[CW] FCC Releases 71 page NPRM

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/21/04 7:53:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
k4kyv@hotmail.com writes:


> I remember only a decade or so, the "cw" band was full of activity from 
> 3500 
> all the way to the Novice band, every night, winter and summer.  Even today, 
> 
> the 40m. cw band  is holding its own despite SWBC and foreign SSB.  Where 
> has all the 80m activity gone?
> 

Several places:

1) For the past decade or so we've had really good conditions on the higher 
bands, and many folks go where the propagation is. 

2) There are more rigs with more bands diluting the pool. And those new rigs 
work as well on 10 as on 80. 

3) Most new hams today get their first HF experience on 10 meters. Their view 
of HF is often quite different than those of us who started out on 80 meters. 


4) Putting up an *effective* antenna for 80 isn't as easy as it once was, 
with restrictions and smaller lots and aluminum siding. Yes, you can work the 
world with a compromise antenna but for relaxing solid ragchew QSOs you really 
need a decent skyhook. Which on 80 meters means a "serious" amount of wire at a 
"serious" height.  

5) Many popular antennas either don't cover 80 at all or are quite 
compromised on the band.

6) 80 CW/data is a huge band compared to the others, so it takes a lot of 
hams to fill it up. 

73 de Jim, N2EY


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