[Boatanchors] 10 meters

[Bry Carling]

Rob - interesting comments.  I would not say that those bands stink for AM at all. How they 
are unused sometimes - that stinks.

10m and 160m are both reliable, excellent AM bands for local comms. As are the other 
bands you mentioned. 

DXing with AM has never been easy UNLESS there is a strong sustained opening as CAN 
happen on 10m at times (or any other band.) Yes, it is frustrating to work DX with AM when 
the QSB sets in, however, there has been a conscious decision on the part of most hams to 
NOT use 160m AM and 10m AM, both of which are stupendously good ground wave bands 
for local daytime contacts out to around 30 - 50 miles, actually almost any time day or night.

That is not the fault of the bands, it is the choice of the users. They prefer to fight the SSB  
QRM on 75 meters instead. I can't completely explain why. One of the main causes of these  
wonderful "old bands" being overlooked,  was the 1970s mania for 2m FM and repeaters in  
particular for local comms.  Cheap surplus equipment and more relaible communication over  
a wider area caused us  all to settle for less comfortable operating procedures (like no CQs  
allowed!) and other habits brought in by the "new era" that tracked parallel with the popularity  
of 27 MHz CB. Don't forget the new lingo too - like adding "For I.D." when gving your callsign 
- he he.

The amateur radio AM revival beginning around the early 1980s somehow has had almost  
everyone convinced that they should only operate on about 4 frequencies: 3870, 3880, 3885 
and 7290 kHz. There is a great big (non-channelized) world of AM out there on places like  
1885 - 1985 kHz, 3650- 3660 kHz,  3725 - 3745 kHz, 3820 - 3830 kHz, 3855 - 3890 kHz,  
7288 - 7297 kHz, 14285 - 14290 kHz, 29.0 - 29.1 MHz,  50.400 and 144.450 MHz.  There are 
local AM nets on a lot of these frequencies. Most groups don't publicize them.  You can really 
operate  anywhere you want, but most of  the guys, even AM ops will not bother to listen 
there for a  CQ nor make one of their own. It's  easier to join a roundtable and let someone 
else lead the  way than start something. I am still  having a blast - mostly on CW, and 
occasional AM and  SSB, but I miss the pioneer spirit of  the 1960s hams. 

YMMV - Bry, AF4K

On 6 Jun 2013 at 5:14, Rob Atkinson wrote:

> AM ops mostly operate on the low bands because 10, 15 and 20
> meters
> stink as AM bands.  You get in a QSO with someone and make a
> transmission and by the time you sign the frequency over to the
> other
> guy he's gone because the band changed or died.