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

Good morning Dan,

Welcome to Ham radio. I notice that you have a Technician License and
the pretty much restricts you to ten meters for HF.

The HTX-10 is a fairly good radio and it sounds like you do have it
hooked up moderately well.

As mentioned in another response at this point in the sunspot cycle ten
meter propagation is poor and becoming poorer for the next few years. It
will POP open on some occasions and really give you a surprise. I have
97 countries on 10 meters with 15 watts in a mobile [it was done during
my college days a long time ago].

The 10 meter band will start to improve in about 2 to 3 years and in the
late 2000's to 2011 it will be wide open world wide 24 hours a day and
low power stations can and will work the world.

Have you considered upgrading to General? It will give many more HF
options and much much more fun.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE
for 50 years :-)

Dan wrote:
I have had my htx-10 for a few days now and have not heard anything.
No CW, no beacons, nothing.

SNIP

Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Thanks,
Dan
KE5BCC

Good morning Dan,

Welcome to Ham radio. I notice that you have a Technician License and
the pretty much restricts you to ten meters for HF.

The HTX-10 is a fairly good radio and it sounds like you do have it
hooked up moderately well.

As mentioned in another response at this point in the sunspot cycle ten
meter propagation is poor and becoming poorer for the next few years. It
will POP open on some occasions and really give you a surprise. I have
97 countries on 10 meters with 15 watts in a mobile [it was done during
my college days a long time ago].

The 10 meter band will start to improve in about 2 to 3 years and in the
late 2000's to 2011 it will be wide open world wide 24 hours a day and
low power stations can and will work the world.

Have you considered upgrading to General? It will give many more HF
options and much much more fun.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE
for 50 years :-)

Dan wrote:
I have had my htx-10 for a few days now and have not heard anything.
No CW, no beacons, nothing.

SNIP

Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Thanks,
Dan
KE5BCC

Dan wrote:
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?

Walt and Dave gave you some good advice.

One other thing I'd try... When you're home and doing something else,
leave the radio squelched on FM. 29.600 FM is the FM calling frequency
and a good frequency to monitor.

A better frequency to monitor might be 28.490 FM.

The stations on that frequency will be using USB, so they won't be
intelligible with your radio in FM mode. But they will "make some
noise", so you'll know there are signals present. And in FM mode, your
radio has a wider IF filter -- it will hear signals that aren't on
exactly 28.490, so you stand a chance of hearing someone who decides to
fire up on, say, 28.485. When the squelch opens and you start hearing
unintelligible "monkey chatter", switch to USB and tune around to find
the station in question.

If you have a TV with an antenna on it, leave it on and tuned to an open
channel between 2 and 6. When you start seeing stations on channels
that are normally empty, there's probably "short skip" in - this is also
very good for 10 meters. Short skip should become relatively
commonplace as we enter May. It won't deliver much foreign DX (it's
good for a maximum of about 2,000 miles in most cases) but you'll make
plenty of American QSOs, and you may work a few stations from the
Caribbean and Central America.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Dan wrote:
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?

Walt and Dave gave you some good advice.

One other thing I'd try... When you're home and doing something else,
leave the radio squelched on FM. 29.600 FM is the FM calling frequency
and a good frequency to monitor.

A better frequency to monitor might be 28.490 FM.

The stations on that frequency will be using USB, so they won't be
intelligible with your radio in FM mode. But they will "make some
noise", so you'll know there are signals present. And in FM mode, your
radio has a wider IF filter -- it will hear signals that aren't on
exactly 28.490, so you stand a chance of hearing someone who decides to
fire up on, say, 28.485. When the squelch opens and you start hearing
unintelligible "monkey chatter", switch to USB and tune around to find
the station in question.

If you have a TV with an antenna on it, leave it on and tuned to an open
channel between 2 and 6. When you start seeing stations on channels
that are normally empty, there's probably "short skip" in - this is also
very good for 10 meters. Short skip should become relatively
commonplace as we enter May. It won't deliver much foreign DX (it's
good for a maximum of about 2,000 miles in most cases) but you'll make
plenty of American QSOs, and you may work a few stations from the
Caribbean and Central America.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

"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

"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

"Doug Smith W9WI" wrote in message
...
Dan wrote:
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?

