60 meters

[w2amr]

I removed the tiny diode from my Icom 706MK2G that opens up the transmitter, and been having a lot of fun on 60 meters. I'm using my 75/40 meter vee with my old roller inductor ten tech tuner. There is a group every morning about 8AM EST on 5.330.5 USB.

[N8YX]

My Paragon IIs will operate there, as will a couple other rigs which are currently out of the lineup at the moment. Have to see what I can do for an NVIS setup for the band.

ETA:

I have all 5 60M frequencies programmed into the P-II's memories and monitor the channels in the evening hours. May have to listen in the morning too.

[w2amr]

One cool feature, the frequencies are spaced so far apart, there is no QRM.

[WZ7U]

Did you desolder it or do like I did; crush it with a needlenose plier?

Gotta get on 60. I bet it's fun!

[KG4CGC]

Are you enjoying 11 meters? The dx beacon for 10 meters?

[N8YX]

11 is deadsville here.

FCC is going to relax the 155mi rule for Class D communications, so we'll be "legally" allowed to work DX on the band (albeit with certificated equipment). That said, my Pro-40 and CP-2000 aren't seeing a lot of use these days. Not too many SSB-operating locals left and skip ain't up.

[KG4CGC]

I can look outside and tell when I can get into Greenwood SC. Pretty consistent phenomenon. Ducting I suspect. Met a couple of hams on 11m who live in that area. Went down to 80m and exchanged QSL cards.
Matter of fact, when the band is WIDE ASS OPEN, I hear a lot of hams running modern ham equipment on the band.

[WZ7U]

I can look outside and tell when I can get into Greenwood SC. Pretty consistent phenomenon. Ducting I suspect. Met a couple of hams on 11m who live in that area. Went down to 80m and exchanged QSL cards.
Matter of fact, when the band is WIDE ASS OPEN, I hear a lot of hams running modern ham equipment on the band.

On 60 or 11? Or both?

[suddenseer]

I can look outside and tell when I can get into Greenwood SC. Pretty consistent phenomenon. Ducting I suspect. Met a couple of hams on 11m who live in that area. Went down to 80m and exchanged QSL cards.
Matter of fact, when the band is WIDE ASS OPEN, I hear a lot of hams running modern ham equipment on the band.

I love the qrp ability of the higher hf bands. Tropo is a 'magic' weather phenomenon, those quick packet bursts can give you an idea of the direction, size, shape, etc, of the duct. That, and HAAT were 2 questions I probably bombed on my first phone exam. I have had much fun qrp on 6m with just a vertical.

[N8YX]

...Matter of fact, when the band is WIDE ASS OPEN, I hear a lot of hams running modern ham equipment on the band.

A couple of the area operators run their amateur equipment on 11 and openly brag about doing so.

Best story so far:

I'm tuning the 27.4-28MHz slice, looking for interesting things/signs of life/etc. and I happened upon a DXish conversation on 27.420LSB. Idiot IDed with his ham callsign after announcing he was running an FT-2000.

During the boom years, there were a LOT of folks using FT-101s (and at least one FT-901) on the air in NEOH. A certain denizen of a channel we all used to hang out on as teenagers lived about a mile from me; he shared a shack with dad. Their "CB" was a fully loaded TR-7. Ask yourself how much scratch that would set you back in 1980...