- What best Antenna (Type & Size)for skipping on 11-meter
- In {ON & OFF years} what is the rang
- Best channel on AM & FM
- Best time of day
Dave
Dave
Atmospheric conditions on the 11 m band change following the sunspot cycle which is 11 years peak to peak. Skip - also follows the daily MUF - maximum usable frequency which changes all the time depending on loads of factors. Range goes from worldwide to local. Antenna design is a compromise. Vertical antennas for 11m are just huge - but not huge enough to get practical gain. If you look at the common designs - they all have different takeoff angles - where the maximum signal is radiated. The lowest angle design is the 5/8th wave - so a big groundplane then an antenna 7m-ish tall. This usually means it has around double the effective output of a quarter wave or half wave. The angle is usually considered to be around 16 degrees above horizontal. At the other end is the quarter wave - angle wise, maybe 25 degrees or so. The common half wave splits the difference. The important thing is that if you are hoping to bounce off the ionosphere, the lower angle might be better as the distance covered is further, meaning of course less hops to get further range? Quarter waves would take more hops to cover the same distance, and be weaker. I suppose the reason some antennas are popular is because while tall, they do not have huge horizontal ground plane elements which are not very practical on a house! Time of day is important. One of the layers of the atmosphere is called the F layer and it needs direct sunlight to reflect, otherwise RF passes through, out to space. Sunset is a great time - if the sunset line is between you and where you want to get to, that’s ideal but only lasts maybe 30 mins or maybe a bit more. There is some useful info on the MUF here
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Thank you
Till this year the FCC said no for 11-meter to skipping.
I have received skip. In 1979 my father and myself was aging out a build site on a Saturday and used old Walkie-talkie (made in 1962) on channel 9. We pick a rescue at sea in the Gulf of Mexico about 4,500 miles [7,200 km].
A HAM operator pick the call in Midwest. Found it was 10 year old on boat in Gulf of Mexico. The only radio working was CB and hook up boat antenna. It took hoursto get coast guard. I Lot detail came from news we could use CB that day .
Sunday we Purchased two new 40 channel radio shack Walkie-talkie with mic and rubber duck antennas.
Thank you
Dave
They removed their rather silly ban. Historically, the FCC had a strict rule (former CB Rule 13 / Section 95.413) that prohibited CB operators from communicating with any station more than 150 miles (250 kilometers) away. However, during a major overhaul of the Part 95 Personal Radio Services rules, the FCC recognized that ionospheric skip is a natural atmospheric phenomenon that cannot be stopped by regulation. As a result, the distance restriction was completely lifted.
Plenty of non-technical users probably wondered why they were able to talk to foreigners! At the worst bit of the sunspot cycle youcan’t do it, at the best - very often!
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Last read on the FCC site on skipping is I talk to any inside American and Canadian.
I am wait to see what new part 95 has in it for skipping.
Until 2026 I did not try get one on skip, I keep to 150 miles most was under 30 miles
Dave
The thing is that they realised it was a totally ridiculous rule, that even law abiding citizens had no way of following. You shout out on a calling channel, and a voice replies. You chat about anything for a few minutes and then the other person says where are you? You reply say “califironia” and the other person says “I’m in Florida”. On the old rules, you both broke the law. Even sillier, to actually ask the other person where they are, to check if the distance rules was being broken, you had to break the law. Totally stupid and clearly unenforcable. How on earth could you even attempt to try to get 149 miles? Anyway - your FCC has now had common sense and you just call and reply, or reply to a call. If you can hear them, and they can hear you - it could be another US person, or somebody in Europe or even Russia. Back in the 70s - after the Convoy movie, many people in the UK were talking to people in the USA - totally unaware this was not ‘normal’. Then conditions would change and they were confused why the Americans had vanished!
Our government, over here, makes a living off of taxes and totally rediculous rules. It almost seems like the people making the rules have very little practical knowledge of what they are regulating.
I agree
Skip just happens I told by HAM operators never ask the location till dnd of your transmission.
The first I ever saw CB working was about 1961 it from Clovis California to The Grapevine about 160 mile. They use a 60 foot 5 or 7 element Yagi and the truck had 102 wipe. You can not do that today in Valley it was all Fram land today a lot building. Today you had get permit for Antennas over 35 feet . we also have more smog.
The I can get is up 30 miles most time it is 20 or less. Even 15 mile Radius population is almost 2 million. Even if could get great distances I would gain more radio I live where most live.
That why I like skipping to get out valley with a mountain range over 10,000 feet.
Dave
The rules made 1940s and the FCC want to keep CB short range so spy could not band. In ww2 spy used low wattage transmitters that had range of under 1,000 miles.
Dave
PS: This for Radio transmission and a little fun
If on the East coast the distance to UK is about same as. CALIFORNIA
If for sizing of European war it is like flying/bombing run from California to Mississippi
Germany is about 85% the of California and Japan including the island around the main Island is just over the size of California