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Thread: DX

  1. #1
    SK Member 8/11/2015
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    DX

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

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    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kk4fpx View Post
    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.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

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    Orca Whisperer N2RJ's Avatar
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    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.

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    If you know CW, you've got a big advantage.
    Jim
    The machine does not isolate us from the great problems of nature but plunges us more deeply into them. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry



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    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KG4NEL View Post
    If you know CW, you've got a big advantage.
    Or, failing that, the digi modes work well. I use PSK31 a lot.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

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    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
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    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.
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    Conch Master KJ3N's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kk4fpx View Post
    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.

    Of course, YMMV. ;)
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    "If someone tells you he believes in and talks to an invisible bunny named Harvey, you put him on medication and a regimen of therapy. If someone tells you he believes in and talks to God, well, that's perfectly acceptable. Why that's the case is impossible for me to fathom." - WP2XX



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  8. #8
    SK Member 8/11/2015
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kk4fpx View Post
    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.
    Jim
    The machine does not isolate us from the great problems of nature but plunges us more deeply into them. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry



  10. #10
    Conch Master KJ3N's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kk4fpx View Post
    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.
    "People Who Don't Want Their Beliefs Laughed at Shouldn't Have Such Funny Beliefs" -AD5MB

    "If someone tells you he believes in and talks to an invisible bunny named Harvey, you put him on medication and a regimen of therapy. If someone tells you he believes in and talks to God, well, that's perfectly acceptable. Why that's the case is impossible for me to fathom." - WP2XX



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