Is 11 meters dead in your 20 ?

Hi all.
In the last few months I've been watching videos of Fred in the shed and alike saying that 11 meters in there neck of the woods is picking up with some of the old breakers making a comeback during covid.
Well not where I live in can assure you.back in its day the bucks area (Aylesbury vale )  and further a field MK including was a hive of activity up until the early 2000s. Now your be lucky to hear anybody unless you go high ground up these parts.to be honest apart from the regular 2 meter net on a Sunday here 11 meters is pretty much died which is a great shame as many people including myself made some good friends on the CB yea you had the dickheads but they were ignored like anywhere you go.
When lockdown first started I thought it might encourouge some of those to make an appearance again maybe even briefly but no.has anyone else have a similar experience in there 20 ?
73s
CT 4319

Hi Howard. Same in my area, central Cotswolds. There's a very small group of people from outlaying villages to my town that get together on a freebanding frequency each evening for a quick chat and do some DXing when the skips up. I can't hear them all as run my antennas on the flat side just for skip shooting. I only recognise one of them from the distant past. No one else local to be heard during normal conditions bar the occasional strong station out on a hills.

When the Spring / early Summer skip was at its height though it was interesting to hear how lively some areas of the UK are with CB. The amount I was bombarded by breakers around the Newcastle area was amazing, it really did feel like the old days. Don't know why there's such a difference in numbers in localities around the UK.

Hi Howard,

I'm in the same neck of the woods as you and unfortunately found very much the same. 
As Neal above has already pointed out some areas are really alive especially Northern counties.

If you're lucky to be in one of those radio busy areas it must really feel like a comeback to the CB days of old, but for others like ourselves devoid of activity it's all a bit 'meh'.

On my own comeback a couple or so years ago I did get to enjoy some summer DX after a quiet winter/spring which thrilled me no end. Was great to chat to our Continental cousins again on CB frequencies and very much reminded me of the 'good old days' which spurred on my radio interests. Wanting more I did eventually get my ticket for the Ham bands and now I have more choices at my disposal.

I still enjoy CB frequencies though checking them out often for activity and joining in when there's a bit of 'skip' on.  

We definitely aren't back in the heyday of calling for a 'copy' or 'radio check' and getting an instant reply nor being able to shout out "Eyeball - Eyeball!"...... but I certainly don't miss all those 80's kids screaming profanities or mastering their skills as radio DJ's!


I'm still trying to figure out how best to transmit to the West and North of my QTH Howard being in a 'hole' south of Bedford and can only get to my old friend in MK on 70cm via the Tring repeater(!!??) If I manage a better setup I hope to catch you on air one of these days.


All the best,
Victor

I had 1 contact on 11m in a year round here.
I did come across an old m8 i hadn't spoken to since 95 but he was on facebook and we now have daily chat's but that is on fb video as i can only contact him on the 2m band and he sold his 2m/70cm radio but not replaced it yet.

Not dead where I am, but can have a dry day or two. However, it won't help you much as I'm in Switzerland. My biggest challenge is speaking to the others in German!

Victor wrote:

Hi Howard,

I'm in the same neck of the woods as you and unfortunately found very much the same. 
As Neal above has already pointed out some areas are really alive especially Northern counties.

If you're lucky to be in one of those radio busy areas it must really feel like a comeback to the CB days of old, but for others like ourselves devoid of activity it's all a bit 'meh'.

On my own comeback a couple or so years ago I did get to enjoy some summer DX after a quiet winter/spring which thrilled me no end. Was great to chat to our Continental cousins again on CB frequencies and very much reminded me of the 'good old days' which spurred on my radio interests. Wanting more I did eventually get my ticket for the Ham bands and now I have more choices at my disposal.

I still enjoy CB frequencies though checking them out often for activity and joining in when there's a bit of 'skip' on.  

We definitely aren't back in the heyday of calling for a 'copy' or 'radio check' and getting an instant reply nor being able to shout out "Eyeball - Eyeball!"...... but I certainly don't miss all those 80's kids screaming profanities or mastering their skills as radio DJ's!


I'm still trying to figure out how best to transmit to the West and North of my QTH Howard being in a 'hole' south of Bedford and can only get to my old friend in MK on 70cm via the Tring repeater(!!??) If I manage a better setup I hope to catch you on air one of these days.


All the best, of
Victor

Hi Victor 
Yea it's a shame CB has gone 10 1 as they say around here but I'm sure 1 day it may return probably when we're gone.as for getting out north etc your have to go HF if your already not that's the answer I'm afraid or sit with your rig on a very high point of Bedfordshire .don't know where you are in beds but get yourself on 2m and the repeater you want is gb3VA  which covers a big area of ox bucks beds and Herts and beyond conditions pending of coarse .
All the best CT 4319 Howard.

Definitely a shame mate, miss the old CB days but then again I still miss my local pub more than 10 years after it closed! Times move on, or so they keep telling me.

