View Full Version : Bands to try mobile HF
VE7NOT
02-09-2006, 06:28 PM
Lets start at the top.
160m - Should be good locally due to long ground waves. Overcoming terrain should prove simple. However metal building and bridges would cut it out completley. Probably one of the better mobile-mobile bands i've heard.
Of course any mobile antenna would be a compermise but thats what we call experamentng.
80m - This already seems to be the evening ragchew band. Again grounds waves help a bit however DX is possible even with a compermised antenna.
60m - With channels we now only need program them in and switch between them like on CB/FRS. Good for changing channels without looking down in the car. i would think propogation would be simular to 80m.
40m - From what i hear this is THE mobile band. I've heard mobile nets on here. Although antennas are still compremised its getting better. I would thijnk grounds waves are getting shorter and not as effective. Off course good DX would be possible. Not sure about local work though.
30m - Probably the same as 40m? However in this band you would need a push button switch instead of a mic. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
20m - From here on antennas are much better for the bands. In fact i've tuned 102" whips up on all the bands from here up to 6m.
Locally I wouldn't expect much more range then CB.. However kep in mind your using 100w or more not 12 watts like a CB http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
From here on mibiles working thousands of miles apart COULD work each other when the band is open.
17m - Same as above
15, 12, 10m - So much like CB, but again you can legally use many times more power. Now the antennas are more or less small. If the band does open of course you could work thousands of miles.
6m - This could be funny. A 102" whip is now closer to a half wave. I would think mobile-mobile around a regiopn would be good. Antennas are now very good for the band. DX work between mobiles would be far in a few however like 10m when it's open, it's OPEN!.
So what are your comments? Alot of what was posted is guesswork. Some i've experimented with or seen others try.
Anyone tried mobile-mobile HF local work or DX? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
kl7aj
02-09-2006, 06:47 PM
Quote[/b] (VE7NOT @ Feb. 09 2006,11:28)]Lets start at the top.
160m - Should be good locally due to long ground waves. Overcoming terrain should prove simple. #However metal building and bridges would cut it out completley. #Probably one of the better mobile-mobile bands i've heard.
Of course any mobile antenna would be a compermise but thats what we call experamentng.
80m - This already seems to be the evening ragchew band. #Again grounds waves help a bit however DX is possible even with a compermised antenna. #
60m - With channels we now only need program them in and switch between them like on CB/FRS. #Good for changing channels without looking down in the car. #i would think propogation would be simular to 80m.
40m - From what i hear this is THE mobile band. #I've heard mobile nets on here. #Although antennas are still compremised its getting better. #I would thijnk grounds waves are getting shorter and not as effective. #Off course good DX would be possible. #Not sure about local work though.
30m - Probably the same as 40m? #However in this band you would need a push button switch instead of a mic. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
20m - From here on antennas are much better for the bands. #In fact i've tuned 102" whips up on all the bands from here up to 6m.
Locally I wouldn't expect much more range then CB.. However kep in mind your using 100w or more not 12 watts like a CB #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
From here on mibiles working thousands of miles apart COULD work each other when the band is open.
17m - Same as above
15, 12, 10m - So much like CB, but again you can legally use many times more power. # Now the antennas are more or less small. #If the band does open of course you could work thousands of miles.
6m - This could be funny. #A 102" whip is now closer to a half wave. #I would think mobile-mobile around a regiopn would be good. #Antennas are now very good for the band. #DX #work between mobiles would be far in a few however like 10m when it's open, it's OPEN!.
So what are your comments? #Alot of what was posted is guesswork. #Some i've experimented with or seen others try.
Anyone tried mobile-mobile HF local work or DX? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
Done it all, and you're correct on all counts. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Eric
Quote[/b] (VE7NOT @ Feb. 09 2006,11:28)]Anyone tried mobile-mobile HF local work or DX? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
My favorites are 10, 15 and 20M.
On 10, a relatively low-power rig will work the world when the band is open. In the early 90's I managed to gather enough contacts for DXCC on 10; this while driving to/from work. Rig was an HR2510 and antenna used was a 102" fiberglass whip.
Currently have a Cubic Astro 150 and a couple smaller Kenwoods to choose from when running HF mobile, but the 2510/2600 see occasional duty.
17 meters is a nice band for mobile work........Not very much noise on 17 either.
My country total now stands at 93 for running CW mobile. Hopefully by summer I will get DXCC operating mobile using only CW.
