I should mention 60 meters; it is a very limited ham band with only five channels available to us. I have listened on the band a few times. Heard some stations chatting from the Midwest and that was it. This band is far too restrictive for me; the rest of the world does not have any privileges on this band. DX exists only to the extent of stateside stations. You are limited to 50 watts ERP. So, if by chance you construct an antenna with six db gain your actually power going to the antenna would have to be somewhere around 10 to 12 watts. A dipole has no gain so you can shove 50 watts into it for 60 meters. Also no restrictions on how high you have that dipole, so if you live in a high rise apartment and can hang an antenna on the roof, well have fun and enjoy. If you have a 150 tower you can hang that dipole and want to try 60 meters, go for it.
I have no plans for this band, I would choose 160 before 60, but as I mentioned I have no plans for 160 either, so unless we get more then five channels. I am not investing in the band.
Forty meter phone after sundown was indeed useless for all practical purposes for years due to powerful foreign broadcast stations running A.M. BBC, VOA, China, lots of middle eastern stations, South American stations AM broadcast also made voice contacts on 40 impossible after sundown. What little phone I worked on 40 was done in the early afternoon, or during the daytime hours. I spent most of my time on 40 cw and this was indeed quite productive. I have over 250 countries confirmed on 40 and some of my best contacts are China, Thailand, and Mongolia, all of Europe and about 90 percent of Africa. I use a folded Dipole at 70 feet in the air and with a few stations using forty-meter beams I have not done badly. Forty requires some sharp listening and a good set of ears, mostly all the DX I worked is in the lower part of the cw band. 7.000 to 7.025 kHz. Forty is good for Europe in the late afternoon, Asia for the most part in the early hours of the morning and the South Pacific as well during the same time.
The big secret to 40-meter dxing is listening and when you are tired of listening, listens some more. With the expansion of the band to 7.125 for ssb this has to some degree eliminated the wide split needed to work DX stations on ssb. Still for special expeditions found on frequencies from 7.050 to 7.100 you may still need to split more then 25 kHz.
Good results can be obtained on this band and wire antennas do not take up several acres as other bands might. If of course you wish to erect a 40-meter beam, well you better have the clear turning radius, a good support structure and lots of money to erect it.
I have favored expanding the phone band down to 7.1 but have a 25khz segment for Extra class only, so far this has fallen on deaf ears, but maybe someday?
One of my objectives is to confirm 300 countries on 40 and I am almost there with 250, occasionally I hear a country I have not worked. Forty during the day time is pretty good for short contacts, about 500 miles, sometimes a little better. Lots of nets, round tables, emergency nets and some rag chewers.
Moving on up the bands 30 meters is a good band for digital and cw operators and indeed the results are very good even with a poor antenna. I have been amazed at this band in the last few months due to the fact I worked 30 countries with about 50 watts going to the antenna. The antenna I used was my 5 element mono bander and it did function as a dipole on this band. As far as long haul, well Japan, Australia, New Zealand and several stations in Europe. I only worked this band to add to my DX challenge since I was shy about 50-band countries when I decided to go for it.
Thirty is basically a cw and digital band, doubtful we will ever have voice operation on this band, maybe someday, and of course maybe not. It is a cross between 40 and 20 and exhibits a lot of 7 Mhz and 14 mhz propagation. Wire antennas, verticals and yagis worke well on this band, but a yagi can have rather large proportions.
You might find it to your liking qrm level is minimum unless a rare one shows up, otherwise nice contacts during the daylight hours with stateside and some distant contacts. During the evening the band lengthens out and virtually anywhere in the world is possible.
My most favorite band and the work horse of all the bands is of course 20m meters, The cw band is alive and well, lots of dx available. Asia in the early morning, Europe later on in the morning and Africa, plus long path VK/ZL by 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Towards the late afternoon lots of contacts into Japan, Asia and if the band remains open the south Pacific with some real great signals.
By more available phone spectrum the high levels of qrm have dropped, with the phone band down to 14,150 and an Extra class cw sub band at 14,000 to 14.025 and a phone segement 14, 150 to 14.175 twenty meters is using much of its available spectrum. In effect about 50khz is not available to U.S. phone stations. I have visions of this changing and using all the way down to 14.100 for phone stations in the U.S.
Twenty has changed over the years, the phone band ended at 14.200 and just in the last few years have we welcomed a 50 khz expansion down to 14.150.
A real great decision was 17 meters, just 100 khz wide it does serve to relieve the twenty meter band and the 15 meter band of a lot of congestion. I have found 17 interesting at times and added some new band countries when I was in search of my DX challenge. I do not have a good antenna for 17, but my Bencher will load up on this band. However, any future plans for a an efficient antenna in the future is not in the antenna plans. I am having too much fun working 15 and ten. However, 17 is a good band for newcomers, with modest stations, powers of 100 watts or less and fair antennas. I was favorable impressed with a Field day station using a screwdriver antenna mounted about ten feet off the ground in a tree. We were working the Midwest with ease of course this was prior to Field Day. One thing I like about 17, 30.12 is no contesting, you can move to these bands during hot contests. During the last sweepstakes I saw little point in working a lot of state side stations, instead I moved to 17 and worked five new band countries in a matter of an hour.
The band is good for most any part of the world at various times of the day and evening, band conditions have to be great for 17 to work. There are no license class restrictions other then a General class required, this is a great band for new comers and old timers as well.
Part 3 coming.
