What SSB Freebanding Frequencies Are Best For UK

Hi i was just wondering which are the best UK ssb freebanding frequencies are..

All of them!  


No point limiting yourself to 555 or 385 etc. When the skip's up fire 'em all up!

ok will have ago. thank you for advice

Honestly Chad it's worth checking the whole of the CB bands for any skip lifts often despite what prediction tools say. 

Most sit on the 555 waiting and miss short skip lifts from Europe on the Mid-band and usually when you hear the Italians on the triple they're spewing kilowatts and you don't stand a chance. You'll hear Stateside lifts and stand a chance on Mid-band first but same thing with the 'Superbowl' as per the Italians with them burning kilowatts.

Don't forget skip happens just as well with other modes and I've had some great FM contacts on the European frequencies so it's not all SSB/AM. Some short skip will throw Scotland to the fore and sometimes Ireland from your location but surprisingly the Scandinavian countries can pop up too. So don't forget UK frequencies for those Scottish short hops.

Everyone thinks hitting the States is the 'ultimate' for skip but a globe of the world shows that you're just popping over the North pole rather than across the Atlantic so not such a big deal. But every contact you successfully make will feel awesome whether it's across the country, into Europe or even further.  

If the propagation hops all over the place from one country to the next you'll have hard time working it due to the instability of it all so best save your breathe until things settle a bit. (If they do!)

We're coming onto the active summer months where things get exciting regards propagation and the next few years as the solar cycle ramps up should be flipping great!

Under great conditions you'd be amazed at what you can achieve with low power and bog standard antennas so it's not just the remit of the 'big dogs' with huge setups.


My best 'DX' or rather the most enjoyable I had was nothing to do with distance at all. A couple of summers ago I got chatting to some German students on FM mids who couldn't believe how clear I was to Germany and took turns on the mic to practice their English. Lasted for quite a while but when it started to fade it was rewarding to hear all the thank you's, goodbye's and 73's.

Best yet in my book.


Listen for it all and if it gets tiresome turning that dial check out the online 'WebSDR' services available and keep an eye on the scope. 


Best of luck with it all,
Victor

ok will give the fm mids a try as well. thank you for the really good advice