so ive been lurking on a few different sites this past week and theres actually quite a bit going on for once. first thing — if you havent seen it yet, Icom apparently confirmed they're working on a new HF rig in the IC-7000 replacement range, nothing official with specs yet but the rumors floating around the usual places are pointing toward something with built in bluetooth and maybe better DSP than the 7300. take that with a grain of salt obviously since its all still rumor territory but its been coming from enough places that i think theres something to it.

the other thing thats actually confirmed is 10 meters has been absolutely wild lately. we're deep enough into the solar cycle now that propagation has been genuinely surprising people. i worked a station in Japan last tuesday afternoon on 10m running like 50 watts and a wire dipole — honestly wasnt even trying, just tuned around and there he was booming in. if you havent been on 10 in a while its worth checking in, especially late morning and early afternoon depending on your location.

also for anyone in the midwest there's a hamfest coming up in the Dayton area next spring obviously but also a few regional ones this fall that might be worth the drive if you're looking to poke around for used gear. i picked up a barely used LDG tuner at one last year for like half what they go for new so its always worth showing up.

anyway just thought id share since its been a while since theres been much to talk about on the news front. what are you guys hearing?

yeah 10 meters has been something else lately. i was skeptical when people kept saying the cycle was peaking but i fired up the ol' 7300 last weekend just to see and ended up in a pileup for a station in South Africa which i definitely did not expect on a random Saturday morning. ran about 100 watts into a vertical and it was like shooting fish in a barrel almost. propagation gods were smiling i guess.

on the Icom thing — i wouldnt get too excited just yet. remember all the chatter about an IC-9700 successor that turned out to be nothing for like two years? i'll believe new rigs when i see them at Dayton or in an official press release. that said if they do something interesting with DSP and maybe a better waterfall display i'd probably be tempted, the 7300 has served me well but nothing wrong with looking right.

the hamfest tip is solid advice for anyone newer to the hobby. i got my first HF rig at a hamfest, a beat up old Kenwood that needed a little work but it got me on the air for way less than anything new would've cost. just poke around, talk to people, most folks are happy to let you look things over before committing to anything.

ok so the 10m thing is what got me to finally post here because i just got my general like 6 weeks ago and ive been too nervous to actually try HF but if conditions are that good maybe now is the time? i have a technician friend who keeps telling me dont bother with HF until i have a real antenna setup but i only have room for a wire dipole in the attic, would that even be worth trying on 10 meters or am i just wasting my time