I put a sirio CX 4M vertical antenna up the other day to use on my Icom ic7300, i have had a few FM QSO,s quite local but no SSB
Apart from listening, when is the best time to expect a lift on 4M, i am not using a beam on 4M just a vertical on a 15ft pole, i have no room for a 4M beam
It seems a homebrew type of band with converted VHF radio,s and antennas, i just fancy a bit of SSB outside the UK
Any info would be helpfull

Next May you will see some Sparodic E prop until then you won't catch much SSB

Plenty of 4M activity, mostly FT8 & MSK. Check ON4KST 50/70 MHz Chat.

Thanks for the replies
So I take it spring and summer are the best times for 4M, anything happen in the winter, or is it local rag chew on FM
Hoping I will get some European contacts with a vertical and 50 watts

Meteor scatter using MSK144 or FSK441 all year round; best around local dawn outside meteor showers, or all day during showers. The Geminids are a big one in December.
Tropo and sporadic E, mostly during Summer, but can occur at other times. Aurora can show-up any time, and the Doppler isn't too bad on 4, so SSB can be used, but CW much easier to decode.
Have a look at The Four Metre Website:-

https://70mhz.org/home/

Lots of good info.

It's as dead as dead down here, on most bands.

I have a had a 7300 sat monitoring both 4/6, as flat as a witches chest here, they all do ft8 and dmr ? , i am thinking of selling one of my 9700 as its wasted on 2/70 or the field day one sat in a pEli case.

Bob.

Your lack of perceived activity is explained in your first sentence.
If you want contacts, other than local FM, horizontal polarisation is the way to go.
There's almost always some activity on the band, observed from here in IO83lb.
SSB, and FT8, in the main with a few locals (up to 80km) on FM and some MS.

If you are space limited perhaps try a clover leaf ,or similar, horizontally polarised omni directional antenna.
Even better, a Moxon might be worth a look.
The trouble is, at only 15 ft you're probably completely screened.
Here it's a 7 element at 10mtrs.
With 40W 400km is common, under flat band conditions. The biggest problem is noise.

Lifts can occur at pretty well any time.
There really isn't a substitute to being on the band, listening, checking beacons, and putting out calls.
By the time you see a post saying the band's open there's a good chance it's closed!

Cheers

Tony

Thanks for that, i will have a look

I was looking at a moxon from EA antennas for 4M, it has a 24 inch boom length, i could put it just under my diamond x300N, thats on a 10ft pole on the chimney, have it facing east and west, look easy to make
I had a feeling you were going to say By the time you see a post saying the band's open there's a good chance it's closed!

Hi, This year I have had 774 QSOs on 4Metres. CW, FM, SSB, FSK441, JT6M. Best DX in May was 9H1TX (Malta) 2260km. Best DX in June was 5B4AAB (Cyprus) at 3,385km. Also OH (Finland), OZ (Denmark) & 9A (Croatia) in June. Both these months via Sp-E. Every month so far this year via Meteor Scatter with IC8TEM (1823km), IK2HKT, IW2HAJ, IZ5EME, OZ5KM, OZ8ZS, SM3BEI, SM6YNO & SP9HWY. All UK regions + EI, DL & PA via Tropo. Good luck G4ASR

Thanks for the reply
What antenna was you using, i dont have room for a 4M yagi, a moxon would be more do able, the EA one does not have a balun and they are about £80, probably easy to make with ali tubing and a so239 socket etc

Even easier to make with fibreglass spreaders and wire, much less visible and extremely light.
I tried it in 2013, found my short boom (2m) 4el Yagi out performed it by miles, though it was very good for its weight and cost

Im using a 7-element DK9ZB-design Yagi. https://www.qsl.net/dk7zb/start1.htm

If you want to do *consistently* well on this band you need metalwork in the sky.
There's no substitute.

Is there a commercially available 70mhz cloverleaf to buy? I'm struggling to find one on google.

Thanks

Richard

Not that I've come across.

Cheers

Tony