Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
The 'bottom of the sunspot cycle' can be downright frustrating if one wants
to work DXCC in a weekend using a dipole, but it can be a very interesting
time to be 'spooking the aether'.
I work most of my DX when the bands are 'dead'. I don't band-hop much. I'll
pick a band - may favorite DX band is 20 meters - and spend an hour
listening to static if that's what's there while tuning across the band.
That's where I find a lot of interesting contacts. Much like 6 or 2 meters
when an opening hits, suddenly there will be a signal or two standing well
above the noise, and they're often long DX - sometimes long-path DX as well.
Sometimes we chew the rag for a while because he was listening to a 'dead'
band too. Maybe that happens more now because the guys looking for a
30-second QSO before jumping off to another station are punching the
band-buttons like crazy looking for a pileup or they've given up entirely.
I exaggerated. On 20 I don't think I've ever listened to static for a full
hour. Long before then I've scared up a QSO somewhere <G>.
The other night I was listening to a very quiet 40 meter CW band. I'm
currently on a temporary antenna. It's what most would call a NVIS antenna
on 40. It's an end-fed dipole less than 20 feet up. Virtually all of my
contacts are along the west coast from my QTH near the Oregon coast. I
normally don't expect to work anything east of the Rocky Mountains.
I called a brief CQ, and there was a reply just above the noise. Cool, I
thought; I always enjoy working a weak signal. It turned out to be N9DFM,
Dave in Minnesota, running 5 watts! So I cranked down my power from 100 to 5
watts and he copied me QRP as well. Not fantastic DX, I know, but a FB QSO
and over a 1,700+ mile hop I don't normally expect to work even when the
band is very active. And all on low-slung temporary antenna.
Yes that is fun and 40 meters is where you will find activity at
night if the noise is low enough. But this is not as good as it will get
when conditions improve. And they will. Then you will work DX with a 6
foot mobile antenna QRP.
If you just turn on your radio right now you may hear nothing but
noise. As you say if you tune around for and hour you might hear
something. But if your looking for a friend across country your not
likely to hear him now. In a year or two it will get much better.
73 Karl
The bands aren't "out". They're just different than they were a couple of
years ago.
Ron AC7AC
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