Do you ever wonder if there's any ham that's not on 80, 40, or 20 meters? I sure do, especially since I mainly do my work on 15, 12, and 10 meters. I have the capability to do 6 but I don't have the tuner (hooked up, at least) yet to access this band. After about a year of on and off operating, here's my analysis of the only bands I can access at the moment. I'm capped at 10W, so this could affect my signal strength and what my experiences are.
15 Meters
15 meters is the most busiest band by far that I've heard. It's mainly stateside or contacts in the Caribbean or South America. Most traffic is FT8 or Morse but I've heard the occasional RTTY or CW from W1AW. I've also heard the fellow operator many times in the house who goes by the name Kenmore. Up to this point, this is the only frequency band that I've made successful contacts on and they've only been on FT4 and FT8.
I'd like to do more though. I have thrown out dozens of CQ calls on voice, RTTY, PSK31, and even Feld Hell, but to no avail. There are frequencies for these modes, but they're dead all the time. I have been spotted several times but no one comes back to me on these modes. It got me wondering if it could be my antenna setup, or maybe it's because my entire setup is inside.
12 Meters
12 meters is a nice band and because it's a WARC band, it's a safe haven from contest pileups. Yes, there are data and voice segments. I rarely hear traffic on this band, but during contest season, it piles up fast with people who are non-contesters. I've mainly heard voice, the occasional CW, and FT8 on this band.
Although it's a small band it's still useable, but not for me. Unfortunately, my antenna tuner refuses to load my EFHW under a 2:1 SWR without compromising power. It's just impossible! Maybe an auto tuner or different antenna can solve the issue???
10 Meters
Many amateurs report that this band is littered with stray CB operators, but from what I can tell, this band is pretty dead. Except for FT8, which is still far and few between, there is nothing here where I'm at. It's kind of sad because Technicians have the capability of using the 10m band for SSB voice and most are excited to get this privilege on HF. Unfortunately, I've not heard a single voice on this band in the entire time that I've owned and operated this radio.
10 meters is also VERY susceptible to changing solar conditions, even more sensitive than the other HF bands. Perhaps the solar weather isn't the best right now?
What should you do?
Keep calling. When I ran FT8 the first time, I had to call 15 times before someone came back to my CQ call! Given my current rate, I'd be calling CQ forever before someone came back to me on voice or RTTY. Just because the band seems quiet doesn't mean it's dead - someone could be listening for a CQ call to answer, you just never know. There are plenty of skimmers on PSKReporter and RBN, but unfortunately they only look for CW and RTTY CQs. They claim to look for PSK31 but so far I haven't seen anyone spot my PSK calls.
You could also consider increasing your power but the magic in ham radio is doing more with less, at least I think so, so I'd strongly discourage amplifier use. In fact you're required to use the minimum power necessary to carry out a contact. If 10W can do it, use 10W. If you need 50, use 50. I'm looking at getting a Yaesu FT-891, but I think I'll wait until conditions (economic conditions, that is) improve. Better yet, you could update your antenna system. You'd be surprised how well an antenna improves your signal and station setup. I run an EFHW random wire throughout the top of my room. It tunes up well, but I'm sure a dipole would do me wonders. I could probably load easier it on 12 meters, too. For starters, placing my antenna system outside would definitely change things.
Although I think it's kind of cheating the system, ask another ham friend that lives a state over for a QSO and test how far you can go. Or you can try spotting yourself on an SDR. I've tried this and I've heard my own RTTY signals being sent, with the SDR station near Washington, D.C.. I'm sure I could hear myself sending FT8, but that's impossible to confirm.
If you're in town, consider moving to a less dense area like a park. My radio is large, but I'm sure I could take it anywhere and I'm sure it would fit on a picnic table with ease. Where I live, I have a university that I attend with lots of trees and open space - perfect for mounting a simple dipole and making some contacts!
Other things or "lurking variables" could hinder your station performance. Such things include RFI from appliances and power supplies (it's real, believe me. And yes, do yourself a favor and buy a linear or battery supply!!!), current weather and solar weather conditions, and so much more. As I've mentioned before, ham radio is one large and ongoing science experiment that we all take part in.
I hope to make some contacts on other modes. FT8 is great but it's gotten a bit too boring for me. If you'd like, tune to the 15, 12, or 10m bands - you might just find me there!
Hope to hear you down the log!
