Lots of emails this week and other you tube videos, talking about propagation and poor band conditions, Dont think so, and here is why. Get off the computers and get on the air.
Totally agree Brian! Yesterday the Au was 67! I called on 10m and worked several Indonesian stations and Africa..last night I had fun working Aurora on 10m!! 73s Chris Gm4zji
Love it Brian! I can just imagine your next QSO…”ANT is steel shed”…hi hi. Think you are quite right about propagation predictions…I’m not one for contests but they do bring lots of stations out and it’s amazing what you can hear on supposedly dead bands…
A prime example are the CWTs around 0700 UTC or whatever. I can be calling CQ on 20 m, with 5 W CW, and getting RBN spots right across the US at really good signal strengths, but get no responses. Then CWT starts and I start replying to US ops, and they all hear me. Very frustrating that 'dead bands' are so often just the result of lack of ops on air. 73 M3KXZ
Hi Brian. You are absolutely correct with the advice to not let propagation predictions take control of decisions of whether or not to get on the radio. I just grab opprtunities when I can, and these have to fit in around work, family, and everything else going on, and if I looked at predictions first then these opportunities would be even fewer. What I actually find is that often I will set up, turn the radio on, listen through the bands and find that signals are very low or there is an absence of activity compared with other times when there are big strong signals and busy bands. But that quietness certainly doesn't mean the bands are dead, just that signals might be a few units lower in strength and contacts might require more effort. Several times when you and I have had great QSOs it's been almost radio silence at my end and you've mentioned that I'm the only op from here to be heard. And that's with my little 5 W so there must be decent propagation. The lack of activity at these times can likely be attirubuted to a lack of ops just giving it a go because they believe 'the bands are dead'! A better indication of what propagation conditions are actually like can be gained from using the Reverse Beacon Network, which as we know shows in real time where signals are being sent from, where they are being picked up, and at what strengh. But relying too heavily on this also has it's downsides. For example, I can look at RBN and see that signal levels are low and not many are over a long distance. When I check where my CQs are being picked up the biggest distance might be a few hundred, or perhaps a couple of thousand km. Yet I still manage to work ops the other side of the world. Another oddity is that I can tune through the bands and hear no strong signals at all, yet when I start calling CQ I will nearly always end up working other QRP ops over pretty decent distances, and we hold extended QSOs with not problem as all. Maybe not necessarilly DX but certainly within a couple of thousand km, and this can be at times when there is an 'RF blackout'. But where are the QRO ops? Finally (for now, as I need breakfast!), I don't want people to think that the only reason I'm managing to get good DX is because I'm setting up on the beach. So many of my UK to New Zealand and Australia QSOs have been from far inland using either a wire on a pole / in a tree, or just an Ampro 20 (Hamstick type) antenna on a magmount. Understanding propagation, figuring out how it is affected by day / night, studying the grey line, and actually getting on the radio to LISTEN and CALL are the things that are key to having fun and working great DX. And of course, don't be disheartened at times when contacts don't happen but instead enjoy the challenge. Best wishes, M3KXZ
Hi Brian ! happy to see you ! we get some QSO on 30 and 20 ! you signal coming to EU always very strong ! you are a sort of beacon hi hi best 73s de Mario IK1LBL
Nice one Brian.. A man after my own heart. I've been playing/experimenting with wire antennas since 1978 and have out performed others with their high power and expensive antennas, yet I only use an ft817nd and 5w. I don't use Dx cluster programs or band predictions, I just go for it.. If you don't put out a signal of some kind, nobody will hear you. Keep up with the good content... 73's and good Dx.. Dave
Well done Brian. Some great advice. Keep it up. 73 Peter.
Totally agree Brian! Yesterday the Au was 67! I called on 10m and worked several Indonesian stations and Africa..last night I had fun working Aurora on 10m!! 73s Chris Gm4zji
Love it Brian! I can just imagine your next QSO…”ANT is steel shed”…hi hi. Think you are quite right about propagation predictions…I’m not one for contests but they do bring lots of stations out and it’s amazing what you can hear on supposedly dead bands…
@@GD415711 I have never worked a contest hi. I go onto the non contest bands for the day. 73
A prime example are the CWTs around 0700 UTC or whatever. I can be calling CQ on 20 m, with 5 W CW, and getting RBN spots right across the US at really good signal strengths, but get no responses. Then CWT starts and I start replying to US ops, and they all hear me. Very frustrating that 'dead bands' are so often just the result of lack of ops on air.
73 M3KXZ
Hi Brian. You are absolutely correct with the advice to not let propagation predictions take control of decisions of whether or not to get on the radio. I just grab opprtunities when I can, and these have to fit in around work, family, and everything else going on, and if I looked at predictions first then these opportunities would be even fewer.
What I actually find is that often I will set up, turn the radio on, listen through the bands and find that signals are very low or there is an absence of activity compared with other times when there are big strong signals and busy bands. But that quietness certainly doesn't mean the bands are dead, just that signals might be a few units lower in strength and contacts might require more effort.
Several times when you and I have had great QSOs it's been almost radio silence at my end and you've mentioned that I'm the only op from here to be heard. And that's with my little 5 W so there must be decent propagation. The lack of activity at these times can likely be attirubuted to a lack of ops just giving it a go because they believe 'the bands are dead'!
A better indication of what propagation conditions are actually like can be gained from using the Reverse Beacon Network, which as we know shows in real time where signals are being sent from, where they are being picked up, and at what strengh. But relying too heavily on this also has it's downsides. For example, I can look at RBN and see that signal levels are low and not many are over a long distance. When I check where my CQs are being picked up the biggest distance might be a few hundred, or perhaps a couple of thousand km. Yet I still manage to work ops the other side of the world.
Another oddity is that I can tune through the bands and hear no strong signals at all, yet when I start calling CQ I will nearly always end up working other QRP ops over pretty decent distances, and we hold extended QSOs with not problem as all. Maybe not necessarilly DX but certainly within a couple of thousand km, and this can be at times when there is an 'RF blackout'. But where are the QRO ops?
Finally (for now, as I need breakfast!), I don't want people to think that the only reason I'm managing to get good DX is because I'm setting up on the beach. So many of my UK to New Zealand and Australia QSOs have been from far inland using either a wire on a pole / in a tree, or just an Ampro 20 (Hamstick type) antenna on a magmount. Understanding propagation, figuring out how it is affected by day / night, studying the grey line, and actually getting on the radio to LISTEN and CALL are the things that are key to having fun and working great DX. And of course, don't be disheartened at times when contacts don't happen but instead enjoy the challenge.
Best wishes,
M3KXZ
@@petemillis4666 great words, which every new op should should hear.
Cheers mate, go well.
Hi Brian ! happy to see you ! we get some QSO on 30 and 20 ! you signal coming to EU always very strong ! you are a sort of beacon hi hi best 73s de Mario IK1LBL
Nice one Brian.. A man after my own heart. I've been playing/experimenting with wire antennas since 1978 and have out performed others with their high power and expensive antennas, yet I only use an ft817nd and 5w. I don't use Dx cluster programs or band predictions, I just go for it.. If you don't put out a signal of some kind, nobody will hear you. Keep up with the good content... 73's and good Dx.. Dave
Fantastic! 73 M3KXZ
Compared to a year or so ago the bands are in fact dead but, yes there is still some fun to be had if we are patient.
You never know unless you have ago 73's Dave Vk2bdp