We are near the bottom of the 11 year solar cycle
thus very poor "skip" conditions on the upper bands
See URL:
http://www.dxlc.com/solar/solcycle.html
Or

http://www.arrl.org/qst/propcharts/2006/04/mid.pdf

One might hear some local line of sight signals but not like the "old" days
--
CL -- I doubt, therefore I might be !






"Dave Edwards" wrote in message
...
I have not had an 11 meter antenna up in the air since around 1972 or so. I
have a clear memory of all the heterodynes and yacking on every channel
that used to go on. I plugged one in again around 1985 or so, because a
buddy of mine had one in his boat, and used it keep it on channel 5. Not
much difference.
Anyway, last weekend...for yucks, I hooked one up to a longwire. I did not
hear a single person on any channel! Perhaps it is the cross polarized
wire antenna.
So, I shot a wire over a branch, and hoisted a CB vertical antenna
..Astron or Antron...something like that...a pretty good fiberglass
antenna!
Still, other than a general high noise level...no signals!
Channel 19 used to be jammed...even with a handheld whip antenna!

Is CB no longer??

Perhaps it might be useful again!!!

Anyone check the band out lately?

....Dave