Ten Meters:
In my younger days I was informed by old timers if I loved 15 meters you would find even more action on ten meters and you could work the world with modest power. Since at this time I did not have a good antenna for the band I relied up on others to show me what it could do. I had a friend of mine in the Louisville area K4AIS who had a mobile rig and at that time it was AM and separate transmitter and receiver. It was quite a feat in those days to even run mobile, but some were up to the challenge.
Armed with a 50 watt rig, a mobile antenna and a short trip to the highest point in the Louisville area, namely the lookout of Iroquois park. The lookout rose to about 1000 feet above the city and provided many a good contacts.
After about an hour of operating from on top of the lookout it was fun working into Europe, in fact a slight problem occurred since we ran the car battery down and had to push the car down the hill to get it started. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I really did not have a good ten meter antenna until I moved to Western Kentucky in 67. Once settled I installed a TH6DXX and found ten meters to my liking, I was happy with the results using four elements at a height of 70 feet.
I made the decision to try for five band DXCC and those ten meter countries came quickly, many with in a couple of months. However, ten soon died and for years it was dormant, but oh those good memories on ten meters. I opted to go mono band and took down my TH6 in favor of a mono bander twenty meter antenna and for years this served me well. However, in the last six months I have changed antennas again to allow me tri-band operation and ten has provided some great DX.
For the most part I run my amp about 500 watts, the antenna has four elements and rests at 78 feet, does a real great job. My plan is to work around 250 countries on ten meters in the next few years,I am about half way there and add something just about every week.
Ten meters has its good days and not so good days, if you work ten meters on good days, well you can work lots of DX with modest power. A good antenna such as a 3 or 4 element yagi will work nicely on ten. Personally, I prefer the lower end of the band in the cw band. However, some very good phone contacts have taken place in the last few months. For those of you wanting to try a dx band with minimum qrm give ten a try call a few dx stations, you just might be amazed at the results.
Twelve Meters:
Since I do not have a decent antenna for this band other then try and make my Tri-bander load with about a 100 watts I have not had much interest in this band. In the future if I do make some changes and right now it is doubtful I will give twelve a try. Perhaps, the next few years will convince me to do so. I have heard it is a pretty good band and lots of stations using it. Until I obtain a good antenna for the band, well we will just sit still and wait for better times.
SIX Meters:
I was first introduced to six meters in the late 50’s by my mentor W4GVY at the time my friend Don purchased a couple of Gonset G 50 units. Now for you new comers Gonset is no longer in the ham radio business, but at that time they produced the Gonset twins. This was a six meter transmitter about 50 watts and a six meter receiver. Nice set up at the time, so my friend Don also purchased a three element six meter beam and mounted it on the roof top of his house.
I personally never thought too much about six since the band remained dead most of the time. However, one night Don called and told me to come down to his house and we could work six meters and I would see what it was all about. Well, I made the trip about a block and to my surprise stations were lined up trying to work the Kentucky station. I took a turn at the mic and we managed to work about three dozen stations before the band folded. I was impressed, but not impressed enough to purchase any gear. I had enough problems trying to buy HF gear and six was not that impressive to me, yes in some ways it was, but not enough to spend a large sum of money.
A few years passed and my next venture on six produced nothing more then a few local stations, it seems the calling channel was 50.7 at that time and nothing much else inhabited the band other then locals. I soon forgot six meters until the mid 90’s when I had a rig that covered six meters plus HF. One reason there were so few stations in the Louisville area on six was the fear of TVI. Now we all know that six covers 50-54 mhz and that Channel two of VHF channels was 54-60 mhz and in Louisville Channel 3 was 60-66 mhz. Since those old tv sets were not very selective any strong signal in the bandpass led to TVI complaints. Most hams in the area avoided six and if they did work the band used modest amounts of power.
In 91 I purchased a six element beam model 66DXX and mounted it on top of the tower where it rests at 78 Feet. At that time six was showing promise and I had visions of making 100 countries on six meters. I would often work the cw portion of the band and for the most part this was from 50.080 to 50.100. Inhabiting that area of the band I managed to work and confirm 49 states, plus several countries in Europe, Caribbean and a few stations in Japan.
It seems six is permitted in most of Europe there are a few countries where no operation is permitted. However, nothing much at all from Africa other then the Azores in the last few years. Making an appearance on six usually generates a huge pile up it appears that Kentucky is not that plentiful and lots of stations want to work you. Qsl response in the last few years has dwindled down to nothing, although many stations tell you thanks for the new state, or grid, or county qsl cards never seem to appear.
