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Author Topic: 11 Meter SW BX Band....  (Read 10360 times)

Offline Reverend Bow Voodoo

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11 Meter SW BX Band....
« on: April 30, 2014, 1811 UTC »
Yup, the 11 meter band is wide open, and currently, propagation isn't bad, and one could get world wide very easy. Last night,I got American Samoa (70 Division) from the Great South West USA with 100W on SSB, running ESSB Audio, and a homebrew 1/4 Wave ground plane (Stainless 102" whip, Mirror Mount, 4 108" counterpoise wires) mounted at 18' AGL on a roof tripod, 5ft mast on the garage roof.... I'm pretty stoked.

As far as "bang for the buck", I believe that 11 meters offers some of the best:
Inexpensive Transmitters
Inexpensive Amplifiers
Short Antennas

One would just need to gain listeners... Of course, the nie sayers will scream "Lost CB'er!", but there IS a broadcast band there around 26 Mhz.... and it is very underused...

I wouldn't suggest the 40 channel freqs though, too many jammers, but above 27.405 (and below 28 Mhz), and below 26.965 (but above 25Mhz) is a perfect place to give it a shot with little cash involved.

Take the narrow chunk from 25.670 to 26.100, that chunk was set aside for broadcasting ... most exports will reach down to 25.165 at the end of their range... so they go that covered, no crystal swaps needed...

I am currently setting up a SuperStar 3900 to run AM mode with a Palomar 225 (Class AB) amplifier. That should get a nice 150-200 Watt Modulated AM signal out. I swapped about 3 or 4 caps in the audio chain and it will transmitter Audio 70Hz-10kHz with no trouble...

And a 1/4 Wave Ground Plane Antenna for 26MHz  is a simple 9' vertical with 108" ground radials... $25 at Radio Shack for a 102" stainless whip, a short 3/8-24 threaded adapter about 6"-7" long, 4 wire radials and a simple 90 degree metal mount to anything upright...

My only suggestion would be to stay away from the STL freqs, that would be as bad and pirating on FM and pissing off the money payers to keep the FCC going
Reverend Bow Voodoo
VUDU Radio
2TX240
Bastard Modulation Engineering

Can I Get An Amen?

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2014, 1225 UTC »
I have never heard a SW broadcaster on the 11 meter broadcast band. The only thing I've heard in the 11 meter part of the SW spectrum is CBers (both legal and outbanders) and the rare studio to transmitter link.

You're right about the equipment being available, and it doesn't take much of an antenna to get out. I was able to work Mexico, Alaska, and the SE US on the CB sideband with a single quad loop.
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2014, 1238 UTC »
Years ago I heard HCJB when they ran on 11 meters, 26020 from memory?

IIRC they ran 100 or so watts and were heard world wide. Of course, that's back when we actually had a solar maximum.
Chris Smolinski
Westminster, MD
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Offline ka1iic

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2014, 2103 UTC »
It might be interesting if someone were to try this javascript:void(0);

Many times I have noticed here in Ohio that sometimes the 10 meter Amateur band is totally dead but the CB's can be heard from all over the Americas...  never could figure that one out...javascript:void(0);

very interesting indeed... javascript:void(0);

73 Vince KA1IIC
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

Offline glimmer twin

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2014, 2142 UTC »
There is a low power station on 11 meters from Moscow that is often heard in North America every Friday. Radio Magic Eye operates with 400 watts from Moscows Technical University on 25900 from 12:00-15:00.

http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,16064.0.html

http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,16364.0.html


I haven't checked for it for several weeks so I don't know for sure that they are still on.
KCMO  Icom R 75 , SDR-IQ, Grundig Satellit 750 ,Tecsun PL 880, Tecsun PL660 , Tecsun PL380 & PL360  10 meter random wire  w/ RF systems MLB    Alpha Delta SWL DX sloper  
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gentlemen,you can not fight in here, this is the war room

Offline jFarley

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2014, 2149 UTC »
Checked this AM and pretty sure there was a carrier, but I never got any audio.
Joe Farley, Near Chicago
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Offline bumbelstock

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2014, 0732 UTC »
I got some Day's a lot of Broadcasting Station's on CB here in Europa.
Not every Station send a ID but a lot OP enjoy the Prop. on 11m.
I copy the first ID from a BX Station from Radio101 transmit on the CB Channel seven,years ago.
This BX tx automatic if the short skip prop.(ES) is good. -> www.radio101.de/radio101/how_to_d.htm

To made a littel TX is very easy,the same like on 48m plus the LPF to cut Freq. above 30MHz.
But maybe it will be great if anybody post a BX Station that tx on 11m online,like cluster.dk for DX.

