[AMRadio] Operating AM

[Mike Duke, K5XU]

The key word in the subject line of this message is "Operating."

Many of us missed out on a fine 10 meter AM opportunity Thursday 
afternoon which lasted until well after dark.

At 00:00Z, or 7:00 PM Central time last night, the west coast was 
pounding into Mississippi, producing the strongest SSB signals I've 
heard in a long time on 10 meters.

As I was tuning up the band, just to see how far above 28.5 I could 
find signals, I began hearing signals from Japan. None of the Japanese 
signals were rock crushers, but they were easily readable, and were 
the first signals I've heard from Japan on 10 meters in at least 3 
years.

Sidetracked by this DX, I moved down the band, and spent an enjoyable 
hour working Japan on 10 meter CW.

Still finding strong west coast SSB at 8:00 PM my time, I moved to 
29.0. In several minutes of tuning from 29.0 - 29.1, I found no am 
signals. But, there was a station near Seattle who was operating FM on 
29.0. He was full quieting, to the point that my wife asked me if he 
was sitting in our driveway.

Two rounds of CQ on 29.015 produced no AM contact for my 25 watts and 
3 elements.

Would I have made an AM contact if I had been up there an hour 
earlier? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

I doubt it because I'm pretty certain most people were not expecting 
the band to be open. Therefore, they were not listening, and needless 
to say, not transmitting.

The question is often raised: "Why do the bands always open for 
contests?"

The answer, of course, is that the bands (all of them) will appear to 
be more open when more people are transmitting.

Okay, it is now the weekend. So transmit an AM signal somewhere in the 
phone band of your choice.

It doesn't matter where; just do it.

Somebody will find you eventually, and they may even answer your "CQ."

And if 10 meters is really dead, come on down to 15 meters and help 
shatter the myth that AM doesn't work there.

You may surprise both of us.

?





Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs