12m – the most neglected band?

We are now experiencing the peak time of the roughly 11 year sunspot cycle. For many, most if not all of us, this may in fact be the last solar peak of our life times.

Therefore all the more pity that the majority of radio amateurs are, unlike in past solar cycles, ignoring the opportunities that the enhanced HF propagation brings.

So often we hear “the bands are dead”, and yet, this is rarely true: short wave fade outs are usually brief and infrequent. In fact, the bands are alive and well!

What is actually happening, is a lack of activity, both on CW and SSB. Tune across the bands however and you’ll always hear FT8 signals whining away, lamenting their lot.

The International Beacon Project beacons are also really appreciated these days, and are all but forgotten. These provide excellent ways to verify bands are alive and well.

Monitoring the CW Calling/Listening (QSX) frequencies, particularly on 12m and 15m, allows one to simultaneously monitor these beacons when listening in wide filter.

Each HF amateur radio band, has its peculiar propagation characteristics, and in this article, we’ll examine that of 12m, as well as easy to build antennae for this band.

First a recap of the characteristics of other bands:

160m, rarely used these days due to the high local noise levels, the elephant in the room ignored by IARU member societies, requires generally very large antennae.

80m, at tropical latitudes, resembles 160m at mid latitudes, and is thus mostly useful at mid and high latitudes during darkness for short to medium haul contacts, noise levels permitting. Noise levels here are for many a problem keeping them away.

40m is the most popular band for short to medium distances for most hams with modest antennae, providing strong signals for low and NVIS antennae. During the day, D layer absorption can render the band useless, especially at low latitudes.

30m, is the only amateur radio band that is open all day and all night everywhere on the planet, and is indeed the hidden gem for this reason, also greatly under valued.

20m, provides good propagation for most of the time except at night at higher latitudes, and during the day generally resembles 40m at night, albeit with longer skip distances.

15m is a day time band, generally speaking, although at low latitudes it is open all night, in particular at times of solar maxima as we are currently experiencing.

The 15m band has plenty of space for all modes, and is perhaps the only band on which there are not conflicts between digital and CW modes.

17m, as can be imagined, fits between the propagation characteristics above mentioned of 20m and 15m, and being a WARC non-contest band, is good for non-5NN activities.

10m, outside of solar peaks, behaves like VHF rather than HF, but when open, as is the case during solar maxima, provides excellent long distance communication, with small antennae. The issue now on 10m is QRM from illegal CB on almost all frequencies ending with a 5 kHz. Calling CQ on 28025 is asking for QRM, for example.

Not only are illegal CB a wide spread problem when 10m is open for DX, but, other forms of QRM are widespread, making what would otherwise be a quiet band, rather noisy. This takes away from the joy of 10m of yesteryear.

Now finally to 12m: as can be imagined, sitting between 10m and 15m, it provides propagation characteristics similar to both. At mid to high latitudes, it is primarily for paths that are in daylight, though in solar maxima as now, partly in darkness works too.

At low latitudes, 12m often remains open 24 hours a day during solar maxima, as currently. Thus for example, stations in Africa, South Asia, South America, and central Pacific would be able to easily communicate even during the night hours.

Recently, we experienced a full week of amazing propagation on 12m between Europe and South East Asia every night from mid afternoon until mid evening European time, when the path finally closed but remained open for many hours more on 15m and 17m.

What was interesting is that stations with modest wire antennae such as end fed, dipoles and simple verticals, and with low to modes power levels were providing very strong signals around S7, due to what was likely ionospheric ducting propagation.

When ionospheric ducting occurs, you have what is called a chordal hop, whereby the signal enters the ionospheric F2 layer and bounces around inside the F2 layer without touching earth, before coming out at the other end, perhaps via another layer tilt.

Since there are very low losses compared to when signals bounce of the earth where much absorption takes place, the signals are exceptionally strong when this occurs. Night after night the band was wide open with strong signals but few took advantage.

Even without such phenomena, normal HF propagation especially during these times of solar cycle peaks, is excellent, and antenna requirements minimal: even a dipole 6m above ground is a real DX antenna, or a simple (elevated) Ground Plane vertical.

A dipole, especially at the small size of around 6m long to be resonant on this band, is easy to make, as is a Ground Plane. For the latter, an easy project, is the JH1GNU Balanced Loop Radial Elevated Ground Plane which radials can be as small as 50cm!

12m also has an advantage over all other bands for most of us: the very lowest noise levels. Unhampered by the CB and other QRM prevalent on 12m, and with a lower noise floor generally than even 15m, it makes for a very quiet band.

This no doubt causes an illusion among those who tune across the band and hear nothing, or discount the FT8 signals that are almost always to be heard. Be patient and listen on 24930.0 for at least 3 minutes to see which IBP Beacons you can hear.

Put out a few CQ calls also on 24930.5 and notifications will also be sent to those who have Telegram QSX alerts set up, or may be heard by those standing by on frequency.

This band provides contest-free operations and is suited for Standard QSO as well as rag chews even over DX given its long openings and low noise levels.

In fact, it is surprising this band does not have more adherents and even a fan club. So, let’s take advantage of solar maximum this year and next and be more active on 12m!

Please leave your comments and share your experiences.