Transmission1

So I’m working towards my foundation license.
I DX on 11m in the car already and dont plan to change that.
However when compiling my license I want to setup an amateur home base. I have problems with signals as I live in a valley and I live in a close knit home ing area, so no giant antenna. So question wise I was wondering which would be the best Band to work on at home. I have placed a mag mount and 1/4 wave in the garden and FM is pretty poor but 11m SSB is coming through even on a my Midland telescopic antenna in the back of my CRT SS9900 but I hav not transmitted.

So I dont think FM is an option really.
So all your thoughts will be considered.
PS I dont have any sort of antenna already on the house but I’m thinking that if I get one installed it should be the best I can get if I change my mind regarding bands.

Regards Rob.

If you're looking for HF, you should experiment with wire antenna, maybe a random long wire, which can be very discreet.

For FM? Maybe a small Diamond X30 or X50 on the roof?

If you operate on 20 & up, you will get the best of DX, but will also potentially have the option for a compromise antenna, that is one that is small & with a high VSWR on 40 meters, but which can be very efficient on 20 & up. I at one point ran a 20 & up Windom, (Off Centre Fed Dipole, ) with very good results. A Windom will need a transformer at it's feed point, but it is a low visual impact antenna. My 20 & up ocfd dipole was only about 10 meters long & it gave very reasonable result's on 40 meters & was resonant on 20, 10 & several other bands.

I found 10 & 6 meters to be good summer bands, but quiet beyond that. Maybe it's different now, but I never heard anyone on 6 meters FM. However 10 fm was very good some summers & I once worked a Spanish station mobile to mobile on 10 meters, using a converted CB via an American repeater & worked America several times whilst 6 meters (ssb) mobile. So big efficient antennas are not needed when conditions are good & if you go HF, or 2 meters SSB mobile & take part in Worked All Britain, (WAB) then you always have the option of finding a less used square & others will make the effort to work you.

20 meters is easily worked mobile & I used to regularly chat to an amateur I knew from Wales, who liked to operate 80 meters mobile. So don't discount operating mobile as a option. I used to operate HF from an HGV & knew a few others who did the same.

The people I met who joined amateur radio & then left within a few months, were people who tended to sit on vhf/uhf repeaters & talk. Those who spent time & often less money, on the hobby, tended to be the people who found it the most fulfilling.

I find 20m to be the most consistent band, certainly in daylight.

I have a 1/2 sized G5RV which is discrete, and works well on 10, 20 and 40m.

in the last week, without really trying, I've worked all over Europe 10 US states, and an all time 1st... reunion Island.