View Full Version : Make some noise!
K5USS
10-24-2005, 11:57 PM
I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and decided that this would be a good day to just take off from work and try to work a little DX after the examination. #As we all are painfully aware, the sun spot cycle is almost at its lowest point making communications on the low portion of VHF and most all of HF tough. #What is an amateur operator to do in a situation like this? #The DX stations are not booming in, the hard to get states are not to be found, and the E clouds are not cooperating. #
After my arrival back at the house I turned on the radio and started scanning the bands. #It was still early enough in the day for some stations to still be heard on 80 meters, 40 meters was almost non-existent except for locals, and 20 meters was full of the normal nets. #I decided to check all bands from 6 meters up through 80 meters for activity. #As I went to each band I would start at the bottom edge of my license privileges and dial up from there. #80 –20 meters was as I stated before, quiet or nets mainly. #17, 15, and 12 meters were quite something different! #People were working DX! #On 17 meters I was able to work 2 JA stations and 3 VE’s before the noise level came up too bad, 15 meters had several DX stations on but my “little pistol” station could not get through the pile ups, 12 meters was active with quite a few stations rag chewing and a couple calling CQ. #I called out to 2 of the stations calling CQ, exchanged information and let them get back to it after they informed me that they were looking for DX.
So it was back to 15 meters in hopes of getting my 100-watt signal, into a dipole, over to some folks “across the pond”. #As I went through the band I heard a faint CQ, I listened for a minute and his signal was way down in the noise. #I have always heard “if ya can hear em, you can work em” so I called back to him. #This is K5USS, Kilo 5 Uniform Sierra Sierra Richardson, Texas over, I repeated this twice as I always do. #He heard my call and acknowledged with “USS hang on and let me swing my beam your direction”. #He kept talking as the beam worked its way towards me and his signal grew ever stronger. #Once he had finished rotating my direction he turned it over to me. #I gave the normal reply, “Hello there, this is K5USS in Richardson, Texas, and the name on this end is Charlie, how do you copy?” #When he replied this time it sounded like he was in the room with me! #He stated that he had tweaked the direction of the beam as I talked; he was running 800 watts and located in Long Beach, California. #We began the normal first time QSO with our names, locations, information about the weather, and what not and then came the part that I will not soon forget. #He told me about making noise…
Ed has been licensed for a “long time”, according to him, and he has been through a lot of changes in amateur radio. #He stated that he has seen days when you could not find a clear space to call CQ and then to the opposite extreme where you could call CQ all afternoon and not get a response. #“At this part of the cycle is when you don’t get a lot of replies” he explained. #“A lot of the stations figure since the sun spot cycle is down, there is no sense in trying to raise anyone”. #He told me that we all need to “make some noise” if we want to make a contact or 2. #“If we all wait for the other guy to call CQ we may never get the opportunity to pick up a microphone”. #According to him he calls CQ every 5 minutes for one hour, or until he makes a contact on the band of his preference. #If he does not make a contact he simply turns off the radio until later in the day and starts all over again. #“I can’t make all the noise,” he stated rather adamantly.
As we chatted I began to learn a bit more about amateur radio than I had before, it’s amazing to me the wealth of knowledge that comes from a seasoned citizen. #I learned it is not about the big gun station with 150-foot towers topped with large Yagi antennas. #It is not about obtaining DXCC on a single band and it is not being the first in a pile-up. #It’s about sharing a common interest with others. #Ed informed me that he has several shoeboxes full of QSL cards that he has acquired over the years and he has not once applied for a “piece of paper”. #“Paper says nothing about the operator” he stated to me. #He allowed that he participates in amateur radio for the pleasure of making friends all over the world without leaving his home. #“I have friends in places that I can’t spell”, he told me, “and I have a few that are here local”. #“You work some people a few times and you get to know each other, get to know about them and theirs”, he went on.
As the ragchew progressed with my newly found, 89 year old, friend I realized that I have been going about it all wrong. #I have been looking for the new grid square, state, island or country calling CQ…I have not been calling for the next friend, the person that hears me calling CQ on a seemingly dead band. #The next time I tune through a band and think it is dead I will call CQ and see what lies in wait for me to learn.
I have no way of knowing if I will hear my “friend” further down the log, but I do know that he has taught me a valuable lesson. #If we don’t make some noise, we will never be heard.
Charlie,
Ah, the basics of ham radio. Thanks and keep calling CQ.
Wayne, wb1wmb
wa9cwx
10-25-2005, 05:15 PM
Nice QSO, but pretty basic info, and yes, those of us around for a while may know a thing or two.
And I agree about the awards, nice for those that want them, but the ONLY paper I have applied for was my Rag Chewers Certificate in 1962.
Never saw a reason for the other awards myself, my pride in ham radio comes from my operating practices, not someone elses' requirement for a piece of paper.
And yes, by all means get on the air even if a band SEEMS dead. Ten meter beacons sure tell that story. You can hear 5 watt beacons S3 from 1000 mi away, and the band is dead quiet!
I often will call CQ on a completely dead band just to see if some local is listening too!
Quote[/b] (K5USS @ Oct. 24 2005,16:57)]I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and decided that this would be a good day to just take off from work and try to work a little DX after the examination. #As we all are painfully aware, the sun spot cycle is almost at its lowest point making communications on the low portion of VHF and most all of HF tough. #What is an amateur operator to do in a situation like this? #The DX stations are not booming in, the hard to get states are not to be found, and the E clouds are not cooperating. #
The most unique DX contact I ever made was the result of calling "CQ" on a dead band.
