna tuner, tie both ends together and feed it directly into the transmitter. Wasn't great but not bad either. I got out pretty good rinning a 1952 Viking 2 on AM at appx 100 watts carrier. A decent grounding system helps. Just do the best you can.

[W2NAP]

i would but... im not a gen or extra.. and i have no HF radio....

[NQ6U]

i would but... im not a gen or extra..

That doesn't seem to stop a lot of people.

[KG4CGC]

.. and i have no HF radio....
Bullhorn into a dipole.

[W3WN]

i would but... im not a gen or extra.. and i have no HF radio....
All correctable circumstances.

[W2NAP]

All correctable circumstances.

not always. if i have the $$$ come jan 19th and a way to get there. i may make gen or extra.

so far on practice tests, on gen i avg 90-95% extra on the other hand im avg 60%



but. now having any radios..... maybe in 2060 radios will only cost bout $10.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

HF is super easy if you look at it from a cheapskate point of view.
The marine industry has gone from AM around 2 mHz to SSB.
You can frequently find the radios for free.
That covers 160.
For 10 meters, CB radio conversions are common,,but if you are only a tech you will NEED SSB, not as common.
I have a well modded Motorola business dispatcher radio I use for part 15 49 mHz and 6 meters I got for free.
For 2 meters and 440 I have all manner of radios, most are ex military or government.
Finding the hardware (radios) should be the easy part.

[KG4CGC]

maybe in 2060 radios will only cost bout $10.
By then the TP will have outlawed radio and limited us to beating on logs and two tin cans with a string.

[W3WN]

not always. if i have the $$$ come jan 19th and a way to get there. i may make gen or extra.

so far on practice tests, on gen i avg 90-95% extra on the other hand im avg 60%

but. now having any radios..... maybe in 2060 radios will only cost bout $10.

First things first. Sounds like you should have no problem upgrading (technical wise). So that's correctable.

[W2NAP]

First things first. Sounds like you should have no problem upgrading (technical wise). So that's correctable.

yea. im going to try to pass both. go in a tech leave extra... at least thats the plan