What would you pick for a band if you only could pick 1

[marcspaz]

5 hours ago, tweiss3 said:

Like FM radio. A few weeks ago while listening to the 10m opening, I heard a guy loud and clear from Alaska who was supposedly running 50W. If you didn't know better, you wouldn't be able to tell it was 10M

 

In 2018 and 2019 I was addicted to 10m FM long distance contacts. Talked to somebody on an FM repeater in NY state. The repeater was full-quiet on my receive and the other guy (who was local to the repeater) said I was full-quiet into the repeater. Another person I talked to in Texas mobile to mobile.  We were 60dB over S9 both ways.. it was like we were parked next to each other. Stuff like that is a blast. It's part of what made me upgrade to a General... the solar minimum rolled in and I still wanted to talk.

[gman1971]

@marcspazsounds awesome!! 

If CB (11m) on FM using a radio like an Alan Multi42/RPSY-201 Titan Handled was nice, I can only imagine what it is with higher quality stuff...

G.

 

[marcspaz]

@gman1971 it is pretty awesome. I'll see if I can find someone to chat with and record it so you can hear it. I'll shoot a video.

[WRPN896]

I would pick 440MHz 70cm Depends. on the Event / net. 73

DE WRPN896

[WRQI583]

This might sound anti ham radio but I would pick the band that works the best to communicate locally.  For me, due to terrain,  would be VHF. 

[marcspaz]

4 hours ago, WRQI583 said:

This might sound anti ham radio but I would pick the band that works the best to communicate locally.  For me, due to terrain,  would be VHF. 

 

Im definitely not trying to take anything away from your thought... but I'm pretty sure all amateur radios are capable of local communications.  I haven't owned a radio that can't. With 100w and FM, I can talk just as clearly and just as far (LOS wise) as a VHF FM radio, with people around me on 10m, 20m, 40m... all the HF bands.  The massive advantage you have with VHF isn't the range. That actually hampers you. The advantage comes from the point that I'm pretty sure there isn't a Ham alive that doesn't have a VHF radio.  Pure numbers aid the likelihood of finding the right person or persons to talk to in a local emergency.  

[KAF6045]

Referring back to the OP's post from ages past...

That "long wire" antenna they rejected would probably be the least obnoxious WRT "the wife". Two masts (or trees if one has them) and some of the thinner wire types would practically vanish. Rig it as an OCFD and one should be able to get three or four usable bands from the single antenna (I'm running an MFJ with thicker wire -- think it was rated for >500W -- with 40, 20, 10, & 6 meter; now all I need to do is actually get on the rigs... Upgraded from Tech to Exta a decade ago and STILL have not done HF voice! PSK31 seems my most used mode).

More obnoxious is something like an Alpha Delta (Outpost?) tripod with one of the Outbacker multi-band (mobile) whips mounted. Sure, one has to go out an move a jumper to switch bands, but again -- not tied to one band. I used that with a PerthPlus for 6m and up field day once...