[AMRadio] Late night DX possibilities on 40m

[D. Chester]

I have listened on 40m for the past few late evenings, after 0400 GMT.  The 
broadcast stations begin to thin out between 7100 and on up towards 7180 or 
so.  At the same time, I am hearing strong European amateur activity between 
7075 and 7160, with little statside QRM.  Apparently most US operators have 
gone to bed by then, since I do occasionally hear US stations, and they are 
usually very strong, often from both coasts.  This indicates that the band 
is indeed open. Of course there is most likely a skip zone, similar to 20m 
in daytime.

I worked a station in Germany a couple of nights ago on 7148.  100% both 
ways.  He was on SSB, while I was running the 8005/805 rig at about 300 
watts carrier output on AM to the 80m dipole fed with open wire line.

I know there are some AM'ers in the Netherlands who have tried working 
transatlantic AM on 75.  But with the QRN, I suspect 40m would be a much 
better band this time of year.

I would suggest that those AM'ers who stay up late at night try to QSO in 
the expanded portion of 40, between 7125, up through about 7170.  If we got 
a good stateside QSO going, perhaps some of the Europeans would join in. 
Otherwise, we would at least make some "AM presence" be known in the 
expanded part of the 40m phone band.

Given the generous expansion of 75m phone, I still don't understand why the 
FCC didn't expand the 40m band down to 7075.  I rarely hear any digital 
stuff up that high, and just a few CW stations every now and again.  But I 
do hear a lot of DX phone stations, but we have to work split if they are 
below 7125.

Some European countries now have limited amateur privileges between 7100 and 
7200.  That is supposed to eventually become exclusively amateur worldwide, 
but it  remains to be seen if all the broadcast stations will vacate the 
area, since many of them, including some of the privately-owned US stations, 
work "outband".  In the past week or so, I have heard strong signals (on 
SSB) from UK, Germany and Spain, working US stations as well as other 
Europeans.  Under those condtions, I would say that an arm-chair copy QSO 
would be possible on AM.

I'll probably be working more and more up there, rather than  fighting 
springtime QRN on 75 and 160.  Hope we could stir up a little more AM 
activity in the expanded portion of 40 than we have been able to lately on 
75.

Don k4kyv


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