Unfortunately disability holds me back from venturing to high points but I can hear GB3VA on a good day just unable to open it. Currently playing around with homebrew 2m beams and hoping I can alleviate that.


Here's hoping CB picks up round here but would be great to hear from others on this posting who live in busier areas with just how busy their area actually is.

73's
Victor

Hi Victor
Opening up gb3VA you could always use some help know what I mean what part of Bedfordshire you in ? I sometimes chat with Alan over at Leighton on 11m and also a chap in 2m from toddington name escapes me at the min.

Same here.
Got a rig to see what it was like, shouldn't have bothered really.
There are some along the coast but it's hard to get over the downs.
Heard some mobiles close by but that's it, the old days it ain't.
I know a lot of the old ones I knew have passed on over the years
and it seems no one else is interested.

It's the same on my local 70cms repeater, it was heaving back in the day
but can go days now with nothing.

I think that's fairly an overall view nationwide these days just small areas in the country even our 2 m repeater is really quiet I here more people talking on the 446 from the hs2 site up the road

Busy in my area of Kent with a few nets heard at weekends on 27.115 lsb and .275 usb which is the only radio time I get.Of course the 19 is busy with London ops and ch35 has another London and beyond group.

It's not completely dead in Bristol, but those that do come on seem to rag-chew incessantly on ch. 19. We also have an SSB Net on Tuesdays which is a bit more organised. ;-)

No-where near the traffic as "the ol days".   Us, die hards are still around as recent DX conditions "tease" us. From mid summer 2020 to current DX has picked up a tad.  Only a few locals for me to meet up with, but too far out of reach on AM mode to be "solid".  Which tends to make us around here SSB only. Few here and there getting the dust off the ol gear and plugging it in to see whats going on after watching a few YT vids ect.  Really have to have the radio on all day and be near it to catch that "quicky" DX window.   I'm still in doubt at times when I get home from work, turn radio on (habbit) and hear nothing, then  like some one just turned their radio on and keyed up, New Zealand or Hawaii calls out. I get a contact and "poof" like nothing ever happen.   A test to the Hobbyist I suppose.  I'm not to retirement age of yet. (probably a good thing) or I would be glued to my radio and get nothing done!!     2CT351 N. Colorado   Jeremy. (side note, I been a Freebander for 42+ yrs)

There's a little traffic in the next town, a couple of people on from time to time in my town but get over the East Yorkshire Wolds and you can hear Ch19 rammed full from South and West Yorkshire. Whole of the M62 corridor and large parts of South Yorkshire are quite busy.

I have picked a few up around my area but I think most people are now operating on SSB as noise levels are much lower, I’m really enjoying SSB given I was such a FM fanboy years ago.

Dead as a dodo round my area too. I was inspired to return because of access to SSB and the extra  channels available now, and also after coming across the Fred youtube channel . There was a fair bit of DX going on on the sidebands in Summer , but even then on 11m it seems a bit of a scrum down with everyone shouting over the top of each other with big amps. that's just my personal opinion however 
Fortunately I was encouraged by certain people on here to get the ham licence and for now  at least, I'm quite enjoying the 2m and 70cm bands, with access to repeaters you can get a fair distance and if the 10m HF band is open I'll occasionally go on there

It's not dead here in London

.

I live overlooking Holyhead port and never hear a thing at ferry time.

Alan Pilot wrote:

I live overlooking Holyhead port and never hear a thing at ferry time.

 CB band activity is it seems very localised Alan . It could not realistically be pursued as a hobby where I am,  and truck drivers seem to  use hands free mobile phones these days and sat navs to warn of road conditions according to family members who are drivers . 
By way of contrast you and I could likely work each other  through the 2m/70cm repeaters on the Isle of Man . I was talking to someone in Colwyn bay the other day.

Rich13
Occasionally i can get the IOM but not always.
Will listen out for you when i can hear your qth.

Yeah , Look forward to it Alan

There is always someone on 555 here in Devon.

Scanned around the bands on a receiver for anything in Suffolk from time to time never heard a thing in the 11 years ive been here, i can confirm kent was and from what i hear is still lively at times we use to sit atop bluebell hill of a night time did a few test with some modified Intek 50/50 PMR handies from the same location got a few reports into Essex and one chap on the suffolk coast with PMR. Will still purchase a CB though just deciding on which one to buy though.

last few weeks Global DX on 11m.  27.385LSB seems  to be the "train wreck", but used to find what direction DX is coming from,  Spin the vfo up to 27.555USB and on the way catch a few stations, make contacts and have at it.  Seems during the mid part of the day (I'm at work) forums reporting many contacts from US to EU.  I catch the Gray line in the evening and get South America 3div alot and may lead into Hawaii or Australia ( if lucky) 100watts,  Sigma Venom 5/8 wave with added 8 ground radials. @ 6M in the air.