Topband: QRP on 160?
For many years after I was licensed in 1960, we were limited in G-land to 10 watts input to the PA (not output). So working DX was a major achievement, although there were quite a few 'fat watts' around! G3PU used to regularly work VK and ZL with a genuine 10 watts from his cliff top QTH on the south coast. G3ERN was another genuine 10 watter who worked VK/ZL. Somewhere in my log there is a QSO with George AA7JV when he was running 5 watts in Miami with an excellent signal. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: ARRL DX CW Contest
Best top-band conditions I've heard in a while. Mid-West and West Coast romping in both mornings, including CA - N6RO and WA6KHK. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: VK/ZLs in the CQWW CW 160?
"Didn't hear any VKs or ZLs during the contest; were any of you on??" Well, I worked from a small city lot in Sydney, running QRP. Inverted L for TX with a vertical section being approx. 70 ft, terminated vertical Flag 5m x 8m and a passive Moebius loop for RX. TX antenna radials temporary laid down and crossing neighbouring driveways at several places. Great propagation to US during the first VK night. There were many great NA signals on the band - ND7K, W8KA, K2KW, K3ZM, K8LX, K1LT, K3LR, K7NJ, NA7TB, just to mention a few. Working QRP from VK on 160m is not trivial. My only NA QSO was K1LT. Great ears! The propagation to NA lasted surprisingly long, however not for me as the whole band was completely wiped out by a broadband interference. Having dedicated RX antennas did not help. Taken a walk round the block with a portable AM radio, however no obvious clues. The first VK morning to EU had a phenomenal propagation that only lasted for some 20 minutes at my QTH. I do not remember hearing such impressive signals on 160m. Ever. Even when working as VK9LL from Lord Howe years ago. Very happy having worked LY4A for my best DX in this contest. All in all 10 QRP QSOs this time from VK. Thank you all for making this such a great contest! Tomas VK2CCC --- Message: 5 Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2024 07:19:47 -0800 From: Tree To: Steve Harrison Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: VK/ZLs in the CQWW CW 160? Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" "Didn't hear any VKs or ZLs during the contest; were any of you on??" There were - but sometimes, they go to bed after listening to summer time QRN and aren't on the band during the best time for the West Coast. Sometimes, you are more likely to work a VK6 than a ZL or VK3 since the times line up better. VK2GR made 57 QSOs, mostly Europe. He worked a handful of stateside stations, but pulled the plug at 1028, which is way too early for optimum propagation to the West Coast. VK2PW made about 21 QSOs, mostly Europeans, a few Asians and no stateside QSOs (was active around noon your local time). VK3IO was also active, only working ZL3IO during the time it was dark on the West Coast - and working about 20 Europeans. You might remember VK6GX was only able to work one station in the recent Stew Perry. This was right at my sunrise. ZL3IO made 38 QSOs and reports in his soapbox that this must have been one of the worst CQ 160 contests ever. He did manage to work 13 stateside stations, but only ND7K and NA7TB on the west coast. He was QRT by 1148 UTC. It's a tough band down under in the middle of summer. I have spent many an hour trying to hear a VK who is working the East coast. After sunrise in the midwest, there is a whole swath of the country without much activity and it gets - dare I say - boring waiting for the sunrise on the west coast. It's late - they are tired and time to go to bed so they can get up for the morning sunrise opening to Europe, which is often more reliable. Tree N6TR _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Inverted-L Question
Steve, For comparison my inverted-L is similar to yours with a 94 ft vertical section and 43 ft horizontal (ish). It is on a tall tree, not a tower. Like you, I use an L-network to match it and get a feed impedance on 1826.5 KHz of 50+j0. I have a 1600pF capacitor in parallel but no inductor as I simply extended the antenna length to make it slightly inductive. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: ZL1AZ
Good signals peaking at my sunrise this morning from Dennis ZL1AZ. Nice to hear 160 conditions improving. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: J28MD, conditions
J28MD has been on 160 CW every night this week (local time) 1828 or 1829 maybe other bands he is only ft8, i don’t know. i also worked him on 80 cw. > On Nov 5, 2022, at 2:49 PM, Hans Hjelmström wrote: > > Hi Bob > > And I can tell youI feel samePLUS it has also destroyed the fun on > 50 mc. NO CW or SSB to be heard ( except TZ4AM and TT8SN still on CW/SSB). > Both 5V7RU/ ty5RU and J28MD ONLY FT 8 unheard mode. NOT even > a try on CW,even that conditions are perfect. > This is VERY SAD and will impact of activity in future for many of us. > > Take care and stay safe > > Hans SM6CVX / NO Ft 8 ever >> 5 nov 2022 kl. 19:39 skrev k...