Back in the mid 70s, I awakened around 3:30AM ©, made the normal trip to the head and on the way back to bed, decided to stop and fire up the rig.
I called "CQ" several times on different areas of the 20m band, both CW and SSB, #and received no replies. #Just as I was about to turn the rig off, a station responded to my "CQ". #I was in the SSB portion of 20m, and the station calling me was just above the noise level. #I took me several attempts to understand his call sign and get the contact going. #I initially thought that I had made contact with a YV station but as the QSO progressed, the other station finally made me understand the his prefix was "YB". #The station was a portable station in the Bush of Eastern Indonesia. #He was running about 15 watts into a dipole and was on generator power. #While this was probably not a rare contact, it was rare to me and very unique. #I received a QSL from the station and it is one of the ones that I proudly display in my shack.
The bands may not always be "active" but with a little patience, there is always a contact that can be made.
W0GDS
10-25-2005, 05:52 PM
Fortunately I have the opportunity to work from my home and be able to sit down at my rig once in a while during the day to work some DX. I have made many contacts from St. Helena Island in the far south Atlantic, to Haifa, Israel to Auckland, New Zealand. All of this using my G5RV on a horizontal array and my vertical 8-band antenna. Neither of these extend more than 30' in the air. DX is good some days, some evenings and some nights. Then sometimes it is not good at all. I agree with Charlie and his new friend in California, you have to make some noise if you're going to make new contacts and find new friends. Don't think that because you don't hear anyone that no one is on the air listening, go ahead and throw a "CQ" out there and see how many are lurking. Good DX to all and 73!
Its not that we make the contact. Its how we make the contact. Great post.
M3GID
10-25-2005, 06:56 PM
Absolutely wonderful read, thank you for making this post which has warmed the cockles of my heart on this cold autumnal evening. It clearly moved you in a big way for it to have compelled you to write in such a manner and I feel it would have done so to me also, that is what makes me want to turn my rig on, what inspires me to keep on in spite of the seemingly poor conditions, with my 10 watts having already bust 100 DXCC entities this year who knows, and then my friend............bring on the new sunspot cycle!
73 es Gud DX to one and all
de Geoff
ab9lz
10-25-2005, 08:12 PM
As a newbie, I'm surprised on how many times (every weeknight almost) I've scanned the slo-code section of forty to hear nothing but sw qrm, a few CQ's around 7113 almost always gets answered, and usually by non newbies.
Very enjoyable post
hope to see more like it
cq cq cq cq
w5alt
10-25-2005, 09:19 PM
Charlie, thanks for posting that. You are right, don't listen to the nay-sayers, just get on a make some noise. Maybe no one will answer - but maybe they will. And fancy gear and antennas isn't everything and neither are awards.
When I first got the chance to bring gear and work the bands from here (YV1) more than a few people told me it wasn't worth the effort without big antennas. Well, after 180 countries and over 15,000 QSO's with indoor antennas, my conclusion is that they were wrong!
Even last evening while it was raining, I decided to give a CQ on 40 CW. Nothing rare, but I had a short QSO with a ham from Michigan, then a longer rag chew with one in Georgia who knows YV1NX - one of the locals here and a good friend. Then I got a call from the local equivalent of a novice in slow CW and we switched to 2m to continue. If I hadn't sent a few CQ's, maybe I would have been reading or watching TV.
There's always some band that is open somewhere. All we have to do is get 2 hams to find it at the same time!
73,
Walt, W5ALT
KI6ASV
10-25-2005, 10:03 PM
Wow! Nice post - very inspiring for the NCT. I can't wait to get my upgrade. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
73 - Bart-KI6ASV
Thank you! A good post! Hope to work you someday!
Don
NF7R
Excellent post. I'm currently cruising through my general exam study guide and working dilligently on learning CW (regardless of the nay-sayers that say it's a defunct form of communication!) and can't wait to get on the HF bands. For now, my "DXing" is limited to IRLP and Echolink...but I've had some great contacts on Echolink without even firing up my radio...just operated from my PC.
Just goes to show...if you want to make contacts, you can...regardless of sun-spot cycles or gear limitations.
Mike
W1BMB
kc8vjd
10-26-2005, 02:31 AM
When I can't hear activity, I, as well, start calling CQ and will get out the key, especially on 30M. I also use the digital modes when that doesn't work.
K5USS
10-26-2005, 03:51 AM
Quote[/b] ]Excellent post. I'm currently cruising through my general exam study guide and working dilligently on learning CW (regardless of the nay-sayers that say it's a defunct form of communication!) and can't wait to get on the HF bands. For now, my "DXing" is limited to IRLP and Echolink...but I've had some great contacts on Echolink without even firing up my radio...just operated from my PC.
Just goes to show...if you want to make contacts, you can...regardless of sun-spot cycles or gear limitations.
Mike
W1BMB
Mike, #CW is NOT defunct...It is a viable form of communication and you are well respected for persuing the "language"! #Let me know when you upgrade and we WILL have a sked on HF. #Not the best fist here, but we can make a go of it and get the rag chew going!
I wrote this because it really touched me...I have realized that there is a lot to amateur radio that I had not seen before. #It really isn't a contest.
Charlie
K5USS
Very good post. You can never tell when a band is open but just quiet.
A case in point with me was in the early eighties. A friend and I lived across town, too far for simplex with our two meter handies, but there was a favored repeater. Of course, we didn't want to tie it up all the time, so we found an out of the way spot on ten meters. The bands were dead, we could talk as much as we want w/o bothering anyone.
