I have S6 or so noise at home, and am sort of resigned to it; This weekend I'm at my brother in law's house in Western MA with S1 noise. I was astonished. Put my KX3 up and a Superantenna and was able to check into a net where the net control was in MD on 40 meters, using 9 watts.
Keep on dialing around. The contacts are there but you need to be a bit artful getting them. On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 1:19 PM, Walter Underwood <wun...@wunderwood.org> wrote: > You can get a quick look at band conditions at http://bandconditions.com < > http://bandconditions.com/> > > Using Buddistick on 40 m is a real challenge. I would not be surprised if > that was an S-unit or more below a full-size dipole. > > Try the simplest field antenna for the KX3, two wires connected directly > to the rig. Get a BNC to double binding post adaptor. Get a wire 26 to 29 > feet long, throw it in a tree and hook one end to the red post. Get a 16 > foot wire, lay it on the ground and connect it to the black post. Let the > ATU tune it and see you can hear. > > wunder > K6WRU > Walter Underwood > CM87wj > http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog) > > > On Aug 11, 2017, at 9:54 AM, Tommy <tomm...@hvc.rr.com> wrote: > > > > The band has been really crappy lately. Keep tuning around and listening. > > > > 73! > > > > Tom - KB2SMS > > > > > > > > On 08/11/2017 12:33 PM, Mike Parkes wrote: > >> Okay I am reaching our to the Elecraft enthusiasts here for some > feedback > >> if anyone cares to chime in. > >> I am just getting back on the air after years away from the hobby, so I > am > >> not that familiar with band conditions in general. It looks like the > >> sunspot cycle is heading for the cellar (if it isn't already there). > >> > >> Recently bought a KX3 and a Buddistick vertical (like, 2 weeks ago). > Love > >> the KX3 it is a great radio... however... so far my efforts to hear > much of > >> anything, much less make a contact with someone, has been frustrating to > >> say the least. I live in an apartment and am surrounded by power lines > for > >> one thing. The background noise level on 40 is pretty bad varies but is > >> s7-9 mostly. I took my setup to a nearby park and the bands were > >> definitely quieter. So the local manmade noise level is an issue (and > one > >> reason I chose the KX3 was the hope that its rcvr and filtering could > help > >> with that.) > >> > >> Have yet to make a single contact, so I am just wondering if I just > >> happened to choose a really lousy period of solar conditions for HF? Or > is > >> the base loaded vertical a joke? > >> > >> I would love to be able to find another ham even close by just to try > and > >> get some sort of an HF QSO even if it is with someone down the block. > >> ...I can tune down to the AM broadcast band and was able to hear some > local > >> AM stations. :) > >> > >> Mike AB7RU > >> > >> (On a side note the tuner in the KX3 is great!. That thing was able to > get > >> a match for 80 meters on the Buddistick which was showing something like > >> 25:1 swr. The KX3 tuner clicked and rattled for a while and found a > match > >> to <2:1. Not sure how much actual RF is going out, probably not much... > but > >> I was amazed it could tune to that high an SWR.) > >> ______________________________________________________________ > >> Elecraft mailing list > >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > >> > >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > >> Message delivered to tomm...@hvc.rr.com > >> > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > Message delivered to wun...@wunderwood.org > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to r...@wc3t.us > -- 73 (or 72 for the QRP folks), Rich Hurd / WC3T DMR ID: 3142737 Northampton County RACES EPA-ARRL Public Information Officer for Scouting Latitude: 40.761621 Longitude: -75.288988 (40°45.68' N 75°17.33' W) Grid: *FN20is* ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
