Personally, I find anything more fun than 2m fm, but that's just me.

I say go for it.

Just about time you're ready to throw the thing in the garbage because there
aren't many stations on right now, BANG!, you'll talk to someone in California
that's breaking your speaker ... then someone in Columbia, South America. Then
there will be a contest, and it will blow your mind just how many stations you
can work.
That's fun !

Start off with a CB antenna, or wire dipole and keep checking the band. We're
at the bottom of the solar cycle, so there aren't many stations on, but there
are some. As the sunspots increase, more and more stations can be worked and by
then you'll have the knack of it and you'll be hooked. I recall when I first
got on 10m, I had a Drake C line running 100w and a used 4 element beam up on
the roof of the house turned with an old TV antenna rotator pulled from the
trash.. I had the radio at the foot of my bed, and I remember sitting on the
end of my bed, talking to a TON of Japanese stations that were so loud, I
could hear the dog barking in the background, or their doorbell ringing.

That hooked me!

Go for it.

jw
k9rzz
milwaukee

Dave Bushong wrote:
Don wrote:
I have a 2 meter radio. Been thinking of getting into 10 meters.
How
des 10 meters work? I mean can it be used to reliable talk to
people a
couple of states away or is it like am radio where reception in
iffy
and you can only during certain times?

I mean, If there is someone one state away I want to talk to can I
any
time of day?

Is this band more "fun" than 2 meters?

Hey Don,

Good question. You are looking at things the right way. My friends
are
tired of hearing me say that "ham radio is a hundred hobbies in one"
but
it is true. If you get tired or bored of one part of the hobby,
there
are 99 other parts of ham radio out there just waiting for you.

How about answering these questions for me:

1: Do you already have a 10-meter radio?
2: Do you have room for a dipole antenna? Around 16 feet long
3: Are you licensed now? If so, does your license include 10-meter
privileges?
4: Do you know of a ham who lives near you who could show you what
he/she has on HF?
5: What do you know about 6 meters? Do you have any interest in that

band (it's awfully fun also)?

Feel free to answer me, either directly by email, or by posting back
to
this newsgroup.

And whatever you do, give us all an update here when you make a
decision.

All the best, and 73,
Dave
KZ1O


How would I e-mail you?

From "Old Timer." Ten meters was at one
time the real "fun" band. Seventy-five was
the kilowatt-corner band, and one almost
needed an invite to be accepted. However,
for ten meters one started by building a tri-
tet oscillator with a war-surplus crystal and
quadrupled to ten. It was used for ground
wave, and could always be counted on for
surprising skip results. My first ten meter rig
was powered by the automobile vibrator
power supply and probably ran less than
five watts input. My antenna was an old
automobile antenna. That's how some hams
operated in those days. I recall one QSO
with an Aussie with that rig. The receiver
was a surplus ARC-5 with the receiver
oscillator and RF coils rewound. It converted
ten meter signals to the broadcast band
automobile receiver A.M. band. Now there
are repeaters on the ten-meter band and with
a little acquaintance with propagation fundamentals
you can have fun around the world. '73s W6BWY

Spike wrote:
From "Old Timer." Ten meters was at one
time the real "fun" band. Seventy-five was
the kilowatt-corner band, and one almost
needed an invite to be accepted. However,
for ten meters one started by building a tri-
tet oscillator with a war-surplus crystal and
quadrupled to ten. It was used for ground
wave, and could always be counted on for
surprising skip results. My first ten meter rig
was powered by the automobile vibrator
power supply and probably ran less than
five watts input. My antenna was an old
automobile antenna. That's how some hams
operated in those days. I recall one QSO
with an Aussie with that rig. The receiver
was a surplus ARC-5 with the receiver
oscillator and RF coils rewound. It converted
ten meter signals to the broadcast band
automobile receiver A.M. band. Now there
are repeaters on the ten-meter band and with
a little acquaintance with propagation fundamentals
you can have fun around the world. '73s W6BWY


Spike,

Man, that takes me back. And what about when the 11-year cycle is at
its peak???!!! You can work the world on a peanut whistle and a wet string.

There is a 10-meter repeater in this area (w1oj) that is occasionally
linked to a popular 2-meter repeater. I've heard guys who otherwise
could not get on HF who use the set up to regularly work guys all over
Europe. I know of three of them who upgraded to General because they
had no idea how much fun HF could be until they tried this!

Dave
kz1o