A Chrismass break came and now being out of school, the QSO's became almost daily. One afternoon between our transmissions a gentleman dropped in his call.......
TYA11
I immediately heard my buddy say on the repeater, "Yea Right!". (Yes, he ID'd with the comment) Now the band is dead and that callsign does not make a bit of sense. TY, Rebublic of Benin. But TYA11? Yea, Right...
But ok, it may be a local having fun... afterall he was S-9.
We introduced ourselves and our guest told us he was in Cotonou and his name was "Bull". The two meter machine erupted.... RIGHT! You can imagine our giggles over Bull in Benin. But we were determined to go along with "this Bull". I mentioned that we were college students and had to unkey quickly as the two meter rig blurted out "and I bet he's the President of the place".
Well, if I recall he was the US Ambassador. This was getting better by the moment.... Although we decided to go along with this, as the conversation went on, it seemed more plausable. Oh, he said, his QSL manager is ON5NT. My friend immediately said on VHF "I'll pay money for that one". I think that first QSO went on for a while. Bull proved himself a gentleman and very tolerant of of a couple of college kids.
Well, we sent our cards in a single envelope with an SAE and IRC's and as always ON5NT had confirming cards right back to us. (Thanks!)
Geez, its either a HUGE hoax or he IS for real. Well, Bull dropped into our ragchews a couple of other times that break but then we were off to school and I had not heard of Bull again.
Well until this past January, I heard a pile up for 5U7JB..... I didn't need the country, I was doing paperwork, but I like to listen. I had no intention on entering the pile until he told someone his name was Bull.
Hmmm, Bull, Africa.....
I had to know....... so I called. Sure enough, I met the former TYA11 all over again. Even with the pile he was nice enough to take a moment to bring me up to speed on his ventures. When I said Gentleman, there should be a picture of him in the dictonary next to the word.
Be all that as it may, the moral of the story is that if ever you are on a "dead" band and a DX station pops in to join your QSO.... don't laugh, you just never know, even if he says he is Bull.
Oh and a second moral? You have got to make the calls to get results. Keep up the CQ's.
Thanks for the memories brought on by the post and thanks to Mr. Bullington for one of the most memorable moments of my thirty years on the air.
Respectfully, Ed k3tj
kk6fr
10-26-2005, 05:12 AM
A very enjoyable post to read, And quite a nice change.
k3dub
10-26-2005, 05:48 AM
Very good point.... I've been on 20m the past few weeks, calling CQ on 14.250.00+/- about 00.010.00.... I've talked to about 60 folks in the month of october, with a big day being the 21st when i hit 24 in a day... woo big for me anyways... spoke to people in Belgium, sweeden, ireland, england, switzerland, germany, estonia, italy, spain, and of course the USA... I've been running an IC746 into a heathkit sb-201 w/ about 700w out to a Giovannini D2T 2 ele beam up 75ft on the top of the student alumni union at the rochester institute of technology... seems to be doing me a good job! I dont like wasting my time tuning around, I'll find myself a spot, see if the freq is in use and camp and call CQ....
KU2US
10-26-2005, 06:17 AM
Yes, you dont call, you dont talk! I made a mistake on ten meters in 1980. I had just up-graded to General. My finances were limited (Kids) so all I had was an old radio shack SSB-CB base radio modified to ten meters with 4 watts out and a 25 ft. long wire. My shack was located in a large pantry with a door. One night I awoke-I couldnt sleep. at 3 am I fired up the 4 watts and parked on a ten meter ssb frequency and listened..I had my earphones on and a pillow. I went back to sleep in the pantry. At approx. 4am I was startled to hear someone tuning up on my frequency. This mistake turned into one of the most memorable QSO's I ever had. The station started to CQ, about an S-6 on the meter. I answered. It was ZD9BV? I didnt know where the call came from! we talked for about 15 minutes. I then got the courage to ask him what country he was from-He said "Tristan De Cuhna"..WOW..(The cycle was good then). After our qso about 200 stations called him at once. We exchanged QSL cards. Case in point-You really dont know untill you make some noise. My mistake was that I kept silent. I know better now..Great post..Ken..KU2US..
wb4jhs
10-26-2005, 10:39 AM
Remember those ten meter beacons between 28.200-28.300 low power cw as well as the 14.100 project. #If you prowl around for them most of them are screaming qrp to be heard. #If you can hear them then CQ on 28.400. #Good thoughts for the low end of the cycle, great original post. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
Great post, for sure!
My two most exciting QSO's were on 2meters...I was very anxious to work MIR. At night I would leave the 2M rig on the published pair and set the squelch just high enough to keep the static at bay, but let just about any valid signal through. Then on the night of November 19, 1996, it happened! There was U0MIR calling CQ! I caught him on the descending half of the pass and it was brief, but I was like a kid again!
But the fun wasn't over. On December 16th, 96, I worked him again, this time with my present callsign. My new Vanity call had arrived only a week prior. So now I have two QSL cards for MIR. We also had a chance to chat for about 3 minutes...
Now I'm prowling for the ISS!
73
Steve, K4YZ
Winchester, TN
K8YZK
10-26-2005, 01:39 PM
Nice article. I learned a long time ago even if the band sounds dead, it doesn't mean it is. Back in the 60's during the winter, school was cancelled do to snow. As a Novice, I decided to check out 15 meters and the band sounded dead, so I got on and called CQ, after about the 4th try, I had someone come back to my slow cw signal. Well it was 4U1ITU, had a nice QSO with the operator until the band shut down. So you never know what will happen if you just listen, get on and call CQ.
