Firstly, for the sake of your own privacy and protection, don't say your callsign.

I have a call, but there's no transmitting antennas set up so I haven't actually talked to anyone for over 30 years.

For receiving I use an open single wire to the garage roll-a-door.

This afternoon I decided to look at the ham bands and see what ones are in use.

Firstly, due to a new source of local QRM the frequency ranges Long wave, 1400 to 2800, and 3800 to 5200 kHz are completely unusable. I can't even hear any aircraft beacons, the local ABC radio station 2WN, or anything at all on the 60m band.

So, I can't hear the 1.8MHz ham band.

However, the 3.5, 7, 10, 14 and 18MHz bands had a surprising amount of activity, mostly from VK2 operators. The 14MHz band also had some people from Europe. Unfortunately all the higher bands had no voice traffic at all.

The 27MHz CB band had some activity mostly from overseas, so there's definitely some skip out there.

Anyone else here use HF?

The solar cycle favours HF at the moment with better to come in 2024/25:

"solar maximum to occur between 2023 and 2026 with a sunspot range of 95 to 130"

Current conditions: https://hamradiofornontechies.com/current-ham-radio-conditions/

Here's the theoretical basis: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42955096.pdf

At least I found out where the QRM is coming from. It's from those digital electricity meters that they are rolling out now.

I found out because they just installed one here this morning, and there's so much noise that I can't hear anything on MW except the ABC from Sydney. 2UE is just a screaming bunch of noise and the entire HF band is affected to some extent.

The supplier will try to distance themselves, because they are fixated on the communication portion of the meter. But that part is ok - it's the meter itself, the part that measures the electricity and displays the readings locally, that's the trouble.

If the meter emits much noise, it is illegal for Ausgrid/Integral/Essential to install it. Even an electricity meter should have standards marks on them and if they do, the meter has to comply accordingly. It's time to create some ructions and complain about it. The questions is, who will listen?

As far as RFI goes here and in America, they seem to have well and truly dropped the ball and you can import any RFI generating rubbish with impunity.

There was a FAX using the phone like as an antenna here and a DIN rail timer that was no better. I reduced its carry on by adding a voltage dropping resistor and placing a line cap load side across N & A

RF here rides on the mains and there are various filters on various lines to get rid of it and lightning spikes. Even some LED lights were sent packing for their contribution to the orchestra.

It's time to create some ructions and complain about it. The questions is, who will listen?

Exactly.

In the USA, the ARRL works with the FCC to report power line RFI, and FCC regulations on power utilities are strict and very well documented.

Good luck getting ACMA, let alone any provider, to take notice of power line RFI here.

there's so much noise that I can't hear anything on MW except the ABC from Sydney. 2UE is just a screaming bunch of noise and the entire HF band is affected to some extent.

Some might say that sounds like a job for a 4lb lump hammer.

Most of the so called regulators here are now the money changers in the temple and service & enforcement are only selective if at all. These are all about generating money. Not enforcement.

It is radical when you consider that the "Paper Drones" that we send to Ukraine are probably the only thing from here that works well on paper,

So, In accordance with the normal bureaucratic mentality here. you lockup the forests, kill all the pulp mills, so you can't build them "en masse" here.

In answer to Robbbert's original question, as a 'Ham' I use 40m (and also 2m and 70cm). As you have found there is a lot of QRM in the city and even operating portable you need to get well out into the bush to escape it.

In answer to the original question have a "ham" licence. Thankfully so far interference is not critical where I am on 40M my main band.

Probably S1 to S3 sometimes even quieter. Normally have 6db attenuation to knock out most of the noise. Usually with no attenuation S meter flickers to S1 so am really fortunate.
Now and then odd birdies appear on 40/80M from time to time from unknown devices. Years ago had gross powerline interference and a friend whom also suffered from the same problem accompanied me to Essential Energy to lodge a complaint.

I did a lot of legwork with a loop aerial and Techsun PL 880 shortwave radio. Printed out maps and drove all over town logging down sources of powerline noise which was given to Essential E.

To their credit Essential E did after a few months track down noisy/damaged insulators. Indeed the tech rang me once and I went down to where he was. A burnt insulator could be clearly seen.

Really a good effort considering the staff shortages.

As for the future with all the sub standard junk which has been mentioned think it is only a matter of time before I am "noised out" like so many others.

Most amateur activities for me are conducted on remote trips in the outback on the NGT.
Occasionally, for 160m that is, I have a bit of a listen. You can actually use it out there. But it's main 'use' for me is just so I can detune off into the AM band and hear the latest happenings.

Worked wonders out in the Simpson on 11 and 14 megs talking back to NE Victoria. Albeit they were private channels, same theory applies.

HF is definitely alive still. but its productive use outside of the fun of amateur is diminishing to that of utmost rural of areas.

I monitor most AM bands for natural noise. Like Rob, I don't transmit.

40 metre band reception is very active. Main traffic is usually old buggers (like me) chatting about day to day activities, then there are the tech. guys swapping info about their gear. VK2's dominate long distance into my VK3 part of the world, VK5's come in next best followed by VK7's.

I note most of the guys run 50W to 200W outputs, they scream in quite well, but the best performers (in my humble opinion) are the purists who dedicate their efforts into antenna design. They flow in from interstate with their 5W and 10W mobile gear. Usually they go bush and set up well trimmed mono's, dipoles, quads, inverted L's etc. which they built themselves. Good work guys.

I read an American magazine in the 70's describing "Ham" operators working the entire world with 1 Watt Morse code. Flea Power was the title of the story. Naturally the rig employed a single "tube". (Take note 200W Linear Amp fellows)

27MHz active with the usual mix of turkeys (mainly from VIC I'm sad to say)

Non Directional Beacons aplenty but long wire antennas a must. Lay long insulated wires on the ground (dipole or Beverage) but that damn harmonic beating from what appears to be multiple 50Hz sources pushes into beacons operating close to mains multiples, which leads me to believe that domestic inverters feeding back into the grid are not in sync.

I would expect where there are mechanical alternators that there would be and always used to be fluctuations in frequency and the average over 24Hrs was 50Hz. That is why synchronising TV's to the mains in the early days left a bit to be desired.

Really one would think that there would be ways to synchronise modern electronic inverters such that they would lead & lag in unison with the main body.

Yes, I'm wondering about that too. The beating I'm detecting is day and night, so I can't blame the rooftop panels.

There are wind turbines everywhere, but these are commissioned by engineers---no way would they couple to the mains out-of-phase.

I never thought of private alternators.

I had a FT8 QSO with Samoa from my QTH in New Jersey (just west of New York City) on 12 meters a week or so ago. And a month ago Australia on 10 meters. So the bands are pretty good.

Re QRM, apart from the usual suspects LEDs and grow lamps, another one, especially in areas where properties tend to be on acres, is battery chargers for ride-on mowers.