HFU HF Underground
General Category => Amateur Radio => Topic started by: Matt285 on March 11, 2020, 0046 UTC
-
So as I posted in the Rf area. I got my Icom 718 back from repair today. Managed to work IN, NC, and a VE7 as well as Lithuania and Guatemala with a mix of LSB and CW on 40m with my lowered OCF dipole at 20' .Cant wait to get my antenna back up over 35'. Also building a vertical. So glad to be back on and making contacts. Gonna try to make one more DX contact and call it a night.
-
GOOD!!!! Now you can also work those dudes in the afternoon on 60M, and later Sporadic "E" 10M around May. Speaking of which, caught a dude on 28.415MHz USB whom just upgraded to General Class and threw together a 102" whip and home brew GND radials to get his Anytone rig on 10M. But, wait until you try a 102" whip on other bands with just RX. Then, TX with a tuner down as low as 20M. Even MW isn't half-bad to DX with such an antenna. Be lookin' for ya on 10M! Even the OCD does decent on an "E" opening.
-
I love 10m. i can't wait for it to come back to life. I did work some openings out to around 700 miles a while back. I currently don't have 60m capabilities. Never used it.
-
If you like 10m, try 15m.
-
I see reports of activity on 15m during the day when I'm at work, but the activity seems to taper off by the time I get home. I'll check out 15m this weekend.
-
Really??? Your IC-718 isn't open to 5MHz on TX? That OCD and a tuner would do it. I too use a home brew OCD, with a 1990's 4:1 W2DU current balun. The auto tuners on both the semi-older Kenwoods won't do 60M, (They can't seem to decide to use the 40M, or 75M, settings.), but my MFJ-941D manual tuner goes there very nicely. And, with 60M, you are on par with everyone else, USB, or CW and FT8, at 100W ERP MAX. Well, except for the military, they no doubt run stupid power. And, you'll hear them from time to time, even doing military to amateur radio call-in tests. And, during the day, 60M is a great regional NVIS antenna set-up band. At night, coast to coast is very possible, even to the UK. And, with the band channelized to 5 FREQ's, you know that some douche that's only 2KHz away from you won't be keying up a kW. I enjoy it, and the three rigs that are opened up to TX there do it nicely. I put each of the 5 FREQ's into their own memory channel and alphanumerics, so that there's no mistake in FREQ / channel tune-in. Passing thoughts... 73!!!!!!!
-
Really??? Your IC-718 isn't open to 5MHz on TX?
Well to be clear, he'd have to perform the MARS/CAP mod to make this work.
READ HERE --> http://www.catlog.net/_Descarregas/Manuals/01-Icom/Icom%20718%20OBM.pdf
-
I'll likely be purchasing another HF rig in the next few months that has 6 & 60m coverage. I think I'll leave the 718 stock since I'll likely sell it at some point. Didn't realize 60m was that popular being it has a small amount of frequencies. I'll listen tonight on my SDR receiver. Thanks
-
I think I'll leave the 718 stock since I'll likely sell it at some point. Didn't realize 60m was that popular being it has a small amount of frequencies.
Well it's not but a few people use it to get away from those 'other' users. I'd modify your 718 -- you'll get more selling value than leaving it stock. ;)