73
Kurt
Quote[/b] (K3TJ @ Oct. 25 2005,21:33)]Very good post. You can never tell when a band is open but just quiet.
A case in point with me was in the early eighties. A friend and I lived across town, too far for simplex with our two meter handies, but there was a favored repeater. Of course, we didn't want to tie it up all the time, so we found an out of the way spot on ten meters. The bands were dead, we could talk as much as we want w/o bothering anyone.
A Chrismass break came and now being out of school, the QSO's became almost daily. One afternoon between our transmissions a gentleman dropped in his call.......
TYA11
I immediately heard my buddy say on the repeater, "Yea Right!". (Yes, he ID'd with the comment) Now the band is dead and that callsign does not make a bit of sense. TY, Rebublic of Benin. But TYA11? Yea, Right...
But ok, it may be a local having fun... afterall he was S-9.
We introduced ourselves and our guest told us he was in Cotonou and his name was "Bull". The two meter machine erupted.... RIGHT! You can imagine our giggles over Bull in Benin. But we were determined to go along with "this Bull". I mentioned that we were college students and had to unkey quickly as the two meter rig blurted out "and I bet he's the President of the place".
Well, if I recall he was the US Ambassador. This was getting better by the moment.... Although we decided to go along with this, as the conversation went on, it seemed more plausable. Oh, he said, his QSL manager is ON5NT. #My friend immediately said on VHF "I'll pay money for that one". I think that first QSO went on for a while. Bull proved himself a gentleman and very tolerant of of a couple of college kids.
Well, we sent our cards in a single envelope with an SAE and IRC's and as always ON5NT had confirming cards right back to us. (Thanks!)
Geez, its either a HUGE hoax or he IS for real. Well, Bull dropped into our ragchews a couple of other times that break but then we were off to school and I had not heard of Bull again.
Well until this past January, I heard a pile up for 5U7JB..... I didn't need the country, I was doing paperwork, but I like to listen. I had no intention on entering the pile until he told someone his name was Bull.
Hmmm, Bull, Africa.....
I had to know....... so I called. Sure enough, I met the former TYA11 all over again. Even with the pile he was nice enough to take a moment to bring me up to speed on his ventures. When I said Gentleman, there should be a picture of him in the dictonary next to the word.
Be all that as it may, the moral of the story is that if ever you are on a "dead" band and a DX station pops in to join your QSO.... don't laugh, you just never know, even if he says he is Bull.
Oh and a second moral? You have got to make the calls to get results. Keep up the CQ's.
Thanks for the memories brought on by the post and thanks to Mr. Bullington for one of the most memorable moments of my thirty years on the air.
Respectfully, Ed k3tj
Hey, Ed. Great story. I have also worked Bull and I agree. His photo should be in the dictionary beside "gentleman". Most enjoyable QSO, not the "599 73" type!
KB3KCJ
10-26-2005, 02:10 PM
One night maybe over a year ago, I was in the shack and it was fairly late at night. I went from band to band with literally nothing on it - not even 80 meters. It seemed that everything was dead. I finally got through the bands and saved 20 meters for last. Tuning through and through 20 meters, I finally decided to make one more CQ call. Just as I was about to turn the rig off and go to bed I received an acknowledgement from a very nice gentlemen 50 miles or so south of Moscow, Russia. I live in eastern Pennsylvania and at first, thought for a split second that it was someone from Moscow, Pennsylvania. Well about 30 minutes later we signed as the 20 meter band was starting to go. Just goes to prove you never know. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Very good article. This summarizes the whole reason I got into HAM radio.
Mike, W4KTX
N7COA
10-26-2005, 03:14 PM
Very nice post. One of my best on a quiet band was about 2:30 AM while studying at my desk heard a loud signal on 20m asking if the frequency was in use. About blew my speaker off the shelf. It was YB8ACK and we had about 30 min of armchair copy before I had to sign. Then the world seemed to call YB8. All that quiet and nobody around. Everybody just listening. Guess you got to make some noise to be heard. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
W8VIJ
10-26-2005, 06:07 PM
[B]Remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
wa2sam
10-26-2005, 07:40 PM
I've been told you can put a $10,000 rig into a bad antenna and get nowhere, whereas you can put a $500 rig into a decent antenna, not even a manufactured one, perhaps a 1/2 wavelength wire and get worlwide DX, I look forward to getting my General ticket and getting some of the QSO's I've read about here and maybe even talking to some of you.
73 DE KC2OMO
Sam W.
Good post.
Several years ago at the last solar minimum, I set up a station in the wilderness for fun during the CQWW contest. The bands were supposedly "dead" then also, but came to find out during the contest that they were actually alive and well (even up to 10m). The DX was not as plentiful as during the sunspot max, nor were the bands open as late into the night, but they were there for sure, and many signals were quite loud.
Many hams have noted this before. Most hams go silent during the down years of the cycle, but it's always worth a CQ call now and again, regardless.
Check out the CQWW test this weekend too. I'll be operating it with a friend. It ought to be a blast.
73
WA5VQM
10-26-2005, 09:38 PM
Great post! The last couple of weekends have been a lot of fun on 15 and 17.
Quote[/b] (kc2omo @ Oct. 26 2005,12:40)]I've been told you can put a $10,000 rig into a bad antenna and get nowhere, whereas you can put a $500 rig into a decent antenna, not even a manufactured one, perhaps a 1/2 wavelength wire and get worlwide DX, I look forward to getting my General ticket and getting some of the QSO's I've read about here and maybe even talking to some of you.
