Technicians? Now is your chance to play HF!

#hamradio #dx #ssb #propagation

I was enjoying some 10-meter Solar Cycle 25 propagation on February 16, 2024. I encourage you to enjoy the 10-meter band while you can. We are approaching the peak of Cycle 25. Afterc that the 20-meter propagation will fade. Technician class licensees can operating SSB at up to 200W, between 28.3 and 28.5MHz.

Also shown in this video are some operating techniques I use to combat interference.

Note: I mentioned in the video that I give signal reports using a “by-ear” scale. Some of us base a signal report on a combination of what the S-meter shows and how well we hear the signal versus the noise. Think of AM mode. There is a carrier, even when there is nothing being spoken. I listen for the amount of background noise between words. But I can do the same with SSB and CW. I generally consider full-quieting (no background noise between words) as S9. My QRP CW rig doesn’t even have an S-meter, so I give signal reports completely by ear. My “by-ear” scale is as follows:

S1 = Barely readable
S3 = Readable but noisy
S5 = Easily readable but still noisy
S7 = Perfectly readable with only a slight hiss
S9 = Perfectly readable with no noise (aka full quieting)

At the end of this video, you will be able to see a listing of some of the supporters of this channel who made this video possible. These are people who have supported the channel via Patreon membership, as what I call long-haulers. Long-haulers have supported the channel on a long-term basis. There are 4 levels of Patreon membership, including S5 (Associate), S7 (Executive), S9 (VIP), and S9+ (VIP+). S9+ (VIP+) denotes an S9 (VIP) member who voluntarily chooses to give over and above the amount for S9 (VIP) membership. They help me continue to produce videos even though most people do not contribute toward the cost of my mission. Without their support, I cannot bring my viewers uncensored content.

I hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful. If you find my channel informative and entertaining, I hope you will consider joining my support group by clicking on: www.patreon.com/N4HNH There are 3 levels of support, including exclusive content. Visibility of premium content is determined by the level of membership you choose. The higher the membership level, the more content you have access to. VIP members are invited to participate in periodic Zoom meetings.

Most videos are visible to the Patreon team members long before they are released for public viewing. Some videos are never released for public viewing. Yearly S7 (Executive) and S9 (VIP) members have access to the menu optimizations PDFs I’ve written for the FT-891, FT-991A, FTdx5000MP, FTdx101D/MP, FTdx10, and FT-710 AESS. Yearly S7 (Executive) members can receive one menu optimizations PDF while yearly S9 (VIP) members can receive multiple menu optimizations documents, plus my FT8 configuration guide for either the FTdx10 or the FT-710 AESS. Future radios might be added. The documents are copyrighted. They shall not be divulged to anyone else without written permission from Doug McAlexander, callsign N4HNH.

N4HNH Radio has a Web site where you can purchase T-shirts with some of the sayings you might hear in the videos. Some of the more prominent videos are featured there as well as a page geared toward ham radio training. Go to: https://www.n4hnhradio.com

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73, de N4HNH