@kq2m.com: >> >> >> On Tuesday I heard but could not work VK6IR, but I did work VK6GX on >> Thursday for my first zone 29 qso on 160 since VK6HD about 3 decades ago. >> My antenna is a modest 160 Inv L with elevated radials. When the band has >> very good cndx I can work almost anything that I can hear. But on the >> marginal days there is quite a bit of long-haul DX that eludes me. ;-) >> (I'm still missing zones 22, 23, 24, 26, and 27) >> >> What is maddening to me is that it used to be that FT4 / FT8 was used by >> some DXpeditions AFTER they had already worked 160 CW. Now, to my great >> disappointment, more and more DXpeditions are routinely using FT4 and/or FT8 >> IN PLACE of 160 cw, even though they are perfectly capable of operating 160 >> CW. Sadly, this trend seems to be getting more and more pervasive. >> >> Recently, 5V7RU has ONLY been on FT4 / FT8 on 80 and 160, with NO cw at all >> on those bands. >> This follows the previous country they were in where they operated 80 cw but >> no 160 cw. >> >> J28MD has operated 160 cw very briefly and typically avoids it, instead >> preferring FT8. >> >> I get it It is far easier to work stations on FT4 or FT8 than on cw. >> And using those unattended modes allow qsos to be made >> while the Dxpedition operators sleep. But that does not make me feel better >> about it. >> >> I am not interested in the digital modes, preferring the traditional modes >> of CW and SSB. I understand that others feel differently, >> which is fine. But it bothers me that DXpeditions are now avoiding CW on >> 80/160 because they just don't want to bother. >> >> 73 >> >> Bob, KQ2M >> >> >> >>> On 2022-11-05 12:45, Tom wrote: >>> On thursday night conditions here in w1 land were outstanding! J28MD >>> (cw) and 5V7RU (ft8) got in the log and I heard HS0ZOY (ft8) at his SR >>> at -5 for about 5 minutes. first HS I have ever heard. >>> hope i get a chance with T88. >>>> On Nov 5, 2022, at 12:00 PM, David Raymond >>>> wrote: >>>> Greetings Topbanders. . . >>>> I've spent a considerable amount of time on watch this past week for J28MD >>>> on Topband (CW). While they've spent a fair amount of time on TB I >>>> haven't yet had success yet in spite of my ongoing efforts. I believe it >>>> was this past Tuesday night when Joel, W5ZN, said they appeared briefly >>>> out of the noise (about 10 minutes or so and did have success with his >>>> BSEF-8 and Hi-Z 8 arrays in diversity) then disappeared the rest of the >>>> evening. Wednesday night's opening to NA was much longer starting on the >>>> East coast and slowly sweeping westward with quite a few NA making it in >>>> the log (EC + 5's, 8's, & 9s', VE). Unfortunately the prop just never >>>> quite made it this far west. They barely peaked out of the noise here in >>>> Iowa Wednesday evening (NA time) just enough to get me excited and dump my >>>> call a few times hoping for even a marginal QSO. . . but no cigar. It's a >>>> little frustrating to see that they always QRT about 30 minutes or so >>>> prior to their SR but they get credit for being on faithfully on CW and >>>> FT8 as well. I know they're getting close to wrapping up but hopefully >>>> they'll be on (CW) again this evening. >>>> It's been good to have some DX operations QRV and bring some much needed >>>> life to TB (which sure hasn't had much). . .TY0, 5V, and now J28, A3, and >>>> T88. The prop has been very poor. CQing here in the evening brings no DX >>>> responses and only a handful of EU EBN hits so far this season. >>>> Thankfully mornings have activity from our very stalwart VK friends >>>> (VK3HJ, VK2WF, VK6GX, VK6IR, VK6LW,
Re: Topband: J28MD, conditions
On thursday night conditions here in w1 land were outstanding! J28MD (cw) and 5V7RU (ft8) got in the log and I heard HS0ZOY (ft8) at his SR at -5 for about 5 minutes. first HS I have ever heard. hope i get a chance with T88. > On Nov 5, 2022, at 12:00 PM, David Raymond wrote: > > Greetings Topbanders. . . > > I've spent a considerable amount of time on watch this past week for J28MD on > Topband (CW). While they've spent a fair amount of time on TB I haven't yet > had success yet in spite of my ongoing efforts. I believe it was this past > Tuesday night when Joel, W5ZN, said they appeared briefly out of the noise > (about 10 minutes or so and did have success with his BSEF-8 and Hi-Z 8 > arrays in diversity) then disappeared the rest of the evening. Wednesday > night's opening to NA was much longer starting on the East coast and slowly > sweeping westward with quite a few NA making it in the log (EC + 5's, 8's, & > 9s', VE). Unfortunately the prop just never quite made it this far west. > They barely peaked out of the noise here in Iowa Wednesday evening (NA time) > just enough to get me excited and dump my call a few times hoping for even a > marginal QSO. . . but no cigar. It's a little frustrating to see that they > always QRT about 30 minutes or so prior to their SR but they get credit for > being on faithfully on CW and FT8 as well. I know they're getting close to > wrapping up but hopefully they'll be on (CW) again this evening. > > It's been good to have some DX operations QRV and bring some much needed life > to TB (which sure hasn't had much). . .TY0, 5V, and now J28, A3, and T88. > The prop has been very poor. CQing here in the evening brings no DX > responses and only a handful of EU EBN hits so far this season. Thankfully > mornings have activity from our very stalwart VK friends (VK3HJ, VK2WF, > VK6GX, VK6IR, VK6LW, others) but only a handful of JA QSOs so far this season > (8 to be exact). JA1LZR gets kudos for being QRV almost every morning (NA > time), but without much prop, I think only limited success.I have yet to > hit the VK4CT RBN CQing here in the mornings. I don't think this is totally > attributable to the increased SFI. . . prop from here was only marginally > better two seasons ago when the SFI was very low. > > All that said, I encourage everyone to get on and make some noise. > > 73. . . Dave, W0FLS (in Iowa) > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Unsubscribing
