40m very poor

Are any other UK stations suffering with very poor propagation condx on 40m today? I even went out and checked my antennae and coaxes it’s that bad here, all those lovely points missed too;-)

Mike GW0DSP

In reply to GW0DSP:
Hi Mike - the same here !!
I went and checked that the trap dipole was still there !

Very strange condx - stations there one minute - then disappear completely the next!

Managed to work HB9AFI/P on a peak, but that’s all - heard some of the others but only weakly and then out with QSB to nil !!

73 Graham

In reply to G3OHC:

Phew!! I thought Steve AAV had pinned me coaxes;-)

I have only worked LA1ENA, S58R and HB9AFI and they were in rapid qsb. I have heard some of the 10 pointers but too weak to QSO. Juerg HB9BAB was 579 at one point but I wasn’t making the trip back to him.
I feel better now cos I know you have good ears, maybe in the UK we are all in the same boat then.

73
Mike GW0DSP

In reply to GW0DSP:

Just tuned the band and found it full of strong G’s, perhaps we’ve slipped back a few years in a time warp?

Pinning the coax is reserved for the funny noise brigade that try to QRM SOTA stations on the DC bands, though keel-hauling sounds more appropriate!

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to GW0DSP:

SOTA activations on 40m were mainly inaudible here this morning Mike, in spite of a quiet band.

I wish others would follow the exmple of Aage who was easy to copy on 10 MHz.

73 Roy

In reply to G4SSH:

Hi Roy

It surprises me why so few use 30m for sota, it proved it’s worth to me during my DM/BW tour. It is great for qrp and the dipole is much shorter than 40m, plus it stays contest free. I will always try the band along with 40m, still each to his own.

73 Mike

In reply to GW0DSP:

I agree that 10MHz has a number of advantages. For a start there are no contests which is a blessing with QRP. I usually also find the band noise to be lower. I have also found the pile up to be less dense and rather more gentlemanly - this would be useful for anyone unsure of their ability to copy CW well, but who wants to try the mode for SOTA.

I use a 5/7/10MHz dipole, so the ends are higher off the ground than the lower frequencies. This can be extremely useful when you are “chasing your tail” trying to erect an antenna with the ground falling away rapidly on all sides. Generally the 5MHz section of the dipole ends up lying on the ground. Of course this happens to me as I sit on the top of the hill to get out on 144MHz, my preferred band. If I were running HF only, then a more appropriate site could most likely be found lower down within the activation zone.

10MHz gets a thumbs up from me.

73, Gerald

In reply to GW0DSP:

These dire conditions are one of the reasons I’m trying to get my CW back. I’ve had enough close calls this summer that I can no longer rely on HF SSB on 60m to do the job. OK it sounds like the sky is very badly broken today but having CW as well as SSB has got to be the sensible thing to do. As is adding 30m to my 40/60/80 antenna. It can’t really be more than a hour’s work to modify a 40m antenna for 30m, and that includes 3 cups of tea, a biscuit, two phone calls and a comfort break!

I’m only up to 17wpm spaced at 6wpm, so I’m not quite ready to face the wolf pack. But I get my fix of practice from lcwo.net everyday. What I have noticed is that I’m starting to pick out words and phrases just by leaving one of the HF sets on in the shack tuned to some CW. As Tom has demonstrated, it only requires a bit of persistance. But you’ll have to form an orderly queue and play nice with me.

Anyway, what we need is someone to go and give the sun a good shoeing to wake it up.

Andy
MM0FMF