"Brian" wrote in message
om...
"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message
igy.com...
"F4ASK" wrote in message
...
I don't know exactly why French (and other) administration let the
CBers
working around the legal band : I think (but only me) this band is not
good enough for HF transmissions... But what about 10 m ? Very
strange....


The CB band, being between the 10m and 12m ham bands, will follow the
same
physics of radio propagation as the surrounding ham bands. When
conditions
are good, you can work the world on a few watts. When conditions are
bad,
all the power in the world won't help.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee, I wished I were able to keep all of my QST's, but I tend to move
a lot and can't keep hauling everything I'd like.

Anyway, about 10 years ago, QST featured a ham in Texas that kept
records of his 10M activity. He was able to make contacts beyond
ground wave when most everyone else thought 10M prop was closed. It
was a good story and worth looking up if you have access to back
issues or the CD-ROMS.


I've worked stations on 10 when the band was "closed" as there are other
propagation modes besides the normal ionospheric refraction that occurs
during times of high solar flux.

But power does help, always has, always will. And a few watts may
work, but not necessarily reliably.


Up to a point power helps. If there is no propagation mode currently
between you and the other station, power won't help no matter how much you
use. However if there is some propagation, then additional power can indeed
let you maintain clear communications under marginal conditions. If the
other station is already receiving you at say S9 and there is no background
static, more power will not help. You get a higher meter reading but there
is no enhancement of the communication.

There is quite a network of 10M beacons, and you can often hear the
beacons when you hear no other traffic higher up in the band. 10M
just isn't glamorous, some OT hams calling it the "kiddie band." And
you risk running in to the Ten-Tenners (I am told). ;^)

I scan for the beacons myself but even when they are not coming through, I
still scan the band for propagation to areas that just might not have a
beacon but is open due to phenomena like E skip.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE