DX

[kk4fpx]

What would be good for working low power DX other than 10 meters?

[NQ6U]

What would be good for working low power DX other than 10 meters?

20m. I've worked all over the world with 35 watts and a wire dipole (at only 32' AGL) that cost maybe five bucks to make.

[N2RJ]

Not quite sure what you're asking... bands? antennas? rig?

20 meters is pretty much the DX band. 40 is nice at nights.

Antennas depend on how much space, money, smarts and balls you have.

Rigs - you probably have one but for DX I think any old rig will do quite honestly.

[KG4NEL]

If you know CW, you've got a big advantage.

[NQ6U]

If you know CW, you've got a big advantage.

Or, failing that, the digi modes work well. I use PSK31 a lot.

[WØTKX]

Any of the HF bands, depending on conditions. 160 and 80/75 can be challenging on QRP, but it's do-able.

But 40 and 30 are pretty damn good... And anything higher in frequency through 6 meters, if the band is good.

[KJ3N]

What would be good for working low power DX other than 10 meters?

Any band 30m through 10m is probably OK for low power DX, but how successful you'll be is going to depend on 2 major factors. One you have some control over, the other you do not.

The one factor you have some control over is antenna(s). Proper antenna selection and placement is very important for reasonable success. If you use wire antennas, height is going to be a factor on how well you will do. You'll have better success with a 20m dipole @ 60 feet than you will with a 20m dipole @ 25 feet.

The factor that you will not have control over is propagation. She can be a cruel mistress. There will be days when you will think you could work the world on a wet noodle, and then there will be days you couldn't raise a station if you were running 5KW into a 4-element beam @ 75 feet.

When things are going your way you can have results like this (http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?291382-Receiver-or-antenna&p=2214512#post2214512).

Of course, YMMV. ;)

[kk4fpx]

I should have stated on a tech licence.I have a 40 meter antenna but I can only use cw on it,which I plan to on in the future.How is 6 meters.

[KG4NEL]

I should have stated on a tech licence.I have a 40 meter antenna but I can only use cw on it,which I plan to on in the future.How is 6 meters.

If you have a tower and a good-sized Yagi, it can be usable out to a few hundred miles using digital modes like WSJT regularly. Other than that, you're limited to sporadic-E or F2 during sunspot peaks, mostly.

Getting at least your General helps out a lot with DXing. International bandplans don't always match up well with what we have here in the States, and having as much spectrum available will improve your odds.

[KJ3N]

I should have stated on a tech licence.I have a 40 meter antenna but I can only use cw on it,which I plan to on in the future.How is 6 meters.

IMO, without at least a 3-element beam, you'd be wasting your time on 6m for DX. There is some trans-equatorial propagation to be had the further south you are, but here in the mid-Atlantic you don't see a lot of it. You will also need to have higher SFI numbers than we've had in the last couple of months.

The last peak we had back around 2001, I worked a good bit of western Europe and the West Coast on 6m. I even work Alaska on 6m. I had a 5-element beam for 6m @ around 20 feet above ground. Some people were able to work Europe on 6m with a loop antenna and 10 watts, but they had to work at it.

My advice is to upgrade to General ASAP if you want to enjoy DX on HF.

[N2RJ]

If you know CW, you've got a big advantage.

Either that, or a memory keyer (rig with one built in).

[N2RJ]

.How is 6 meters.

Frustrating if you like to DX daily.

Exciting if you like surprises.

A blast during VHF contests.

[N7YA]

I certainly cant comment on digital or 6 meters. But i can tell you my favorite bands are 15 and 17 by day, 40 and 30 at night. My Vee is cut for 20, but loads up well on those other bands, theres no corner of the globe i cant reach, and this cycle has blown goats so far! I only use 100w and CW, if you want to truly get it done in the DX realm, you need to upgrade. Do this and see what you've been missing. :agree:

[ki4itv]

I should have stated on a tech licence.I have a 40 meter antenna but I can only use cw on it,which I plan to on in the future.How is 6 meters.
You have 15m CW privileges as a Tech. That may be your best and most consistent bet right now.
You are on the right side of the solar cycle though, and with any luck, 10m could be hopping madness sometime relatively soon.
Pay attention to 6m, I've had very good luck with trans equatorial contacts on that band.
Much of the time on 6m, it's not so much about the power, as it is having a sympathetic path that your signal can worm its way through.
BTW, I used just a rotatable copper tube dipole on 6 for a couple years and did very well. It was only about 25ft. above ground. Easily achieved, and cheap. Good first lesson in antenna construction too.
Just do it.

[wa6mhz]

What do you need to work DX with low power??????

SUNSPOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kk4fpx]

Thanks Glen and all.I'll consider up grading in the future.For now I might add 6 meters to my station.

[N7YA]

Yep! And like Trey said, you still have 15 CW...take advantage of that, lots of good stuff. :)

[N2RJ]

You also have 40 and 80 cw. In fact the whole band that generals have for CW (only) on 80, 40, 15 and 10 you guys have. Make use of it!

[N7YA]

On this, we completely agree.

[kk4fpx]

I think I'll take some advice given and work on my cw,plenty of freq there to tech's

[NQ6U]

I think I'll take some advice given and work on my cw,plenty of freq there to tech's

Work towards your general, too—it's probably easier than learning to copy code. Hell, I'm a freakin' truck driver and I passed the exam 100%.

[W5GA]

To work DX, and lots of it, ya gotta be able to go where the DX is. Getting your Extra will also give your totals a HUGE boost. Don't get me wrong, you can easily get DXCC as a general....hell, I did it as a novice. Watch the spots, and see how many of them are in your end of the bands as compared to the Extra exclusive portions.

[N2RJ]

Also you'll find that DXCC isn't hard to achieve at all. You can get DXCC in a single contest weekend during CQWW, CQ WPX or ARRL DX. It's what comes after that gets hard.

Nothing wrong with working on CW but I would get all the license you could first.

[N2RJ]

I think I'll take some advice given and work on my cw,plenty of freq there to tech's

You can use a sound card and a computer if you really wanted to, just sayin'.

[WØTKX]

Especially during contests. :mrgreen:

[N2RJ]

Especially during contests. :mrgreen:

No shame in that. 48 hours gets tiring.

[N7YA]

No shame in that. 48 hours gets tiring.

I agree. I dont have any of the electronic stuff, all old, manually operated devices and good old voice. But, to me anyway, its not about what you use to get them in the log, just get them in the log, and above all else, have fun!