Hello Greg, Just to say thanks a million for the countless 160 metre QSOs we have had, mainly at UK sunrise, over the past 15 years. Your remote station receiving capability has always amazed me. I can imagine your frustration at hearing and copying us so many times, when we were not hearing you. Sometimes it was the other way round. Proof enough that one way propagation does exist on 160. I won’t be joining you on microwaves, but if you do decide to set up a 160 remote facility again in Cape Town, I will be listening for you! We hope to visit ZS1 again when these travel restrictions are lifted and when we do, we will certainly get together. Best 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Topband Conditions
Just to add to the discussion on band conditions, Mike W4EF near LA was romping into UK this morning, Tuesday at 0800 sunrise, peaking 8 to 9 and Larry N7DD was well over the 9. Apart from those two, the band was devoid of CW during the short time I was on. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: DXE Thunderbolt
David G3WGN, I'm sure you must have some tall trees down there in the Dart Valley! You could save yourself a bundle in shipping charges alone by putting up a simple wire inverted 'L' or a 'T'. Use a pneumatic tennis ball launcher to place the halyard over the tree at the highest point. I have one of these and will even come down and do it for you as you're not far away! My 'L' is 90 feet up and 43 feet out to another tree. It is matched at 1825 KHz by a simple 1,600 pf high voltage ceramic capacitor as an L-network from base to the radial field. These caps are hard to come by these days, so rather than making the antenna slightly longer and inductive, it is probably better to make it slightly shorter and capacitive and then matching with a small shunt inductor, known as a 'hairpin'. Look forward to hearing you on 160! 73 Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: CQWW a bust this year
Compare to recent weeks conditions were marginal during CQWW. Only two Zone 4 stations were audible here and it took long time to work them. Whereas a week ago band was wide open from MI, IL to CO or even down to TX. I worked only mults and Dx's this time. Only 13 stations from Zone 5 in my log. Except for VY2ZM all NA's were weak including KC1XX and W3LPL! Hopeful things improve for next weekend and will work some more in ARRL 160. CU Tom sp5xo Conditions certainly didn't favor 160 over the weekend CQWW contest here in > Florida at least. > > Looking back in 2019 I worked 50 countries on 160 during CQWW, this year it > was only 17, only 3 Europeans and those were very weak. I'm sure the lack > of expeditions due to CV-19 played a part but on whole I think many guys > in hindsight will be glad they didn't spend the money to go. > > Maybe things will pick up next weekend for the ARRL 160 test though that tends > to be largely a USA to USA test and it is hard to hear the DX through the > local mob > > CU guys in the pile up > > Dave > NR1DX > -- > Dave manu...@artekmanuals.com www.ArtekManuals.com > > > _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Quick Favor
- This mail is in HTML. Some elements may be ommited in plain text. - Hi, Do you have an Amazon account? Thanks Tom _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: INV L matching
Hello OMs Topbbanders As I'm planning to put up inverted L antenna for next season i will face the matching vs bandwidth struggle I know there is a cure for short vertical section and low impedance (with reasonable radial system) and I already tested some extended horizontal section and matching capacitor in the feeedpoint However i was considering some other impedance matching methods and came across DK7ZB matching transformers. For example to get good match for 28Ohm yagi there is 1/4 wave 75Ohm parallel feedlines transformer used with good, wideband match. Since short vertical inv L over reasonable ground should have roughly 20 OHm impedance that could work here as well. Sure it is 2 x quarter wave 75 OHM coax (shortened by VF) but is there any wideband "gain" for such feeding method? It would be still easier than switching remotely some caps each 10kHz or something. Is there anybody who tried this one? Thanks Tom sp5xo _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: (no subject)
I was listening on your QRG Andy and heard almost every station from NA you had QSO with - George AA7JV, KB3Z, NO9E and others. And that is quite unusual since my only Top Band antenna is inverted V dipole 12 meters high. Unfortunately none of them decided to call CQ so I only heard Dave W0FLS and Stu NV3N who i worked earlier this week with my NVIS antenna and 100W. So there is still some room for tiny pistols. Just throw some CQ to gime us a chance guys! CU on 160. Tom sp5xo > > On 3/27/2020 5:49 AM, Andree DL8LAS via Topband wrote: > > hey topbanders, > > > > condx were not bad this morning in EU, worked some NA and a new DXCC 6Y5. > > Band was very quiet, but not much activity. 160m season is not finished. > > > > 73 Andy DL8LAS > > > > > > www.dl8las.com > > > _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: (no subject)
I was listening on your QRG Andy and heard almost every station from NA you had QSO with - George AA7JV, KB3Z, NO9E and others. And that is quite unusual since my only Top Band antenna is inverted V dipole 12 meters high. Unfortunately none of them decided to call CQ so I only heard Dave W0FLS and Stu NV3N who i worked earlier this week with my NVIS antenna and 100W. So there is still some room for tiny pistols. Just throw some CQ to gime us a chance guys! CU on 160. Tom sp5xo On 3/27/2020 5:49 AM, Andree DL8LAS via Topband wrote: hey topbanders, condx were not bad this morning in EU, worked some NA and a new DXCC 6Y5. Band was very quiet, but not much activity. 160m season is not finished. 73 Andy DL8LAS www.dl8las.com _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: 160 conditions
It's nice to hear the band back in good shape again after a few years. Big CW signal from W4EF in CA this morning along with ZL3IX, also a string of JAs/HL earlier this week. Let's keep the 160 CW activity up! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Safety with pneumatic tennis ball launchers
G4FTC wrote "The one thing that scares me with the tennis ball launcher is the risk of the plastic air reservoir exploding..." - which is why I always put on safety goggles when using mine. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: RFI on TB
Mark, Are you ready to take the red pill or the blue pill? If you take the red, be prepared to spend endless time and money, and the experts on this list will help guide you down the 160m rx rabbit hole. I was where you were a few years ago... then I started with a k9ay loop, slinky antennas, BOGs, short beverages, K1FZ beverages running into neighbors yards, hi-z verticals, NCC-2’s, with no end in sight. Somehow working stations like VI9NI on 160 at sunrise with no other callers make it all worthwhile! Good Luck Tom W1TC > On Jul 24, 2019, at 5:34 PM, Mark - N5OT wrote: > > This has got to be on a case-by case basis. I don't have any listening > antennas, so i listen on my transmit vertical. It works fine. For me. Most > of the time. > > Would I hear more stuff with listening antennas? I bet the answer is yes > under certain conditions. > > 73 - Mark N5OT > > >> On 7/24/2019 1:13 AM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: >> I gotta agree with Rob. An inverted L aerial wire will hear ALL the noise >> that is around. Mine sure does. RX antenna will help enormously if there is >> a place to put one that does not get the noise second hand off the L. Not >> enough room? A bit complicated, but "repeated" noise off the L can be dealt >> with. >> >> The worst noises around here heard on my L were all repaired by the power >> company. The nastiest noise was very hard to find, I actually never "found" >> it by looking for it. Noise turned out to be from a bad splice in an >> underground 13 kV cable going from the 13 kV delta overhead out on US 64 to >> the transformer for my eastern neighbor and next house over. It would come >> and go with extended cold weather, but never would correlate to sunlight or >> darkness. I would hear it next to my transformer walking around with my >> battery K2 and a rubber ducky. It would never locate to up on a pole (only >> power noise that didn't). >> >> Finally the splice hard-arced, exploding the fuse up on the pole for the >> neighbor's 13 kV feed, and taking those two houses off the grid. The noise >> went away with the cannon shot noise. Blessed quiet on 160 and 80. I had >> put up with that for almost four years. >> >> In the end, Duke Energy completely reran his AND my buried 13kV lines, and >> replaced his transformer. 35 years in the ground, 35 year old cable design >> and materials, and deficient in THEIR opinion. Was really fun to watch them >> use this super-neat burrowing setup that went right UNDER the woods and the >> creek (whole other story). Now I can hear the lesser noises on my L from >> all over Apex and Cary :>) Need RX antenna for sure. That way I don't have >> to listen to the Cary, NC noise (NE) at the same time as the generally >> closer and louder Apex, NC noise (S, SE). >> >> 73, Guy K2AV >> >> On Tue, Jul 23, 2019 at 9:37 AM Rob Atkinson wrote: >> >>>> Over past few months, I have picked up an S5-S7 noise signature on my TB >>> inv >>>> L antenna with K2AV FCP system. >>> I would not use an inverted L for receiving. Unusable for rx at my >>> QTH but FB for transmitting. >>> >>> 73 >>> Rob >>> K5UJ >>> _ >>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband >>> Reflector >>> >> _ >> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector >> > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: 160 conditions
Outstanding sunrise conditions at 0800 today on top band. FM5BH on 1818 KHz S9+. ZL3IX on 1826.5 long path peaking S8/9 on my meter. RBN skimmers showing excellent path to USA but very little other activity. Come on guys, turn that computer off and plug the key in! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: ARRL DXCC - 160 Meters
Neither of those calls show up in my log on any band. Tom - VE3CX On Fri, Nov 16, 2018 at 7:33 PM Bob W4DR wrote: > OK1YQ is actually OK1RD > > -Original Message- > From: donov...@starpower.net > Sent: Friday, November 16, 2018 7:06 PM > To: topband > Subject: Re: Topband: ARRL DXCC - 160 Meters > > > JC, > > > I have well over a million QSOs in my computer log but not even a single > QSO > with OK1YQ > > > 73 > Frank > W3LPL > > > On 2018-11-16 13:32, n...@n4is.com wrote: > > I never heard him on any band but he must be very active on EME > > > > ARRL DXCC - 2 Meters -151 OK1YQ > > > > http://www.arrl.org/system/dxcc/view/DXCC-2M-20181116-USLetter.pdf > > > > 73's JC > > N4IS > > > > -Original Message- > > From: Topband On Behalf Of uy0zg > > Sent: Friday, November 16, 2018 1:41 PM > > To: Topband@contesting.com > > Subject: Topband: ARRL DXCC - 160 Meters > > > > > > > > ARRL DXCC - 160 Meters -339 OK1YQ . > > > > Who is it ?? > > > > > http://www.arrl.org/system/dxcc/view/DXCC-160M-20181116-A4.pdf#page=1=a > > uto,-12,848 > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Poor conditions in 2018??