This has taken a turn since the mid 90’s when I would work about three dozen stations in one sitting and receive about that many qsl cards in about a week. I do not seek grid squares on a regular basis and my qsl policy is if I receive a request I reply. In my quest for all states on six I have provided an SASE for the stations I have worked. This has resulted in about a 50/50/ response granted some states I had to work a few times in ordr to receive a card. In the last couple of years six has not produced much other then a few locals and even fewer band openings. During 2013 I really caught no openings and have remained silent on six for some time. My feelings are why try to nurse a dead band into opening when you have 20/15/10 alive and well for contacts to all parts of the world?
You may find six to your liking, but you will have to keep a watch on the band for openings, it may not fit your schedule. The opens at odd times and if you travel, or take a long vacation you may miss the opening for a year, or longer. This band can be fun patience is the key to success with six.
Two meters.
My first introduction to two meters was way back in the late 50’s by my mentor Don W4GVY (SK) Don spied a couple of early transceivers made by Western Radio in the back pages of QST. These units were about the size of a small lunchbox and they were tube type and used A.M. the power output was small in the area of about a 1/4 watt. I quite frankly was skeptical of these units and their usefulness, however one afternoon I ventured a block to my friend’s house to inspect this new marvel of two meter engineering.
I grabbed one unit and started walking and communicating with Don as I walked, I did not have to go too far, more like the length of football field before I lost his signal and he lost mine. Since there were no repeaters in operation at this time, well we both came to the conclusion these radios were functionally useless.
Not sure of what ever happened to them, but I never saw the pair again and no more was ever said about two meters. Back when I was a Novice op in 56 this class of license could use two meter phone, it was the only band Novices could use phone. Few ever used the band since commercial gear was not available and what little there was were converted taxi cab radios.
When I came to Western Kentucky in 67 I met with some of the local genre and they were trying to impress with the fact they could talk to someone in St. Louis from their mobile. At the time I had a twenty meter mobile in my car and I demonstrated I could have a qso with Australia with 200 watts of SSB. Personally, I was not impressed with two meters and forgot about until the mid 80’s.
One of my local friends convinced me to buy a two meter FM rig so I could keep up with the local crowd. Well, at the time I worked for one of the local tv stations and this station had a 1000 foot tower. Side mounted on the tower was a J pole at the 800 foot level, unused and just begging for some RF. During my shift and I worked night shift mostly at that time and in between duties I had spare time to play with the radio. I hooked the j pole to the rig and tuned around the band, at that height well you could hear repeaters every where, but I am not and never have had much interest in repeaters. I preferred simplex, so I made a few calls on 52 simplex to see who I could raise. Much to my surprise I had some simplex contacts with stations about 200 to 300 miles away from my location.
The reaction by the people on the other end when you tell them you are using a J pole at 800 feet does have its merits. In about a month of operating on the pole another client was wanting to use the antenna, you see it belonged to a two way radio company. So, it was fun while it lasted, shortly after that episode I sold off the two meter rig. Fast forward to the mid 90’s and another adventure on two.
This time I decided to try two meter SSB I purchased a 17 element Cushcraft and an Icom all mode rig just for two meters. I cannot recall the model number of the rig, but it was 100 watts and had a great front end. I used this rig for about three years, two meter ssb provided contacts in about 25 states the best DX being North Dakota. During this time the band was open and many signals were heard, but within a year the band died and nothing heard for months.
I saw little need to try and nurse a dead band and wound up selling off the gear for two meters. Once I retired I moved my mobile rig in side and coupled it to my two element 5/8 antenna at 70 feet. Thing is the antenna works fine and produces a good signal, but little to no activity locally, the repeaters remain dormant. Only thing on them daily is the mournful ID’s begging for someone to come by and use the machine. Simplex channels are as quiet as a mouse and the number of locals you hear in a week you can count on one hand.
My FM rig sits idle and the only purpose it has is to listen to NOAA weather, two meter activity is sparse to say the least. Personally, if some one made me a good offer for my Icom ICV 8000 I would take it and never be heard again on two.
One more item of mention was the pursuit of qsl cards for grid square, or states. Actually, getting some two meter ops to qsl you have more luck finding teeth in a chicken. I eventually worked a hundred grids, but I had to repeat some grids and one rare grid in Missouri I sent one ham five requests with SASE. This fellow could not even sign the courtesy card and put it in the return envelope. Same thing with another non qsl er in Alabama, if I ever run in to these two again I may ask them what they did with all the self addressed envelopes and stamps?
Do not hold your breath for much response on this band, it seems the art of qsling is lost with most ops on two.
The rest of the bands 220 and up I have little to no activity on them and zero plans in the future.
