First Time Across The Pond!

[ND999]

Finally! I had never made a contact off the North American continent before. Yesterday I had a QSO with a gentleman in Northern England. Started on 38LSB. He suggested going down to 37. After a few seconds he suggested 35( if I remember correctly). We reconnected every QSY, but although I kept asking him to repeat his numbers, I never was able to get them. But, a contact is a contact in my book, so this was a pin in my map. I've only been back into this hobby for about a year, so I was pretty stoked about this! Hoping to make more contacts like this one!

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Finally! I had never made a contact off the North American continent before. Yesterday I had a QSO with a gentleman in Northern England. Started on 38LSB. He suggested going down to 37. After a few seconds he suggested 35( if I remember correctly). We reconnected every QSY, but although I kept asking him to repeat his numbers, I never was able to get them. But, a contact is a contact in my book, so this was a pin in my map. I've only been back into this hobby for about a year, so I was pretty stoked about this! Hoping to make more contacts like this one!

That's awesome! The conditions should improve this fall as it gets cooler. This past weekend was a good tase of what is coming up. You can expect contact with Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Germany, South Africa and maybe even Australia. The Caribbean Islands, Jamaica and Trinidad will be likely contacts as well. Brazil is not out of the question, and our member @unit_399 out of Columbia has a strong signal when he is in there. The next on my list is Hawaii and then into Asia.
Enjoy the DX!
73 and 51
Chris

 

[ND999]

That's awesome! The conditions should improve this fall as it gets cooler. This past weekend was a good tase of what is coming up. You can expect contact with Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Germany, South Africa and maybe even Australia. The Caribbean Islands, Jamaica and Trinidad will be likely contacts as well. Brazil is not out of the question, and our member @unit_399 out of Columbia has a strong signal when he is in there. The next on my list is Hawaii and then into Asia.
Enjoy the DX!
73 and 51
Chris

Yep, I heard most of the other locations you listed as well, yesterday. Wasn't able to make contact with the others, but my contact with England was pretty fun. But, it's like a drug! Now, I can't wait for the next. I'm also looking forward to improving conditions that the peaking solar cycle over the next year or so should provide. I'm open to any hints, tricks, or suggestions I can get to help with the quest. For example, 38LSB is the obvious favorite. But are there any lesser known hot spots? What else should a relative greenhorn such as myself be trying? 73's!

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Yep, I heard most of the other locations you listed as well, yesterday. Wasn't able to make contact with the others, but my contact with England was pretty fun. But, it's like a drug! Now, I can't wait for the next. I'm also looking forward to improving conditions that the peaking solar cycle over the next year or so should provide. I'm open to any hints, tricks, or suggestions I can get to help with the quest. For example, 38LSB is the obvious favorite. But are there any lesser known hot spots? What else should a relative greenhorn such as myself be trying? 73's!

If you have an export radio, or a cb with upper channels, you can check out 27.555 USB which is the international calling frequency. When ch 38 and the others around it are booming, check the zeros. Like instead of 27.385 try 27.380, .390, .400 etc. Trying to find a quiet place to talk is hard sometimes.

 

[ND999]

If you have an export radio, or a cb with upper channels, you can check out 27.555 USB which is the international calling frequency. When ch 38 and the others around it are booming, check the zeros. Like instead of 27.385 try 27.380, .390, .400 etc. Trying to find a quiet place to talk is hard sometimes.

I haven't made the investment in anything that "fancy".......yet. Not saying it couldn't happen, someday, but for the time being, I am sticking with my good ol' standard 40 channel SSB radio. I have too many other hobbies and pastimes to put any more eggs in the CB basket at this time! I'm alternating between my old Cobra 148 GTL and my newer President McKinley and using an A99 antenna. Yesterday's success renews hope that with time and patience, I can get the occasional "fix" with what I currently have. I know there are better and more powerful pieces of gear out there, but I will be doing it "old school" for a while yet.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I haven't made the investment in anything that "fancy".......yet. Not saying it couldn't happen, someday, but for the time being, I am sticking with my good ol' standard 40 channel SSB radio. I have too many other hobbies and pastimes to put any more eggs in the CB basket at this time! I'm alternating between my old Cobra 148 GTL and my newer President McKinley and using an A99 antenna. Yesterday's success renews hope that with time and patience, I can get the occasional "fix" with what I currently have. I know there are better and more powerful pieces of gear out there, but I will be doing it "old school" for a while yet.

That's perfectly fine, because when the conditions are right, they will come to our channels to talk to us. Those 148s are hard to beat, I have a few of them.