I did have a 160 meter mobile antenna years ago. I could barely work accross town with 160 meters mobile. Chances are total ERP out of that antennas was less than 1/2 of a watt!!!
Tom kcØw
Some of my first exposure to ham radio was back in Chicago in my HighSchool days. (Mid 60s) Using a mistuned "AllAmerican 5" I was able to tune in 160 meter mobiles being operated by guys on the way back and forth from work. No repeaters, no FM, no SSB, just good old AM rigs like Multi-Elmac AF67s etc. They had loading coils as big as coffee cans on their whips, and as Tom says, probably had less than a watt ERP, but they ( and I ) were able to hear each other all around the Chicago metropolitan area!
What a blast ! Great fun, and probably will never be duplicated again!
73, Jim
K0RGR
02-09-2006, 09:11 PM
40 meters in the daytime used to be king, and it looks like two of the mobile service nets - ECARS (Eastern states + Canada) and MIDCARS (central states) are still around. I don't know if WesCARS (west coast)on 7255 is still around or not. I see that WPSS on 3952 is still with us, too - they were (are?) the nightime WesCARS. These service nets were more fun to listen to than talk radio back in the 70's. Lots more of us had HF mobiles, and 7255 was the place to be (7258 for MIDCARS). You'd hear all kinds of accident reports, sometimes some real emergency traffic, and a lot of hams trying to get in touch with mobiles all over the western region. You knew that as long as you could reach WesCARS, you would get help.
Maybe if we get more people on HF, we can revive these service nets again. The short-hop propagation on 40 in the daytime is very useful in the mountainous west.
Other than that, the highest band that's open is my favorite. 15 meters used to be very good for mobile work, particularly when the sunspot cycle was too low for 10 meters. I've also done a lot of mobiling on 17 meters in the daytime.
N5KRC
02-09-2006, 11:36 PM
Quote[/b] (kc0w @ Feb. 09 2006,02:25)]17 meters is a nice band for mobile work........Not very much noise on 17 either.
Although I've only been HF mobile for a week, I'm enjoying 17 during the day too. I worked Costa Rica today on the way home from work with 50 watts (by accident!) and a tarheel. I've been giddy as a school girl ever since! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Quote[/b] ]40 meters in the daytime used to be king, and it looks like two of the mobile service nets - ECARS (Eastern states + Canada) and MIDCARS (central states) are still around.
SouthCARS operates on 7251 as well. Hard to dig the signal out of the AM carrier, at least in the mornings down here in central Texas.
Scott, N5KRC
WA2ZDY
02-10-2006, 02:41 PM
Like Eric, I agree, you've got the bands pretty well described. I've never worked 160 mobile though.
Over the last 20+ years I've worked tons of DX on 20, 30 and 40m CW. 20 years ago I worked quite a bit on 80cw mobile too but that was the last I was on 80m from the car. In more recent years I didn't have an antenna for 80 for the mobile.
Andyes, when I was travelling back and forth to Florida, NC, and Texas in years past the 40m service nets were great. I understand now politics has become involved in ECARS, but the last time I checked in, right before I became ill a year ago, I felt welcome and would have gotten whatever help I'd needed. It's true though, years ago, being with a service net while on the road felt nearly like having regular contact with ATC on a dark lonely IFR flight at night.
More mobile activity would be great. I've a feeling I'm going to be cleared to drive again and will indeed put a rig in whatever car I might get. And I'm still working on putting a rig in the family minivan for those family trips, like the one to Mickey Mouse world later this year.
w8cbc
02-10-2006, 02:58 PM
My favourite mobile band is 17 metres. It's a good combination of daytime propagation, antenna efficiency, and random, informal activity.
I can't get the TS-440 to match 17 metres in the station van (temp setup until I replace the timing chain in the Polara) so 15 has been the alternative. It's nice when it's open but lately I've only heard the usual two or three west coast stations
10-metre FM is great for local work. I wish more locals were in there instead of 2 metres.
12 is usually silent.
20 voice seems full of nets.
As for CW mobile - 30 and 20 metres are great. I've made a contact in 40 but my whip isn't much on ERP down there. I haven't yet raised anyone in 15 metres.
ai4ep
02-11-2006, 10:54 PM
10 - 11 meters is pretty good.
...and that is in the HF band ( under 30 Mhz ). http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif