[AMRadio] AM Presentation

[rbethman]

We have 40M AM on the East Coast and we also get the West end of 
Pennsylvania.

I can regularly hit NC, SC, PA, NY, and etc.  Sometimes I get into FL.

I can do it with a DX-60 feeding an external Amp, A Ricebox feeding an 
external Amp, OR I can light off the BC-610.  I have an easy going on 
40M.  Except for one or two that need to get receivers!  Seemd thay can 
talk but can't hear......

Bob - N0DGN

On 6/18/2013 3:48 PM, Bob Macklin wrote:
> If you were a ham between 1955 and 1960 you could understand the push 
> to convert to SSB. In that period AM was still the main HF mode. SSB 
> was the new kid on the block.
>
> Any night 75M was packed wall to wall with phone signals. AM and SSB. 
> It was noisy. The spectrum was small compared to today. The same was 
> true for 20M on weekends.
>
> In those days there were few commercial SSB rigs and these were out of 
> reach for the average ham. I believe it was probably the Heathkit 
> HW-100/101 that gave more people the chance to convert to SSB.
>
> Sometime after about 1960 the manufactures stopped producing AM 
> transmitters and new stuff was all SSB.
>
> In those days there was little interest in restoring old AM transmitters.
>
> The problem I see today is the small amount of AM operation currently. 
> The PNW group has gone dormant. The SoCal group does not reach the PNW.
>
> How are things elsewhere? To get people interested in AM means there 
> has to be AM activity they can listen to.
>
> I wish there was 40M AM activity. I have used my DX-60 for local rag 
> chew operation. But there is no one left here that wants to play.
>
> Why is the 75M AM Window the only place AM seems to live. 75M used to 
> be a good late night band. But the groups I know of only operate 
> daytime or early evening. Then the propagation is limited.
>
> I'm not even hearing late night SSB on 75M here anymore.
>
> A 100W SSB RICEBOX can only produce about a 25W carrier in AM mode. 
> But that is plenty for a club to use for local operation. And there is 
> plenty of space between 7200 and 7300 to find a clear spot to work in.
>
> All you need is people with an interest in playing with their radios.
>
> AM is not a mode for just answering a CQ and giving a signal report. 
> AM was made for roundtable BS sessions. I'd like to see that type of 
> operation again.
>
> SMOKING IS NOT REQUIRED! IT'S OPTIONAL!
>
> Bob Macklin
> K5MYJ