73 DE KC2OMO
Sam W.
OMO: You've been told right. The last two weekends I've worked New Zealand, The Cook Islands, Croatia, Ukraine, France, Germany, and the U.K. on 15M with just 100 watts out of a nearly 40 year old radio and a droopy inverted v antenna. Some CW, some SSB.
Bagged Aruba and Honduras on 17.
Some were easy, some were hard, all were fun. Get that General and join the party!
Mark - WA5VQM
KB5DRJ
10-26-2005, 10:30 PM
Great story! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Thanks!
kc0nyk
10-26-2005, 11:49 PM
It all comes down to quitting griping about what you don't have and just doing something. I have a cartoon on my wall of a snake all mangled up with the caption "friends don't let friends become roadkill" . Sometimes we just have to get out and lead, follow, get out of the way, but just do something. Neat post...see ya on the wild ductings.
wr1tx
10-27-2005, 12:37 AM
Great post; it goes to show what can happen if you just call CQ, even at the low end of the sunspot cycle.
I have also experienced the result of an experience in working DX after calling out on what seemed to be a dead band. 40 CW one night gave me my first ever DX CW contact with a ham in Belarus. It was a short QSO, but memorable for me!
10 meters, even if it seems dead, can be interesting. I called CQ using a Slinky dipole in the house on 10, and got a response with a ham in Georgia. Again, it just goes to show what can happen if you just call CQ.
So get out there and make some noise; you'll never reap the benefits if you don't try!
wb4jhs
10-27-2005, 12:56 AM
I guess we miss all the shots we never take! Let's have some fun at the solar low. If any one hears of any sun spots for sale please advise! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Ref my post on TYA11,
K4JF, thanks for the comment. It meant a lot to me. I hope you catch him as 5U7JB.
But I forgot the other important point. If you are sitting on simplex or a repeater on VHF.... move up to an HF frequency and chat, you never know who may just drop in. Afterall, you never really know when a band is dead.
Respectfully, Ed k3tj
ve3edy
10-27-2005, 01:04 PM
Your short story of DX wonders are shared
by many of us with less than elaborate
antenna and station setups.
I once had a station mention via e-mail
he wouldn't even think of calling CQ DX on 80M
with less than 1kw. and marvelled at what I was doing .
I was working the VK's from the
mobile with less than 100 watts.
Reports of RST58 commonly given to me by the VK stations contacted in the DX window for 80M.
So Yes ,
I know what it is like to be less fortunate
of having a big station
and marvel at the fact I am able to get through
pile up's with 100 watts and a 1/4 wave mobile antenna.
This is what DX is all about , and the fact we are at the bottom of the cycle , makes it all the more fun to run
mobile HF - DX on what ever prefered frequency you enjoy.
Look for the unexpected when calling CQ , and enjoy DXing.
73'
Larry,VE3EDY
http://www.ve3edy.com
wx5nco
10-27-2005, 01:30 PM
What can I say that hasn't been said already, this is one of the best posts here in a LONG time. I find myself in the catagory of most operators, i guess, of just spinning the dial listening for someone to call CQ. Every once in a while I get the courage to call CQ but, I haven't had any responces yet.
Someone metioned that when you hear the beacons on 10 to get on 28.400 and call cq. LOL, that is exactly what I do when I am in the mobile! Speaking of 10, A few months ago I was in the mobile coming home from work. I was spinning the dial to see if I could hear anyone or anything. I came upon a lady calling for any and all checkins. She was very faint and I decided what the heck. I through my call in. The assistant net control came on and said that he thought he had heard a 5 call and for me to come back. I put my call in again. They were as shocked as I was. A 5 call from Oklahoma had made it into a net in 3 land Pennsylvania! And who said the bands are dead hihi
Jon
AB8UU
10-27-2005, 01:58 PM
wr1tx,
Almost same story here.
Not that calling cq willl always work on whatever band, but I called cq on 40CW
with about 100W into a longwire. I heard something at the top of my filter (2.3KHZ), tune up to it, and heard ha5kdq calling. Worked him on the first call, which was new to me (I have tried 20m ssb with almost no results). So even without a beam and amplifier, many times you can still find an enjoyable contact on the right band. Nice to know that DX is still out there, and not just for the big stations.
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
M3GID
10-27-2005, 02:09 PM
Doesn't all this beg the question........."who are the real people in our hobby?" is it the dude with the big tower, the arrays and the super-rigs and 2Kw burner, or is it the likes of you guys, who keep the "dead bands" ticking over during sunspot cycle decline whilst the "big guns" play with some other (equally expensive) hobby!! I know where my money is,
73 y'all, de Geoff
wx5nco
10-27-2005, 02:41 PM
When I got my first HF earlier this year, a HTX-100, I heard a station calling CQ contest. I made the contact on high power (I think its 20 or 25 watts) and got a 5/9 report. A few months later I purchased an Icom 718. I had the rig in the mobile and was going through the 10 meter dial when I heard the same station calling CQ contest again. I don't remember the call at the moment, but I think he was out of Argentina. Anyway, I tried to make the contact at full power, 100 watts. The station said he couldn't make me out and went to the next call. I was a bit confused. I mean, I had made the call at 20 or 25 watts, why didn't 100 watts work? I turned the power down to 25 watts and tried again and made the contact with a 5/9 signal.
It was then I realized sometimes low power can do the job much better than high power.