I have to disagree with Steve VK6VZ and Dave W0FLS about conditions so far this season on topband. Although talking about different paths and times, regular daily long path skeds between myself with several other G's and ZL3IX, have been remarkably successful and I have logged 23 completed QSOs since 21st September this year. That's not quite a complete Q per day, but taking into account the days one of us didn't show up, it's not far short! Also, the RBNs have indicated good propagation to USA/Canada most days at UK sunrise. West coast stations have been conspicuous by their absence though, with the exception of a couple of big signals from AZ and AB. US activity is not particularly good at our sunrise, probably explained by most folks needing 8 hours sleep! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: 160m Parasitic array (VE6WZ_Steve)
Fascinating presentation Steve, thank you. Tom G3OLB _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: VP6D
Hover the cursor over the checkmark in the matrix of bands/modes in the log page, and often the operator will be identified On Tue, 2018-10-23 at 07:26 +0200, Jean-Paul Albert via Topband wrote: > ZL3CW, aka F2CW was, maybe,the operator. > congrat’s for ur QSO. > F6FYA > > Envoyé de mon iPad > > > Le 22 oct. 2018 à 19:55, David Olean a écrit : > > > > I am not an expert on DX peditions, coming late to HF and 160 meters in my > > life, but I could not get over the operator at VP6D this morning on 1.826. > > Whoever it was, he was flying and getting the call correct the first time > > every time. I was amazed at how well they were doing racking up the Qs. > > There was plenty of QSB here in Maine with the signal going from S 0.2 to > > about S6 on the S meter. At minimum, they were barely copyable. At best, > > they were loud. I used my Europe beverage and found that it was a tad > > better than my SW beverage. I am not sure what was going on there. The > > Europe wires is a pair of 1150 ft bevs, and the SW wire is shorter at about > > 800 ft. After making a contact, I experimented with diversity on the K3 and > > had the SW wire in my right ear and the 45 degree wire in my left ear. > > Copy was better with diversity, but I think I need to check my beverage > > terminations!! Maybe it was an arrival angle situation that favored the > > longer wire's pattern. I learn something every day. > > > > Dave K1WHS > > > > > > _ > > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector > > _ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Topband: Topband conditions
A couple of hours this morning on 160 CW yielded FR4NT, VE6WZ and ZL3IX as well as some other old friends, so considering the high static levels, conditions are pretty good! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Capacitive vs. Inductive Matching of Inverted 'L'/'T'
I used to use a slightly shortened 'L' with a small inductor at the base until I was told by LA5HE that he could hear me on 80 as well as 160! Using capacitor matching forms a low pass network which will reduce harmonic radiation. The inductor method forms a high pass L-network. BTW, why is it called a 'hairpin' inductor? Looks nothing like a hairpin, or does it? 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Air wound coil
Bob W7RH - you don't need expensive hard-to-find vacuum capacitors to match a quarter wave 'L' or 'T' on top band. I use cheap multilayer high voltage disc ceramics and these have been working perfectly at QRO levels with my inverted 'L' for years. I use 1600pF made up from 1000pF + 470pF + 220pf all rated at 6.3KV and available (over here) from CPC at less than $4 for 10. Antenna is slightly longer than a quarter wave so it is inductive and the capacitors form the other part of the L-match network. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Top band sloper resonance
Gary KA1J, It struck me that maybe you originally cut your sloper a little longer so you could match it with a simple capacitor. My inverted L is resonant on its own, somewhere down in the 1.750 region. It’s effectively matched to 50 ohms by an L network but the series inductance part of the network is made by lengthening the antenna a little. I have a parallel high voltage ceramic capacitor from the feed point to radials. I can’t check the actual values because I’m currently on vacation in W4 land. 73, Tom G3OLB Sent from my iPhone _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: NEW CALL for WA8WZG
What u get is an email from them, FCC, which includes a link to a PDF of your license u simply down load pretty simple,,, not the " light green" cert I used to get mailed to me ,, but its an official license if you don't win a lottery,, they will send you in the mail a notice of "dismissal" ,,,, go figure,,, Tom N7GP 73's Tom -Original Message- From: Rob Atkinson Sender: "Topband" Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2018 10:23:16 To: Subject: Re: Topband: NEW CALL for WA8WZG >Finally I get an email from the FCC this morning , I won a lottery!! FB on the new call, but is this all you get? Don't they mail out something on paper? Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: NEW CALL for WA8WZG
Yes !!! I am up to the task, really strange part is am fairly close to the super station,, here in AZ,, less than 80 air miles,,, Tom N7GP --Original Message-- From: Mike - W5JR To: Wa8wzg Cc: TopBand Subject: Re: Topband: NEW CALL for WA8WZG Sent: Jul 10, 2018 8:59 PM Congrats, Tom. Yes, Milt will be watching. tnx Mike / W5JR Alpharetta GA > On Jul 10, 2018, at 2:17 PM, wa8...@wa8wzg.net wrote: > > To All,,, > I have been in a quite a few lotteries for a Vanity call since I moved to > Arizona,, > I was trying for a 1x2 call with no avail.. > Finally I get an email from the FCC this morning , I won a lottery!! > my NEW CALL is N7GP.. > I guess I got to ramp up my 160 station!! now!! > > So if you think you here a ghost,, its not,,, its me,, > Tom N7GP > former WA8WZG > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband 73's Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Wednesday activity night
Roger G3YRO – conditions haven’t been all bad on 160 lately. ZL3IX and I have had 7 good long path QSOs in this month so far. 73, Tom G3OLB Sent from Mail for Windows 10 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: 160 activity night
