HF conditions - use the higher bands

For about a day, I went on 20m JT65. It was too easy, with spots all across Europe and the USA even with 2W and a poor antenna on 20m.

HF conditions are not as good as at the sunspot peak, but they are often better than people realise: of late the sunspot number has been in the 40s or higher and the solar flux has been above 80. Even 10m is capable of supporting DX, although few realise as they leave the higher bands and go for easy pickings on 20m or lower.

My strong recommendation is try digital modes on 10m. OK, it is not as easy as a few years ago, but DX still pops up. 10m remains "open" far more often than is realised, even in the quiet solar years What is needed is activity!

Amateur radio is about self training and exploring the boundaries. If you just want to speak across the planet you can video conference for free with Skype on the internet. 10m with digital modes and QRP is much more fun.