N6MZ info from Microhams meeting 16 September 2003
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60m Band:

See QST August 2003, "60 meters: FAQ" pages 44-46

Build a dipole and give it a shot!
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40m Band:

See http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/09/01/1/

Even if you don't operate HF, understand how significant
this decision was for amateur radio worldwide. This is
the first time in history that HF broadcasters will be
moved to accommodate another service. Even the ITU and
the UN recognize how important amateur radio is!
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BPL:

See http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/08/21/4/?nc=1 (general article)
    http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/ (very detailed, tests from other countries, etc.)
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Propagation Programs (freeware)

See http://elbert.its.bldrdoc.gov/pc_hf/ice_gen.txt (short description)

Download from http://elbert.its.bldrdoc.gov/pc_hf/hfwin32.html

After download and installation, Start|Programs|ITS HF Propagation|Icepac

Make the following changes for your initial experimentation:

1. Click Year and change to 2003 (no real effect, just cosmetic).
2. Click Groups and change the date and SSN values. Roll the mouse
   over the fields to get help. Current SSN is about 60. Click Accept.
3. Click Transmitter. Either type your Lat/Lon (not saved), or pick a
   city from a file by clicking By City. The .geo files are plain text,
   you can easily add new locations. Click Accept.
4. Click Receiver. Use the same procedure to select a location on "the
   other end." The file DXCC1.geo is particularly useful. Click Accept.
5. Click Freq(MHz). The frequencies you add will appear as reference lines
   on the graphs. I use the bottom end of each MF/HF band (except for 160m
   where 2MHz is as low as you can go). You can skip this step for now, it
   doesn't affect the model. Click Accept.
6. Click Tx Antenna. Then choose Tx Antenna|samples|SAMPLE.00. You can
   play around with different antennas later. Change Tx Power to something
   more realistic, say 1.5kW. Click Accept|Accept.
7. Click Rx antenna. Use the same procedure to select SAMPLE.00 for this
   option. Click Accept.

Run the model by choosing Run|Graph. Then choose SNR (signal/noise ratio).
This will show the bands openings plotted with time-of-day and frequency
as X-axis and Y-axis parameters, and the S/N ratio as colored area values.

Play with the program and discover the incredible amount of information you
can obtain. Don't forget to thank the US taxpayers for making the program
available for free.

73  Mike  N6MZ