Jon
WA5VQM
10-27-2005, 03:15 PM
For me I don't think it would be as much fun to work DX running the legal limit into a multi-element beam up a zillion feet. What's the challenge in that? I'd be upset if I didn't get everyone I called with that set-up. It seems too easy to me. I have no problem with those that do that sort of thing but I like digging for 'em, the challenge. The big guns worked that guy in the Cook Islands the other day, but so did I.
But I do need to call CQ more often. The bands aren't always as dead as they seem.
Mark WA5VQM[I]
Great story!
For me the joy is the unknown. I love to jump on 40m at night and call CQ. Same for daytime 20m on weekends. The joy is the "pot luck" involved. You never know who will respond, what their story is, etc. My last QSO last weekend was with an 89 year old gentleman who had been a CW operator in WWII. These guys appreciate us "youngsters" who have chosen CW as our preferred mode.
There are several of my previous CW contacts who are now SK. What a great opportunity it was to QSO with them and hear their story before it was too late. Stories about what they did in WWII, the Navy guys who trained in Pensacola near where I live, their stories of being a young man out in the world for the first time here.
As the article suggests, make some noise, get on the air. It is a gold mine waiting for you to find the mother lode.
ke5bge
10-27-2005, 06:17 PM
Calling CQ is the best way to make new and challenging contacts. It beats checking into nets which are ok, but not as fun. Working with only a 100 watts and a 28 foot high longwire windom is what makes this hobby also a lot of fun. There are a whole lot of us out there that have just a 100 watts and a low to the ground longwire that try our luck everyday on the skywaves. Being totally dependent on propagation and not tower power is another world. I find it amazing that I can talk to someone in Colorado who has just a 100 watts going into a longwire. Thats what its all about to many of us ham radio operators. See you somewhere on 17 meters. My favorite band!
Great story!
Brings up two points....
First off, one of the most interesting things about
ham radio (to me, anyway) is that you're never
quite sure what's going to happen next. Might be
a solar flare that wipes out most of HF, might be
a freak opening that lets you work the antipodes
with QRP and 599 signals, or anything in between.
Most of our interactions with technology come with
high expectations. We *expect* the car to start, the
email to go through almost instantly, etc. When they
don't it's an annoyance. Yet a QSO is often interesting because we *don't* expect it...
Second, think how unique it is to call CQ. Most nonhams
I meet have some difficulty even understanding the
concept. Basically what we're doing is picking a frequency
and saying "Hello - I'll talk with anybody - let's have a
conversation".
--
There's also a bit of a "herd mentality" among hams. Many times I've tuned across 80 CW and heard very few signals. So I'd fire up on 3535 or so and call CQ. It might take a couple calls but almost always my 100 W and inverted V gets a QSO started. And when the QSO is over, a quick tune around the frequency reveals several
stations in QSOs or calling CQ, because they heard our QSO and figured the band wasn't dead.
73 de Jim, N2EY
kb2vxa
10-27-2005, 08:39 PM
Calling CQ is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Some hams just can't see the Forrest for the Gumps.
KE7ENC
10-28-2005, 03:54 AM
As a no code tech banging brass every night on 6 meters with no one ever listening but the sound of silence and a bit of RFI. I found the post motivational. I need to make the time to be confident enough with the Element 1 to sit again. It is obvious that 6 meter isn't a bastian of activity much less for CW so I have renewed enthusiasm to get up to HF and be able to make those contacts.
I like posts like these, they're fun to read. I appreciate all the great responses too. I dont consider myself to be a major league DX'er, but i do have around 200 countries, all but 2 zones, WAS, WAC on 7 bands...a bunch of things, all but a few of them were made on indoor loops and no more than 100 watts, many of them were QRP. I like the challenge. but as was mentioned by someone before, i do this because its fun. I dont do it for wallpaper, nothing wrong with wallpaper, i guess, but i was there when i made the contact, i KNOW it was made, hihi.
Lets see, since we are recollecting memorable contacts (i LOVE doing that)....One cold night about 20 years ago up in KL7-land, i thought the band was dead, not a signal to be heard. now its easy to write the band off when its like that but i decided to amuse myself and call a futile CQ into the darkness. I called for a while and heard a weak signal coming back, i heard the "J" and figured it to be a JA station, we heard them up in Alaska in large numbers...since i've always enjoyed talking to our JA bretheren, i tweaked my old Galaxy V until i could copy him...it was JW5E on Svalbard, also bored and looking for a qso. Same situation a few weeks later when i was answered by JT1KAA in Ulan Baator, my buddy was listening in and called out on the FM simplex not to hold my breath waiting for a QSL....20 years later, im still waiting, heh heh. Thats ok, because I had worked Chad, JT1AO (now JT1CD i think) and fired off a card through all the usual avenues...I got 3 cards back, a normal 'dxpedition' looking card through the buro, a photocopied, more personalized card direct from Chad himself, and my favorite one...another buro card, different from the other 2, but confirmed by Bill, W7PHO...i hadnt sent one to Bill, but he was a well known voice back then. I still dont know how that ended up going to him, but who cares.
Basically, I love this hobby, DXing is my mode of choice out of literally hundreds of facets of ham radio to get into. I enjoy CW DXing on HF, it makes me happy...but i would like to jump into other modes, like satellites, 6 meters, tropo ducting, etc...the sky's the limit. Whats particularly enjoyable is working a first-timer...ill slow it way down and try to make the qso a memorable one for both of us, i also really enjoy working old timers...hams who have been at this game since the old days, i suggest taking advantage of qso's like these when you get one. I like talking to cool hams, i just tune away from uncool ones.
