"Dan" wrote in message
om...
I have had my htx-10 for a few days now and have not heard anything.
No CW, no beacons, nothing. Tried calling CQ about a hundred times
but no answer. I have tried two different antenna configurations..
First, a dipole with about 8' of wire on both ends, and then a
magnetic mount CB/Ham antenna from radio shack. I trimmed both of
them using a SWR meter (I get about 1.2-1.3 on both of them). Using
RG58 cable. I have read many posts by people using the same exact
configuration who were able to make contacts within 1 hour of hooking
it up. I am able to hit the local 10M repeater 35 miles away but that
is about it. I keep my RF gain all the way up and have my mic gain at
about 1 o'clock. Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Thanks,
Dan
KE5BCC

I agree with the other responders that it is the sunspot cycle not your
setup. You might get some north/south propagation in mid to late afternoon
if you are lucky. Check to see if there are any upcoming contests and see
if you can hear the Caribbean or South America during the late afternoon
during them. I personally haven't heard anything on 10m since early April
but when I did, it was a good one (S. Cook Island).

Also note that 10m is an interesting band in several ways. One could
consider it a transition band between HF and VHF. When the solar flux is
low, it acts pretty much like VHF although seldom affected by tropospheric
ducting. Basically it becomes "line of sight" so your distance will depend
on the height and directivity of the sending and receiving antennas and
power output of your station. When solar flux is high, you can work the
world "on a wet noodle and no power" and have a booming signal at the
receiving station.

Since you have passed the code already to have HF privileges on 10m, you
just need to pass the written test to get your General so long as you do so
within 365 days of having passed your code. The General test is only a
little harder than your Tech was so if you grab a study guide right now
while the Tech material is still fairly fresh in your mind, you should be
able to charge right through it in a month or so and get your upgrade fairly
quickly. As you work through the guide, check your progress using the
online sample tests at www.qrz.com and www.eham.net

The question pool is scheduled to change July 1 but you should be able to
get ready for the test well before that.

So good luck and go after that upgrade.

73s
Dee D. Flint, N8UZE