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20 meters is dead all day

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Sid Frissell

20 meters is dead all day

You "20 meters is dead all day" guys need to check out WSJT-X (JT-9 and JT-65).
At least here in MT 14076 is busy every day all day! You can find many US and VE stations plus a very good mix of DX. I have only been on this mode since late in 2014 (been a ham since 1950) and I have worked over 100 DX entities. {I started over when I took up digital. New ones are still popping up. Plenty of QSO's. No rag-chewing of course !!! Also, my DX spotter in DXLabd seems to keep rolling out spots all day--many on 20, both SSB and cw. Try 14076.
I call it "Mouse-click Radio" as thats all you have to do. At least you will hear (see?) activity.

73, Sid. NZ7M

Sent From Sid Frissell's iPad
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EricJ-2

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

I'm one of "those guys". I operated JT65-HF and JT9 for a couple years
with my oldest K2 (SN 567), including half a dozen contacts with K1JT
hisself. First time ever working a guy on a mode he invented. hi.

It's a very interesting mode, but limited fun for a 60 year veteran of
CW mostly interested in ragchewing and county hunting. My primary
activity in ham radio these days is homebrewing left-handed bugs. They
work fine for the original digital mode, but don't adapt easily to the
newfangled ones.

I actually do tune 14.076 as a quick check on propagation because there
is so much activity. If there are signals there, I'm fairly sure I can
be heard on CW if anybody is listening.

Operating digital modes (WSJT and PSK) is the only time my K2 has ever
been on SSB. I've used it barefoot, with an HF Packer amp and with the
KPA100. It does a great job on these modes.

Eric KE6US

On 7/22/2016 10:24 AM, Sid Frissell wrote:

> You "20 meters is dead all day" guys need to check out WSJT-X (JT-9 and JT-65).
> At least here in MT 14076 is busy every day all day! You can find many US and VE stations plus a very good mix of DX. I have only been on this mode since late in 2014 (been a ham since 1950) and I have worked over 100 DX entities. {I started over when I took up digital. New ones are still popping up. Plenty of QSO's. No rag-chewing of course !!! Also, my DX spotter in DXLabd seems to keep rolling out spots all day--many on 20, both SSB and cw. Try 14076.
> I call it "Mouse-click Radio" as thats all you have to do. At least you will hear (see?) activity.
>
> 73, Sid. NZ7M
>
> Sent From Sid Frissell's iPad
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Jessie Oberreuter-2

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

In reply to this post by Sid Frissell

At the Pacific Northwest QRP gathering a few weeks back, one of the
presenters ran WSPRnet overnight on his K3. I was amazed at the
propagation! Indeed, he used the live data in his presentation, and I was
flabberghasted to see that a huge 6m opening had occured an hour ealier.
I'm not particularly excited by point-and-click QSOs, but I am interested
in using the same tools to generate opening alerts.

Meanwhile, I had the 20m static on softly during my late night (12a -
1a PDT) piano practices this week, and I heard a surprising amount of cw
-- a nice reminder that 20m isn't just a night time band during Field Day
:).

- kb7psg

On Fri, 22 Jul 2016, Sid Frissell wrote:

> You "20 meters is dead all day" guys need to check out WSJT-X (JT-9 and
> JT-65). At least here in MT 14076 is busy every day all day! You can
> find many US and VE stations plus a very good mix of DX. I have only
> been on this mode since late in 2014 (been a ham since 1950) and I have
> worked over 100 DX entities. {I started over when I took up digital.
> New ones are still popping up. Plenty of QSO's. No rag-chewing of
> course !!! Also, my DX spotter in DXLabd seems to keep rolling out
> spots all day--many on 20, both SSB and cw. Try 14076. I call it
> "Mouse-click Radio" as thats all you have to do. At least you will hear
> (see?) activity.
>
> 73, Sid. NZ7M

Phil Wheeler-2

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

In reply to this post by Sid Frissell

Sid, re "I call it "Mouse-click Radio" as that's
all you have to do. At least you will hear (see?)
activity.": Seems like the other challenge might
be staying awake for the complete contact, on
these warm Summer afternoons ;-)

73, Phil W7OX

On 7/22/16 10:24 AM, Sid Frissell wrote:
> You "20 meters is dead all day" guys need to check out WSJT-X (JT-9 and JT-65).
> At least here in MT 14076 is busy every day all day! You can find many US and VE stations plus a very good mix of DX. I have only been on this mode since late in 2014 (been a ham since 1950) and I have worked over 100 DX entities. {I started over when I took up digital. New ones are still popping up. Plenty of QSO's. No rag-chewing of course !!! Also, my DX spotter in DXLabd seems to keep rolling out spots all day--many on 20, both SSB and cw. Try 14076.
> I call it "Mouse-click Radio" as thats all you have to do. At least you will hear (see?) activity.
>
> 73, Sid. NZ7M
>
> Sent From Sid Frissell's iPad

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James Bennett

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

The band only “seems” dead. If you were to install WSJT-X and run a WSPR-2 session you would see that there IS propagation - it is just a lack of stations where you are listening for and/or looking for CW/SSB activity.

I currently have my KX3 running WSPR-2 via a Raspberry Pi 3. On 20 meters, with my simple wire doublet, I am decoding quite a variety of stations as far east as Indiana & Louisiana, at mid-day, and none of them are running more than five watts.

Granted, WSPR-2 is weak signal software, but stations with QRO power and rotatable antennas ought to be able to hear each other and make QSOs - IF someone gets on and actually calls CQ instead of simply listening, hearing nothing, and walking away thinking the band is dead…

Just my two rubles…..

73, Jim / W6JHB
Folsom, CA
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Edward R Cole

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

In reply to this post by Sid Frissell

I'll take a chance the thread has not been moderated.

I built my first receiver in time for listening on 1958 to wide-open
10m. Guy's running 50w easily heard around the world. Definitely
never the same since. Unfortunately 13wpm kept my off 10m though I
passed the General written exam when I took my Tech license in 1959
at age 15. The good part of that was I got on 6m and 2m which led to
years on VHF+. I now can work the world by sending my signal half a
million miles via the Moon; no propagation issues (unless a solar
flare disturbs the ionosphere enough to attenuate my signal passage thru it).

Nearly impossible to check into the Elecraft SSB Net on Sunday's;
only hear N6JW and that can be rough copy. 20m is mostly noise these
days. WWV comes thru on 15-MHz and very little heard on
17-10m. Ground wave on 600m is still reliable and some DX during
winter when folks south of me can hear weak signals (static crashes
kill 600m in summer).

Hoping Joe Tayor (K1JT) will have out a digital QSO based mode
soon. That should help use on HF/MW.

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
"Kits made by KL7UW"
Dubus Mag business:
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Jon-2

Re: 20 meters is dead all day

In reply to this post by Sid Frissell

Well, it all depends...

Was reading this, and flipped on the K2 to take a look. And... I just
finished working E51JD, Jim on Raratonga, with the K2 putting out a
mighty 10W to the inverted V, 11:57p PST. Also worked a VE in
Vancouver, a good 20-30 over 9 here. (Raratonga was nowhere near as
strong, but he was only running 100W)

The other night though, I didn't hear much of anything the couple of
times I listened. Your (our?) Ionosphere may vary...

I agree about listening, and calling so there's a signal out
there... And, the more "beacon like" modes and services sure help
nowadays. Stumbled across a VK net on 14.183, sounded like a nightly
Aussie version of the HHH net. Things like that could also serve as
"propagation beacons".

Jon - KA6MOK
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