See video above. This happened on my second day on 10 meter AM. I was using the little GE CB radio that I had modified for 10 meters. I had lucked out. First bit of luck: the CB that I bought (for parts!) at a hamfest turned out to be just the thing I needed for a quick and easy mod. The GE box had what is called a Hygain board and -- most important -- a PLL02 chip. Second bit of luck: I stumbled across an article by Jerry K5JC on how to put this particular kind of device onto 10 meter AM. Boom, Bob was my uncle, and I got on 10. Then, today, the miracle happened. I heard Benny K5KV and I gave him a call. He asked about my rig. I described the mod to the GE CB. Benny seemed kind of surprised, and for good reason. You see, Jerry K5JC (the guy who created the mod that I was using) had just broken squelch on Benny's rig! Benny told him to get on 10 and soon I as in contact with the guy who had created the mod that I was using. The Radio Gods Have Spoken. Thanks Benny and thanks a Jerry. This was all really cool.
Think of odds of this happening: On my second day on 10 AM, running just 4 watts, I just happened to contact Benny K5KV in Texas who just happened to be in 2 meter range of Jerry K5JC, who just happened at that moment to be breaking squelch on Benny's 2 meter rig. TRGHS.
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Bill, it would be interesting to hear about the 10 Meter AM activity levels and best frequencies to call CQ---73!
ReplyDeleteMike: AM activity seems to mostly be at or around 29.0 MHz. This is the AM calling frequency. But the AM band extends up to around 29.1 MHz. With the mod I used, CB channel 10 (on the rig's display) becomes 28.995 MHz, Channel 11 becomes 29.005 MHz. Each channel moves it up 10 kHz. Channel 40 is 29.325 MHz. But so far all of my QSOs have been at 29.005, "Channel 11". On AM this is close enough to 29.0 MHz. 73 Bill
DeleteThanks for info, Bill. It might be fun to add a 10 meters AM rig to the all HB CW on HF here --73 Mike
ReplyDeleteMike: Yea, especially if you got a few other guys in your local area to get on the air with these modified rigs. You could easily have a local net without any of the heartburn of a 2 meter repeater. I hope to mod at least two more, with this purpose in mind. There are a lot of these things on e-bay. 73 Bill
DeleteThe price of old CB rigs on Ebay are now on the increase!
DeleteRandy, K7AGE
Great story. Mow I want to find one and do the modes.
ReplyDeleteYes, an absolutely amazing and fortuitous QSO, proving that propagation is so good now that it is time for you to schedule a monthly Soldersmoke
ReplyDeletehomebrew-to-homebrew net on 14.347 MHz!
I nodded a Johnson Viking, the CB not the boat anchor, around 1979. The mod was pure simplicity, you reversed one PLL diode and retuned! It went like a bomb, 10 watts, I shortened a CB helical on my dads car and worked VK3 to W6 stationary mobile! Magic memories! Paul VK3HN.
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