Sorry guys, I thought I posted the following about a month ago. Must be a long delay echo on the 160 reflector! Tom G3OLB Just to say that I wholeheartedly endorse Roger's comments on repeat 160 metre contacts. We are not all certificate hunters and many are only too happy to rag-chew. In 58 years on top band, I have no idea of my DXCC score but it's quite a few. So please Mark K3MSB and all you others who are frightened of answering CQs from someone you may have worked before, if you hear us on please give us a shout even if just for old times sake! Don’s (WD8DSB) experience is very sad and the other guy must be a complete moron. How long does it take for a minimal QSO, RST + name? I'm not sure I can climb out of the sack at Z or 0300Z on a Wednesday though Roger! Sent from Mail for Windows 10 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: 160m DX Activity Night
Just to say that I wholeheartedly endorse Roger’s comments on repeat 160 metre contacts. We are not all certificate hunters and many are only too happy to rag-chew. In 58 years on top band, I have no idea of my DXCC score but it’s quite a few. So please Mark K3MSB and all you others who are frightened of answering CQs from someone you may have worked before, if you hear us on please give us a shout even if just for old times sake! Don’s (WD8DSB) experience is very sad and the other guy must be a complete moron. How long does it take for a minimal QSO, RST + name? I’m not sure I can climb out of the sack at Z or 0300Z on a Wednesday though Roger! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: D10 Field Telephone Cable
Vic/David – looks like D10 field telephone cable may be readily available at: http://armyradio.com/800-Meters-DON-10-WD1-TT-D-10-Twisted-Pair-Telephone-Cable.html GBP 64.50 for 800 metres sound a pretty reasonable price to me. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: FT8 qrm
I think you are missing the larger issue here. It is not *just* 2.5 Khz out of 1800-2000. Consider that many folks have directional antennas that are cut for the lower part of the band - typically covering 1800-1860 at best. So - that 2.5 Khz starts to represent at least 4 percent of the available usable band - possibly more. Some DX cannot operate below 1805 or higher, which makes the band that much smaller, and that 2.5 Khz starts to represent an even bigger chuck of prime spectrum. For FT-8 users expecting a QRM experience this weekend, I wish them well... Tom - VE3CX On Wed, Nov 29, 2017 at 11:05 AM, Greg <n...@windstream.net> wrote: > Jeez -- enough already...how difficult is it to avoid 2.5 khz of bandwidth > that is not even in the DX portion of the band! Leave FT8 alone and fight > the QRM below 1835. 73, Greg-N4CC > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Conditions improving
Really good to hear 160 conditions getting better by the day! Greg ZL3IX was peaking 569 running only 50 watts on long path at my sunrise today. Forget the digital modes and start bashing that key! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Solar eclipse and 160m propagation.
At 06:48 AM 7/5/2017, CT1EKD wrote: >Hi Topbanders >In 21th August we will have a solar eclipse... Do you know any >studies about propagation at eclipses, before, during and after ? Pedro - Here's a place to start. http://hamsci.org/ -- Tom e-mail: fren...@pcnet.comYCCC --> http://www.yccc.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Dayton Crown plaza rooms
To All.. I am looking for anyone with room at the Crown Plaza Dayton for Friday and Saturday night May 19 and 20th that they may not use,, if anyone has a room that they don't need . Now or as Dayton gets closer, please email me at wa8...@wa8wzg.net ,,, I will take it! Thanks Tom Wa8wzg 73's Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Jeff's Book
Just to say I received my copy of Jeff's 'DXing on the edge' today, complete with 19 chapters, bought from 'Book Depository' via Amazon. Price including shipping was GBP 15.26. Now for some interesting reading! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Dx'ing on the Edge - Numbered and Signed Copies Now Available fro US Topbanders
Hi Jeff You are right - shipping is more than the book... Will you be offering signed copies at Dayton per chance? My plan was to pick up a copy there. All the best in the New Year! Tom - VE3CX On Thu, Dec 29, 2016 at 9:41 AM, k1zm--- via Topband <topband@contesting.com > wrote: > Hi Gang > > > Season's Greetings and HNY to All 160m Dx'ers. > > > FYI - I now have on hand a **small** number of signed & numbered copies of > the SECOND EDITION of DXing on the Edge here with me on Cape Cod. > > > These can be personalized (if desired) and can be shipped relatively > inexpensively to US addressees. > > > PRICE (SHIPPED) is $25.00 which means NUMBERED, SIGNED, PERSONALIZED & > SHIPPED - all in. > > > Again - this is an offer I can make to US addressees ONLY! > > > (Overseas shipping is ridiculously expensive and also cumbersome - > overseas shipping costs alone are more than the book price itself!) > > > Thanks for the bandwidth and CU on Topband soon I hope. > > > 73 JEFF K1ZM/VY2ZM > > > Email: k...@aol.com > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: ARRL 160
CQ supports the idea of an "X" QSO. Proper use is "X-QSO" You prepend "X-" to leave the QSO in the log so the other guy does not get a NIL, and you don't claim it as a valid QSO. That said, I am not sure if the ARRL log processing software is equipped to handle this scenario. Another option would be to bust the other guys call (on purpose) in your log. You take an extra "hit" - you loose the QSO, plus penalty, but it gets the job done if that is the intent. Tom - VE3CX On Mon, Dec 5, 2016 at 2:55 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w...@w0mu.com> wrote: > If you remove the line completely the other guy gets a busted QSO! You > put an X in front of the line. Not sure about the exact formatting. > > > > On 12/5/2016 12:25 PM, Ward Silver wrote: > >> If the web upload app for log submission finds something in a QSO: line >> it can't deal with... >> >> > The ARRL submission AP tells you to correct the mistakes rather than >> remove or unclaim them and that is NOT RIGHT! >> >> Point of clarification - the app does not really know anything about a >> particular call. It just knows that the data it found in what it thought >> was a call sign field did not look like a call sign. (You would get a >> similar error if the Sent Call data is bad or the RST isn't an RST.) It is >> up to the log submitter as to what to do about that. If the QSO: line is >> just mis-formatted, rearranging the information to satisfy the Cabrillo >> format is perfectly OK. If the call sign is busted (from typo, mis-copy, >> or whatever), my suggestion would be to remove the line entirely. Same >> thing if the the section abbreviation is not valid. >> >> 73, Ward N0AX >> _ >> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband >> > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: 160 M Inverted 'L'
