(Dan) wrote in message . com...
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

Dan, 10M is where I had my first successful HF experiences. It is
kind of quirky, and you need to understand it. We are currently
between sunspot maximums, and 10M propogation is likely to be during
daily solar noon, +/- a few hours. Count on the band to shut down at
sundown. During Sunspot maximum, the band will stay open long after
sundown and can provide some of the longest DXing available.

Having said that, there is so little activity on 10M that the band
might be open and no one knows it. There was a nice QST(?) article
written about a decade ago by a ham that kept meticulous records.
Over several years, he managed to make daily contacts even when the
band was "dead."

So you best bet is to know where the activity is. Various groups have
daily and/or weekly nets on 10M. Find a list of nets and try to
listen in. If you hear them, make a call. Also, you need to watch
for contests specifically on 10M or contests that opearate all-bands.
These are primarily on weekends. Finally, check the some of the DX
Clusters on the web and watch for 10M spots. Even if you can't hear
the DX, operate put yourself about 15kc away from the DX and call CQ
yourself. Some of the crowd is likely to hear you and come back to
you.

North-South propogation is best at this time of year, and thunderstorm
static crashes will make life hell from great distances. But from
Fort Worth, you should have daily propogation into the Dakotas and
South America. Fall and Winter are my favorite operating seasons
because they are so much quieter. FWIW, the major contests are in the
Fall-Winter-Spring, and that is a great time to snag some DX even if
the contest isn't your thing. Just be prepared to give the correct
contest exchange so that you don't jam up the works ;^)

A dipole antenna is more than adequate for casual DXing. A vertical
antenna is also simple and typically has a lower angel of radiation
(dx comes in at low angles), so might work better. If you can get
both up and use an antenna switch, use the one that is giving the best
signal at any given time.

Ten-Ten International has tons of 10M interest links.

http://www.ten-ten.org/main.html

Finally, watch your license authorizations. Sometimes DX hangs out
just above 28.500 MHz and torments you, but there's not much you can
do except call from the just inside your band edge. Consider going
for General. If you've already got Tech with Code, General is just
one test away, and it gives you all of 10M - even the repeaters.

Best of Luck.

bb