Mount Evelyn DX Report: QSLs AND MORE MEMORIES OF THE 11 METER BAND

QSLS AND MORE MEMORIES

OF THE 11 METER BAND

The article I wrote back in the August issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine and subsequently reproduced in this blog as Whatever Happened to the 11 Meter Band appears to have been very well received by many readers! The positive feedback and generous praise were very much appreciated. Here are just a few of the comments received:

I recall hearing R. France International somewhere in the 11M band some time in the late 70's or early 80's. I was in High School at the time, living in New York City and all I had for a station was a Radio Shack DX-300 with the rear of set whip. I flipped on the radio while doing homework and heard them like a local station!!! I have fond memories of that and wish I spent more time with radio in those great sunspot times. - John Esmith

I remember getting the special QSL card from HCJB, when they were running 100 W 26020 kHz. Some afternoons they were clear as a bell into Chicago, Illinois! This was around 1980. - Earl Higgins

Very nice article Rob and I remember listening to BBC, AFRTS, VOA and a few more. ORTF was there wasn't it? My WRTHs from those years give many listings. Thanks again Rob for a nice article. 73s - Victor Goonetilleke 4S7VK

Thanks for the memories. An excellent read. - Jeff Polen

My Radio Norway QSL for 25730 kHz from 1970

I also received an email from Bob LaRose that went into quite a bit of detail:

Your excellent article brought back many fond memories! As a teenager, I got my first receiver (Hallicrafters S-107) in 1960. In those days of high sunspot numbers the 11 meter band was solid from Europe to the US. The BBC ran daily special programs under the name “The North American Service of the BBC” during the morning

Swiss Radio International QSL for 25780 kHz from 1982

and shortly after noon EST on the 11 meter band. Also, off the back of their beams, their programs to the Middle East in Arabic and Persian were also super strong. The signals were rock solid with very little fading and the audio quality almost sounded like local FM stations!

In the opposite direction, the VOA used WBOU for transmissions to Europe but they were inaudible at my QTH except when there was E-skip.

Other regulars were VOA Tangier relaying US-originated programs on 25880 beamed to South Asia and even VOA Munich had a transmission back to the US with correspondents’ reports to include in later VOA programs. On rare occasions, I received Norway, South Africa and even an Australian but they were not regulars.

During a further sunspot cycle in the 80s or 90s, I remember being in Singapore and hearing Radio Nederland in Indonesian with a huge signal.

At one point, maybe in the 70s, I remember there being some discussion about possible broadcasts from satellites on the 11 meter band but obviously that didn’t materialize.

Thanks again for the great article! - Bob LaRose W6ACU

So, I rummaged around in my QSLs to see if I could find some more old verifications from this band. And indeed, I found a few....perhaps some of our older readers will also own these cards.

A QSL in the form of an A4 size letter from Belgium Radio and Television
for 26050 kHz from 1981

Radio France International on 25820 kHz in 1979
(with a smacking great rubber stamp across the back of the card, just to prove it!! 😁 )

One Voice of America QSL confirming three reception reports: 26040 kHz via Greenville NC,
26000 kHz via Poro, Philippines and 15205 kHz via Kavala, Greece.

The usual BBC QSL card from the old days when I had to write in my own details! 😀
25650 kHz from 1979 - I don't have a record of the transmitter site for this one!

73 and have a great weekend everyone!

Rob Wagner VK3BVW