I dont let negativity, a few bad ops on 75meters, or just plain old grumpiness ruin my good time...my philosophy?? one jerk...thousands of frequencies!
For the newbies out there, i am glad you are here!!!
Wow, it doesnt seem like its been this long, but I am almost ready to join the QCWA, i know many of you have been at it a lot longer than I have, but i just cant find a thing wrong with having fun and making new friends....looking back, i guess i can say it was all fun.
Hey newbies, Illegitimus non Carborendum and welcome....no-coders, welcome! SSB ragchewers...welcome!! contesters, CW ops, elmers (special thanks for you), homebrewers, gearheads, bird watchers, DXers, VEC, beacon owners, dealers, mobile stations, etc...Thank You, Welcome and im sure we will survive whatever is thrown at us....ive held this point of view for nearly 25 years and it hasnt changed.
There is room for us all. keep posting these great stories, we all enjoy them.
Thanks again and 73...Adam, N7YA
AE4TM
10-29-2005, 06:16 AM
Quote[/b] (K5USS @ Oct. 24 2005,16:57)]I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and decided that this would be a good day to just take off from work and try to work a little DX after the examination. As we all are painfully aware, the sun spot cycle is almost at its lowest point making communications on the low portion of VHF and most all of HF tough. What is an amateur operator to do in a situation like this? The DX stations are not booming in, the hard to get states are not to be found, and the E clouds are not cooperating.
After my arrival back at the house I turned on the radio and started scanning the bands. It was still early enough in the day for some stations to still be heard on 80 meters, 40 meters was almost non-existent except for locals, and 20 meters was full of the normal nets. I decided to check all bands from 6 meters up through 80 meters for activity. As I went to each band I would start at the bottom edge of my license privileges and dial up from there. 80 –20 meters was as I stated before, quiet or nets mainly. 17, 15, and 12 meters were quite something different! People were working DX! On 17 meters I was able to work 2 JA stations and 3 VE’s before the noise level came up too bad, 15 meters had several DX stations on but my “little pistol” station could not get through the pile ups, 12 meters was active with quite a few stations rag chewing and a couple calling CQ. I called out to 2 of the stations calling CQ, exchanged information and let them get back to it after they informed me that they were looking for DX.
So it was back to 15 meters in hopes of getting my 100-watt signal, into a dipole, over to some folks “across the pond”. As I went through the band I heard a faint CQ, I listened for a minute and his signal was way down in the noise. I have always heard “if ya can hear em, you can work em” so I called back to him. This is K5USS, Kilo 5 Uniform Sierra Sierra Richardson, Texas over, I repeated this twice as I always do. He heard my call and acknowledged with “USS hang on and let me swing my beam your direction”. He kept talking as the beam worked its way towards me and his signal grew ever stronger. Once he had finished rotating my direction he turned it over to me. I gave the normal reply, “Hello there, this is K5USS in Richardson, Texas, and the name on this end is Charlie, how do you copy?” When he replied this time it sounded like he was in the room with me! He stated that he had tweaked the direction of the beam as I talked; he was running 800 watts and located in Long Beach, California. We began the normal first time QSO with our names, locations, information about the weather, and what not and then came the part that I will not soon forget. He told me about making noise…
Ed has been licensed for a “long time”, according to him, and he has been through a lot of changes in amateur radio. He stated that he has seen days when you could not find a clear space to call CQ and then to the opposite extreme where you could call CQ all afternoon and not get a response. “At this part of the cycle is when you don’t get a lot of replies” he explained. “A lot of the stations figure since the sun spot cycle is down, there is no sense in trying to raise anyone”. He told me that we all need to “make some noise” if we want to make a contact or 2. “If we all wait for the other guy to call CQ we may never get the opportunity to pick up a microphone”. According to him he calls CQ every 5 minutes for one hour, or until he makes a contact on the band of his preference. If he does not make a contact he simply turns off the radio until later in the day and starts all over again. “I can’t make all the noise,” he stated rather adamantly.
As we chatted I began to learn a bit more about amateur radio than I had before, it’s amazing to me the wealth of knowledge that comes from a seasoned citizen. I learned it is not about the big gun station with 150-foot towers topped with large Yagi antennas. It is not about obtaining DXCC on a single band and it is not being the first in a pile-up. It’s about sharing a common interest with others. Ed informed me that he has several shoeboxes full of QSL cards that he has acquired over the years and he has not once applied for a “piece of paper”. “Paper says nothing about the operator” he stated to me. He allowed that he participates in amateur radio for the pleasure of making friends all over the world without leaving his home. “I have friends in places that I can’t spell”, he told me, “and I have a few that are here local”. “You work some people a few times and you get to know each other, get to know about them and theirs”, he went on.
As the ragchew progressed with my newly found, 89 year old, friend I realized that I have been going about it all wrong. I have been looking for the new grid square, state, island or country calling CQ…I have not been calling for the next friend, the person that hears me calling CQ on a seemingly dead band. The next time I tune through a band and think it is dead I will call CQ and see what lies in wait for me to learn.
I have no way of knowing if I will hear my “friend” further down the log, but I do know that he has taught me a valuable lesson. If we don’t make some noise, we will never be heard.
Charlie,
There are others who took a bit of time to try DX here and there. In Jan 2004, I worked Steve MW1IRW who was reporting snow in NE Wales to my location in the warm/humid Everglades Nat Park in S FLorida. The bands were flat dead for days to my 4ft long long antenna at 5 Watts but the magic moment occurred a few feet above a curious alligator on Jan 26, 2004. Keep on trying because you never know who you will stir up, especially those below.