Walt and Dave gave you some good advice.

One other thing I'd try... When you're home and doing something else,
leave the radio squelched on FM. 29.600 FM is the FM calling frequency
and a good frequency to monitor.

A better frequency to monitor might be 28.490 FM.

The stations on that frequency will be using USB, so they won't be
intelligible with your radio in FM mode. But they will "make some
noise", so you'll know there are signals present. And in FM mode, your
radio has a wider IF filter -- it will hear signals that aren't on
exactly 28.490, so you stand a chance of hearing someone who decides to
fire up on, say, 28.485. When the squelch opens and you start hearing
unintelligible "monkey chatter", switch to USB and tune around to find
the station in question.

If you have a TV with an antenna on it, leave it on and tuned to an open
channel between 2 and 6. When you start seeing stations on channels
that are normally empty, there's probably "short skip" in - this is also
very good for 10 meters. Short skip should become relatively
commonplace as we enter May. It won't deliver much foreign DX (it's
good for a maximum of about 2,000 miles in most cases) but you'll make
plenty of American QSOs, and you may work a few stations from the
Caribbean and Central America.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com


You might also monitor the FM repeaters in the Caribbean. They are listed
in the ARRL repeater directory. Although being in Texas, you might be too
close to hear them via ionospheric propagation even when the band opens up.
However if you do hear them, then that's the time to drop down into the area
where you have privileges and try calling CQ.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

"Doug Smith W9WI" wrote in message
...
Dan wrote:
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?

Walt and Dave gave you some good advice.

One other thing I'd try... When you're home and doing something else,
leave the radio squelched on FM. 29.600 FM is the FM calling frequency
and a good frequency to monitor.

A better frequency to monitor might be 28.490 FM.

The stations on that frequency will be using USB, so they won't be
intelligible with your radio in FM mode. But they will "make some
noise", so you'll know there are signals present. And in FM mode, your
radio has a wider IF filter -- it will hear signals that aren't on
exactly 28.490, so you stand a chance of hearing someone who decides to
fire up on, say, 28.485. When the squelch opens and you start hearing
unintelligible "monkey chatter", switch to USB and tune around to find
the station in question.

If you have a TV with an antenna on it, leave it on and tuned to an open
channel between 2 and 6. When you start seeing stations on channels
that are normally empty, there's probably "short skip" in - this is also
very good for 10 meters. Short skip should become relatively
commonplace as we enter May. It won't deliver much foreign DX (it's
good for a maximum of about 2,000 miles in most cases) but you'll make
plenty of American QSOs, and you may work a few stations from the
Caribbean and Central America.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com


You might also monitor the FM repeaters in the Caribbean. They are listed
in the ARRL repeater directory. Although being in Texas, you might be too
close to hear them via ionospheric propagation even when the band opens up.
However if you do hear them, then that's the time to drop down into the area
where you have privileges and try calling CQ.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Being we are on the downslide of the solar cycle and the current numbers are
Current Solar Flux report:
SFI: 112 A-index: 11 K-Index: 3

Conditions on 10M are poor at the moment.

Two places to look for propagation conditions --

1. ARRL prop charts at URL:
http://www.arrl.org/qst/propcharts/
Shows predicted propagation by time and locations
This will help optimize you calling times.

2. The NCDXF/IARU Beacons at URL:
http://www.ncdxf.org/Beacon/intro.html

For the NCDXF 10M beacons from around the world -- tune to 28.200 megaHertz
Programs are available to ID the beacon locations since the ID's are sent at
22 WPM in Morse.
Great real time propagation aid.

Being in the downside of the solar cycle 23 -- it will get worse and hit
bottom around 2006 with cycle 24 peaking in 2010 !

So would suggest you upgrade and use the lower frequency bands.

There may be some Sporadic E openings on 10M in a month or two so you can
work several hundred miles via sporadic E
WHEN it occurs -- but as the name implies it is sporadic. Check a DX packet
cluster for openings URL:
http://ac6v.com/dxcluster.htm

Good Luck and Gd DX

--
Incognito By Necessity (:-(

If you can't convince them, confuse them.
- - -Harry S Truman




"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