"Sal M. Onella" wrote in message
...
I have only been on HF for a year and a half, so my history with
propagation
is limited. However, I understand that the sunspots augment/boost the...

My point: HF still works at the bottom.


You will be astonished when propagation comes back to life. I used to work
Austrailia daily with 5 watts FM into a dipole DFQ.

More than half of my DX cards were from chance contacts while I was
commuting to school. The other half was mostly from ARRL DX QSO parties.
Last Field Day I worked 1 Canadian as my only DX contact. Truly SAD. A
few years back I worked Asia on 50 watts CW and more than 100 DX contacts
despite a continuous pileups from band edge to band edge.

For the interlopers on 10 I suggest regular code practice sessions. Long
CQs from the keyer can help with that too. Rest assured they will be
drummed off when propagation comes back and the bands are full.

For the time being, there are rare opportunities. Learn about the beacons
and DX clusters. Some of us have time on their hands and some don't.