[Boatanchors] New MF Amateur Band Approved at WRC- 472 to 479kHz

[Bill Cromwell]

Drew said:

Therein lies the rub - "a reasonably RF-quiet location". Many of us,
particularly the economically-challenged, have absolutely no hope of
securing reception with anything less than an S9 noise level.  QRSS,
mundane though it be as compared to "real" modes, offers to those of us
the only alternative.

Drew

I live in a "hamlet"... it's not even a village. There are "light
industrial" businesses within 100 feet of my home including two with
electric (arc) welding/cutting equipment. This is also a resort area and
all the electronic goodies and ORV ignition noises get added to the mix,
especially on weekends. You can imagine what all that does to reception
here. However, even here there are a lot of *quiet* times when even my
quietest computer can be heard way down in the background on 80 and 160
meters. When the trash noise is completely overwhelming I play music or
play with my dog or put in some time on my workbench and come back to
the radio later.

What kind of antennas have you tried for reception, Drew? I have noticed
the "loopstick" antennas in the old transistor radios can sometimes
almost null out the welder in the body shop. When I was a kid the AA5 AM
radios had loop antennas and if you turned the radio just so - one
station (nearby) vanished and another station (more distant) took it's
place. I have started investigating those for use against QRN and QRM.
It doesn't matter where you live. The whole world is made of dirt and
you are going to get some on you every day. You have to learn how to
live with the dirt. 

Meanwhile I am planning to go through my RAK-7 looking for caps
developing leakage and resistors out of spec. It still has all the
original parts in it. Apparently I will have more to listen to
eventually.

73,

Bill  KU8H