Someday's,with good weather,sunny sky, FreeRadioBumbelstock is portabel on air ;D

More people should to try on 11m,with god prop. the signal will travel far....

Good DX!
Greetings from the Yellow Bumbelstock

RX from central Germany

Offline RCCI

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2014, 1753 UTC »
Many times I have noticed here in Ohio that sometimes the 10 meter Amateur band is totally dead but the CB's can be heard from all over the Americas...  never could figure that one out...javascript:void(0);

73 Vince KA1IIC

I too have noticed the 11 meter, CBer's and out-of-banders are very active mornings and afternoons, but nary a Amateur on 10 meter.
+ Equipment: Yaesu FRG 100B, Kenwood R-1000, Yaesu FRG7,
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Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2014, 1643 UTC »
I've noticed that phenomenon also. 11 meters outband and inband will be loaded with signals, 10 meters will be dead or next to dead (except some beacons in the beacon section of the 10 meter band).

I've noticed that on the ham forums there are hams that complain about this also.

I noticed it more a couple years ago. Now we're at the solar maximum (or somewhere near it), I've noticed 10 meters has a lot more activity than it used to. But there were times in the past the 10 meter beacons would be popping up but no ham activity.

I think it's because the hams are using the other bands instead. Because when I hear 11 meters hopping, and 10 meters dead, usually I will hear a lot of hams on 17 meters, 15 meters, and 20.
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

Offline atrainradio

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2014, 0433 UTC »
Let us not forget my little experiment, Radio 9th Dimension. "The 11 meters Music station"
QTH, New Jersey, America's landfill
Tecsun PL-990 W/ Extendable Whip Antenna

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2014, 0201 UTC »
I remember the Swedes being up there in the late '90's. It seems to me the French and South Africans were up there around the same time.

Offline Witchdoctor

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2014, 1408 UTC »
I've noticed that phenomenon also. 11 meters outband and inband will be loaded with signals, 10 meters will be dead or next to dead (except some beacons in the beacon section of the 10 meter band).

I've noticed that on the ham forums there are hams that complain about this also.

I noticed it more a couple years ago. Now we're at the solar maximum (or somewhere near it), I've noticed 10 meters has a lot more activity than it used to. But there were times in the past the 10 meter beacons would be popping up but no ham activity.

I think it's because the hams are using the other bands instead. Because when I hear 11 meters hopping, and 10 meters dead, usually I will hear a lot of hams on 17 meters, 15 meters, and 20.

that's because most of us "hams" tend to think 10 is a DX in daytime/evening    and night/local band.  Due to that misinformation, we tend to shut down on the higher HF frequencies at night because "nobody is there" ...Sad really , because I have used psk and other digital modes to talk into africa and australia on 10  at three in the AM local time.  CBers on the otherhand do not put that much thought into ionosphere propagation...they just turn on and start talking, see if anybody is up  ;D.....If 11 is open 10 should be

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2014, 1925 UTC »
Yup. I heard a couple of hams on ten meters ragchewing about no one using ten meters anymore awhile back. They blamed it on hams depending on propagation predictions from various websites/software and not actually taking the time to listen up there.

My take is when the FCC lifted the restrictions on new hams operating only on 10 meters and above with restricted power, the newbies headed down to what they saw as the "big boy bands", leaving 10 meters deserted.

I regularly see 10 meter rigs at hamfests dirt cheap and gathering dust.

Offline ka1iic

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #13 on: December 21, 2014, 1616 UTC »
[quote/] that's because most of us "hams" tend to think 10 is a DX in daytime/evening    and night/local band.  Due to that misinformation, we tend to shut down on the higher HF frequencies at night because "nobody is there" ...Sad really , because I have used psk and other digital modes to talk into africa and australia on 10  at three in the AM local time.  CBers on the otherhand do not put that much thought into ionosphere propagation...they just turn on and start talking, see if anybody is up  ;D.....If 11 is open 10 should be
[/quote]

Very true Witchdoctor (Doctor Who???)

I use to work 20 meters long after the sun had set and picked up some nice dx that way and with no QRM :-)

I love it when a plan comes together...
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

Offline ka1iic

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Re: 11 Meter SW BX Band....
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2014, 1416 UTC »
I just check what the 11 meter short wave broadcast band was (is?) and accordingto the data I have here (it might be wrong) it covers:

25600 - 26100 KHZ

It's been a long time since I heard any real broadcasters up there..

Anyway just my 2 centavos...

 
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

 

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