Folks, You don’t need expensive vacuum capacitors or bread slicers/toast racks to match your 160 metre ‘L’. I use a low pass L-network consisting of 0.95 microhenrys in series and 1600 pF in parallel with the coax. The inductor is not real and is made by slightly extending the length of the antenna, which is 90 ft up and 46 ft horizontal. The 1600 pF cap is made up of several high voltage 6.3 KV disc multilayer ceramic capacitors in parallel. These are readily available and cost 2 or 3 GBP each from CPC/Farnell (CA05041 series made by Murata). I have been using this arrangement for some ten years at significant power levels without any failures. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 80-160M remote autotuner needed (Mike DeChristopher)
Mike, I just can’t figure out why you would use 807s in a remote tuner! 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VK0EK confirmation
Hi Andy If it helps - I did not make an advance donation. Once I saw how well their web site worked, I made OQRS request, and received an LOTW confirmation shortly after. As I made additional QSO's, LOTW confirmations followed quickly. If you did not get your LOTW confirmation within a day (at the latest), I expect something went wrong. I would also add - making an extra donation is not in everyone's budget, and that is fine. For those that can afford it - great. For those that cannot - it should not be a deal breaker. If you did not receive your confirmation, I have two suggestions: Made a second $5.00 donation, and try again. Since the first time did not work, the second may also fail, assuming there is a problem with their log. Keep this possibility in mind if you try this. OR - send an email to the team, and ask them to look into the issue. I am sure they have a bunch of emails to work through, so be patient. They are a first-class operation, and I am sure once the issue is resolved, your much anticipated confirmation will follow :-) Tom - VE3CX On Mon, Apr 18, 2016 at 5:56 AM, Andrzej_SP6AEG <andrzej_...@interia.pl> wrote: > Courtesy of my friend Wlodzimierz Herej SP6EQZ paid a donation of $ 10 > for > VK0EK. > On the application was entered in my SP6AEG call sign and address in > accordance with QRZ.COM. > To this day I have not found confirmation of my QSO on LoTW?. > I sent the payment on April 12, 2016 > Is the donation has been sent too late and the previous procedure does not > work, can I do something wrong?. > I guess I will have to again make fee to confirm my QSO using the form: > https://shop.vk0ek.org/ > Thank you very much for having responded to my call, and especially to 160 > m > what gave me 263 entities to 160 DXCC. > > > > Andy > > SP6AEG > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: CW160
One small request would be to NOT mention callsigns - at least during the 5 day "waiting period" for log submissions to be completed. Some folks may not be running assisted, may bust the odd call or two, or whatever. No point in giving out corrected callsigns at this point. Thanks Tom - VE3CX <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=webmail> This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=webmail> <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 4:28 PM, Tim Shoppa <tsho...@gmail.com> wrote: > I felt conditions were "OK" to various parts of Europe throughout the > night. Yes, things would seem good to one location or another for a few > minutes, then just evaporate. > > That station from Haiti 4V1TL had huge huge signal probably louder than any > Florida guy I heard. > > A "new band greenie for me" on 160M was ER4A. > > CW5W had a nice signal but had a hard time hearing - never got further than > "N3?" with me - and he was often near or under "other DX" (including 4V1TL > who had a kc cop who was trying to stop me from working CW5W). > > Tim N3QE > > On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 3:25 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > I felt like the SE US was under a propagation blanket. A look at RBN, NA > > spotted by EU nodes made us notable by our absence, K3ZM the notable > > exception of course. EU would pop in for a few minutes and then go away. > No > > clue as to the prop mechanics doing that. The on again off again > > propagation blanket no help copying QRP either. > > > > 73, Guy K2AV > > > > On Saturday, January 30, 2016, Jim Brown <j...@audiosystemsgroup.com> > > wrote: > > > > > On Sat,1/30/2016 11:19 AM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: > > > > > >> But let's be clear headed about what QRP lays on the other end and > what > > >> the > > >> dB realities are. > > >> > > > > > > Like Dave, you have articulated the issues pretty well. BTW -- I called > > > you several times last night, but prop wasn't very good (I heard a half > > > dozen NC stations, none of them very loud). > > > > > > 73, Jim K9YC > > > _ > > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > > > > > > > -- > > Sent via Gmail Mobile on my iPhone > > _ > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: CW160
This is only part of it. Just one example from a few years ago in a 160 contest; There was a very loud station in the Caribean, and he was running EU, and doing quite well. Many NA stations calling him - he was 20 over S9, and deaf as a post. Later on, he was like S3, and running NA like mad! The secret? His beverages work very well! Last night, I was having trouble hearing stations from the west coast, but things got better later on. I am pretty sure I worked some QRP guys, but even some QRO guys were a tough go. We tend to assume symmetrical propagation, but I am sure that is not always the case. From past experience - in the ARRL DX on 20 meters for example, I have worked some very loud QRP stations (or they at least claim to be running QRP), and working some QRO stations can be difficult. I am sure we have all seen the same on 160 in some cases. Hang in there. Many of the "easy" Q's are out of the way, and you should have better luck in the pileups, now that they should be thinned out a bit. Last, but not least - QRP has to be tough in any contest. 