I've been out of radio for a bit (again), and I'm thinking about mobile HF, as that is when I have time. I do the usual commute, so 7-8am EST and 5-6 EST. But 2m has been kinda dead around here. Do people do much chewing of the fat today on HF? I'm not sure I want to deal with logging, as keeping up with QSL cards kinda got to me on the last surge of radio interest (CW on HF, that is).
Out here on the west coast there is a group on seventy five that has some mobile check ins, the group is like ours a general rag chew group. We even have a station who is mobile that checks in on his way to work on Saturdays. It wouldn't surprise me to find out there are similar groups on forty or even twenty meters.
it depends on how far U need to contact 40M is ideal for around ca and into AZ & UTah, NV evem COfor going across the country 20M is good for midwest to East Coast depending on time of day
The member of our weekend rag chew group runs 500W and uses a screwdriver antenna, he is Reno, I am in SanDiego and have a reasonably good copy on him here. I would also point out he runs a hundred watts on sixty meters and is usually but not always hearable here
I have found 40 to be pretty reliably active from sunup to way past sundown---so your commute hours should be covered
I don't hear much on 17M that early, but maybe my setup. I would vote for 40M. I did mobile CW for couple years and I could always find a QSO on 40M. The other bands had peaks and periods of nothing.
I've had some REALLY good rag chews on 17 meters while mobile. I talked with one guy for almost 2 hours when I was driving from Central NY to Rhode Island.