Ed AE4TM
http://www.ecjones.org/scenery....012.jpg (http://www.ecjones.org/scenery/_Everglades_Nat_Park/Waterway/Img_7012.jpg)
Quote[/b] (AE4TM @ Oct. 28 2005,23:16)]the magic moment occurred a few feet above a curious alligator on Jan 26, 2004. Keep on trying because you never know who you will stir up, especially those below.
OK, well....in my opinion, thats pretty cool!! I was doing field day a number of years ago at KL7AA from a motor home in one of our state parks, middle of the night...looked up to see a big moose face staring back in at us, lol. it happened all the time but theres always that initial shock...not a pretty animal. (no offense to Bullwinkle...hes ok)
Quote[/b] (kb2vxa @ Oct. 27 2005,13:39)]Calling CQ is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
That's right. #And since we're the only service allowed to call CQ, let's make the most of it.
(And before anybody jumps on it, I don't think FRS bans CQ, but there is no point with that low power...)
w4fjf
10-31-2005, 06:23 AM
I've been a ham for a long time. I've seen operators come and go. Some stay for life, and others who are too impatient, or can't make the grade, go. It's not about the contests, or the awards or whether CW should stay or go as a license requirement. Its the ones that are just a voice coming out the speaker and maybe a QSL card. I talked to HC1CY for years, and mourned his passing. But his QSO's were full of his experiences of operating the first megawatt shortwave station in the world. Clayton would talk about his work at HCJB, and talk about his family, too. I was fascinated about the Sterba curtain, and the transmitter shed on an "s" shaped track so they could "steer" the station's signal around the world. His family was well known to me, as was mine known to him. I missed meeting him on one visit to the States, because a connecting flight was late. It mattered a lot, missing meeting him. But we were still able to talk together, thru the radio. There are many others, and I have several shoeboxes of QSL cards, too. All good memories of good people around the world.
# Now, our hobby isn't "just a hobby", because of names like IVAN, and KATRINA, and RITA. We not only enjoy our friends we made, but we provide a service to our country, our fellow citizens. Where else can our government get an emergency communications system for free? The hams in lower Mississippi and Louisiana were the first to get the news out about a terrible diasaster, not any other government agency like FEMA, not the media, either. People laughed about our "outmoded" ways, boasting about their internet and cell phones being more modern and dependable. I think you have noticed that they aren't laughing now. I am truly sorry that so many had to suffer indescribable hardship, and injury, and loss of loved ones. Their losses should never have had to happen. At least our "hobby" was there to help them, when they needed help the most. God Bless the operators who were there to help out at the very first. They are the heroes of Amateur Radio. I think we are well justified in our ability to help out our nation when the times come hard.
# Amateur Radio is fun, and rewarding, and necessary. And I can't think of my life without it, can you?
VK2DYI
10-31-2005, 04:55 PM
Great read and echo all the comments. While not being 89 years old... only in my forties and a ham for 20years.
It is amazing to me how dead bands can come alive.
This weekend was the CQ contest (end October). 15 metres in my location has been "dead" but hey at the weekend it was so busy you couldnt find a spot to call. The same happened on 20 metres where I think every bit of space was used do much it was hard to pick out anything at times.
CQ CQ CQ CQ is what we all need to do as you then really find out whats open and whats not. From my current location in Estonia it was my first contacts on 15 metres as other times it was "dead".
We should not forget that there are more bands than 20 metres and that fun and friends can be found everywhere and normally on those "dead" bands people are more open for a chat that just the contact, signal and onto the next one.
We should all make talking and moving the hobby forward more in the forfront rather than paper on the wall. We can all buy wallpaper at the local hardware store.
Good DX and cg=hatting to all
Andy
VK2DYI,
I agree with your comments. I worked the contest and it was amazing. 20m on Sunday morning was so crowded, the DX stations were all on top of each other and QRMing one another. 15m was not quite as hot here, but close.
I did notice a lack of VKs though. My friend and I were wondering if VK/ZL land had boycotted the contest!
73
VK2DYI
11-01-2005, 05:05 PM
WF7I
My login is a VK call that is still active for when I am home in VK but currently not located in VK. I am located in Estonia (ES) with the call ES2DY.
I didnt get anything from VK unfortunately.....
wd4et
11-08-2005, 02:04 PM
Thanks for the timely post K5USS.
Since moving to Texas I have been less active in amateur radio. We have been stuck in a deed restricted neighborhood. Until last year I at least had a long wire in a couple of trees. New neighbors eliminated the trees!
I am now making plans for a more suitable qth. My HF rig has been cold too long.
73, Jeff
m5aeo
11-10-2005, 09:06 PM
For me, it is a privilage to just get on the air. #I have been off the air for a couple of years, and still have antenna restrictions written into my lease, so I have a 'stealth' antenna. #I can honestly say that EVERY qso is as important as any other! #The thrill of a station coming back to you, knowing that your carefully-crafted signal has made the trip! #This weekend I made a contact through an FM repeater in the east of England, with my 300mW from my handie, and I found that just a thrilling as making it to VK on 20m #(not that I have managed that yet!).
I do this all the time on 6 meters. This band is not "dead" as often as people think. Everyone is just listening instead of talking.
g6nnn
12-05-2005, 02:38 AM
Great Post. 1st i've looked at i'me new to this. #i've just reactivated my licence after 20 years. now I'm a senior citizen, it is my 1st post.