When 10 meters is open, try some FM repeaters

[Moleculo]

With all of the recent band openings on 10 meters, don't forget to try to work some stations using the various 10 meter FM repeaters. These repeaters can be a fun way to work some locations that you might not normally be able to on 10 meters. Today from the Los Angeles area I worked a station in Las Vegas, NV who was running only 20 watts through the KX4I repeater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Working between Las Vegas and Los Angeles simplex on 10 meters isn't something that happens very often, but it is possible with the FM repeaters.

Here are a couple of tips to working the 10 meter repeaters:

• Repeaters are usually found between 29.600Mhz and 29.700Mhz, spaced 10khz apart.
• The offset for 10 meter FM repeaters is almost always -100khz
• Remember, if the band is open, you don't need a lot of power and you shouldn't use a lot of power. Too much power might open up more than one repeater, which will cause confusion and interference with the contact you're trying to make. You might be surprised at how many contacts you can make using the 10 meter FM repeaters using less than 50 watts.

Here is a fairly comprehensive listing of North American repeaters: http://www.worldwidedx.com/hf-bands-hf-rigs/124173-north-america-10-meter-repeaters.html. If anyone has a list from other continents, let me know and I'll make sure to include them.

Have fun!

 

[binrat]

I'm lacking 10 metres fm now.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

I made a 10 meter FM simplex, 29.600, contact to Portugal from Chicago over this weekend

 

[ElectronTubesRule]

I like this short post on 10m repeater use. One of the things back in the 1990's when I almost got licensed that I wanted to do is revive 10m. I have no idea what it is like today but back then 10m was the red head step child that 98% of Hams looked at with disgust......I never understood why they where so in love with VHF/UHF but at any rate their you go! I always thought 10,11,12 and 6 meter made the most sense for long range communication and local communication. I never say the appeal of line of sight communication and useing repeaters to talk to people in ones back yard. Personally if I want to talk to my neighbor I just flip out my cellphone, drop a dime on a land line, walk over to his house or drive and visit. Today we have email, video conferencing,VOIP and all kinds of other highly reliable almost free means of communications. To me talking to some guy 3000-15,000 miles away about beer live on a low power radio with a dipole made out of cheap wire with some cheap ceramic insulators that was where the magic always seemed to live for me.....It is kind of like opening a present you have no idea what is inside the gift wraped box but it is a gift all the same....A gift being something you could either not get yourself or would not allow yourself to get.....You can also look at it like a surprise like the toy in a box of Cacker Jack's either way the not knowing and the unpredictable nature of it that is what makes it fun........Email and instant messaging are boring as is talking on a cell phone because their is not surprise no randomness.

Just my $.02 though.

When I was in College the first time around I found an ARRL Hand BOok in the over sized book section of the reference section. In the 11 years that book had been in the Library I was the first person to check it out. It had dust on it that was thick like something out of a movie with knights and castles and monasteries with monks and such running the place....LOL

So it would be fantastic to see people actually start using those bands more and more especially 10m the old gale has to be lonely to hear some voices!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

10m is shunned mostly because it is never open when the solar cycle is low and really is not a good band for talking "local" Remember "local" to hams can be anything in a couple hundred miles or more. That's why repeaters are popular. I have ham friends in Kentville, Bridgewater,Amherst, Halifax,Truro and many other places in between including on Prince Edward Island. When we want to have a roundtable we can't use beams regardless of the band due to everyone being in a different place. On 10m an omni would never have the coverage. 40 or 80m is too unreliable and noisy especially in the summer. So we use repeaters to link everyone up. Most of us can hit one common repeater and the fellow on P.E.I. can link into the repeater we can all hit. Nothing wrong at all with using VHF/UHF to chat. Most people that have a burning desire to hold onto 10m came from CB just down the road (spectrumly [word?]speaking).

 

[N2JBO]

Yes, 10 meters is really coming around.
In NY here we use KQ2H repeater system....

29.620 linked up with 9 different inputs,
from dawn to daylight.

Just google KQ2H_repeater
and see all the possibilties.

We have stations coming in from all over the world each and every day.

73 de Dave - N2JBO

 

[Kamikaze]

Yes, 10 meters is really coming around.
In NY here we use KQ2H repeater system....

29.620 linked up with 9 different inputs,
from dawn to daylight.

Just google KQ2H_repeater
and see all the possibilties.

We have stations coming in from all over the world each and every day.

73 de Dave - N2JBO

Fine until Tommy Tubes gets drunk and gets on.

 

[KC2ZPK]

Some of those 10M repeaters need pl tones to open. Is it possible to add tones to a radio that never had them? ie. Kenwood TS-940? It has FM, but I am not sure I could add a tone board to it or not?

 

[Se7en]

Some of those 10M repeaters need pl tones to open. Is it possible to add tones to a radio that never had them? ie. Kenwood TS-940? It has FM, but I am not sure I could add a tone board to it or not?

you could but it might be alot of work?....:blushing:

 

[IMD262]

Some of those 10M repeaters need pl tones to open. Is it possible to add tones to a radio that never had them? ie. Kenwood TS-940? It has FM, but I am not sure I could add a tone board to it or not?

[SIZE=+7][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]TS-64[/FONT][/SIZE]
Microminiature CTCSS Encoder-Decoder

Features:

• The latest and smallest programmable CTCSS encoder-decoder for use in FM transceivers.
• Select from 64 preset CTCSS tones between 33.0 Hz and 254.1 Hz using six PCB jumpers.
• Tone stability is crystal controlled with an accuracy of better than 0.05 Hz.
• The time-out timer may be programmed to eight different intervals.
• Receiver High Pass filter and busy channel lockout are included.
• Generates "Reverse Burst" and P.T.T. Delay for squelch tail elimination.
• Hookup is made with color coded wires, microminiature plug and socket.

Specifications:

• Size .78" X 1.70" X .25"
• Operates from 6.0vdc to 20.0vdc @ 8ma.
• Decode sensitivity is 15mv. RMS
• Operating temperature range is -30°C to +60°C.
• Encode output level adjusted from 0v to 3.0v.
• Squelch control transistor can either be switched ON or OFF with PCB jumper.

TS-64 Encoder-Decoder

 

[N2JBO]

Fine until Tommy Tubes gets drunk and gets on.

This is so true... We call him "Stink Bug" no matter how many times,
you try to get rid of him, he keeps coming back. Back in the 80's
we threw him off of 160 meters... He did NOT belong there, as he was
no "Gentlemen" NO one wanted to talk to him or listen to him.