[CW] Fw: CW digest, Vol 4 #441 - 2 msgs

[Steve w0oow]

AMEN Jim !


> Message: 1
> From: N2EY@aol.com
> Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 21:17:47 EDT
> Subject: Re: [CW] FCC Releases 71 page NPRM
> To: k4kyv@hotmail.com
> Cc: cw@mailman.qth.net
>
> 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
>