160 especially so. But - if it wasn't a challenge, folks would not be doing it. Tom - VE3CX <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=webmail> This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email_source=link_campaign=sig-email_content=webmail> <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 12:22 PM, Gary Smith <g...@ka1j.com> wrote: > Interesting conditions here last night. I > heard a whole lot of DX that simply could > not hear me. I'm running QRP and don't > expect to work everything I hear but one > thing for sure, the overall conditions > were really nice. It was fun to take a > break and listen to EU working other EU & > SA and hear both ends of the QSO on 160. > > Not sure how good the conditions were for > everyone though, Herb & I worked but he > was one of the very few Caribbean stations > I was able to get a Q with. OTOH, I worked > several California stations as well as OR > & WA so the band was selectively open. > > An interesting experience is to hear > stations who have one of the loudest > signals but are unable to hear me. You > have to figure their Rx must be difficult, > either that or they are running power > beyond their ability to hear. I > encountered that quite a bit and again, > running QRP, often my signal not going to > be heard but when someone has such high > signal levels here and can't hear me at > all, they might want to cut back on their > power or, get better a better Rx ability. > Maybe their Rx antennas were pointed in > another direction? > > Absolutely not pointing a finger, I just > saw that happen so very often. I know if I > were running more power, I'd make a whole > lot more Qs. Conversely, if they heard > better, they would have made a lot more > Qs. > > I'd really like to have the chance to work > a 160 at an excellent location with and > excellent Tx/Rx set of antennas. Wires in > not tall trees are the best I can do and I > have so much fun with them. However, it > would be nice to experience competition > with everything stacked in my favor. I'm > sure we all feel that way. Its been years > since I was at a super station and I'm > ready for that experience again; that was > back in 1986 and so long ago that they had > just started running CT by K1EA which was > first released the year before. > > Another have at it tonight so maybe I'll > pick up some of those stations I couldn't > break last night? > > 73 & good luck, > > Gary > KA1J > > > Good luck to all! > > > > 73, > > > > Gary > > KA1J > > _ > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > > > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: CQ 160 CW Contest
This came up last year, and I pointed out it is a game changer. A station can now operate full duplex by having a remote receiving site. A few folks indicated they came close to being able to do this within the confines of their own property, but it looks like they decided to proceed. It is only available to SOA(HP), but it will be interesting to see what the final outcome is. Tom - VE3CX On Wed, Jan 27, 2016 at 2:27 PM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM <cx6vm.jo...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello, > > Just reading the rules, don`t like this, how they can control it? > > A new rule is added to allow the use of one and only one remote receiver > located within 100KM of the main transmitter site. WebSDRs are OK, but must > be located within the 100KM limit. The rule is designed to accommodate new > technology, and for those who experience high noise levels at the > transmitting site. > > Will not hurt nobody here, but for those that are playing for top scores > maybe is a problem > > 73, > Jorge > CX6VM/CW5W > > > > 2016-01-27 14:51 GMT-03:00 Tree <t...@kkn.net>: > > > Just a reminder that the biggest 160 meter contest is coming up this > > weekend. It starts at 2200 UTC on Friday and runs for 48 hours. > > > > Full rules can be found at http://www.cq160.com/. Exchange is RST and > > your > > QTH for US/VE stations. For DX - it is RST + CQ zone. > > > > One fairly new rule is that logs need to be submitted within 5 days of > the > > end of the contest (unless you ask for a waiver). > > > > Hope conditions are good. The VP8 operation will likely resume either > > during or after the contest. I remember working VP8ORK during the 2011 > CQ > > 160 contest - so it is possible to work DX during this contest. ;-) > > > > 73 Tree N6TR/7 > > Hillsboro, OR > > _ > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > > > > -- > 73, > Jorge > CX6VM/CW5W > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VP8STI Humor, Design engineer trauma
Thanks Lee,,, your dialogue made me feel much better!! I too listened while Rich worked him and thought for sure my location in Arizona DM34, would be next for them to pop out of the noise, but then hearing the KH6's work them, and still just bits and pieces here, I knew last night was not my night,,,I am throwing together a BOG today to try and snag them tonight, ,,, one interesting note,,, I heard them twice at 559 for their complete sequence, about 15 min before their SR,, when they were working some 4's,,, but lasted maybe 3 seconds, then they were back in the noise,,, reminded me of Airplane scatter on the Uhf/microwave bands, or meteor scatter,, 160 is truly an interesting and challenging band and as Forrest Gump put it," its like a box of chocolates,, you never know what ya gonna get" !! Congrats to all that worked them and see the rest of you tonight for another round!! 73's Tom -Original Message- From: Lee STRAHAN <k7...@msn.com> Sender: "Topband" <topband-boun...@contesting.com> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:56:05 To: '160'<topband@contesting.com> Subject: Topband: VP8STI Humor, Design engineer trauma Well, it was not as if I did not know it was going to happen someday, I had remained pretty cheeky until this time. I had often knew it was sure to come. I have remained pretty self-content that I had invented the ultimate DX antenna for the state of Oregon. The Hi-Z 8A. In the hours that I had spent trying to work DX on 160 I had remained convinced that I could hear everything that anyone else in Oregon could hear. After all I had taken 5 years out of my early retirement life inventing surely in my mind the monster of all receiving antennas for 160. But it was last night the 22nd of January 2016 when I was finally humbled by my friend in Grants Pass Oregon some 225 highway miles Southwest of me. I knew it was coming someday. I had my earphones plugged into to my trusty Orion 1 transceiver when I saw a post from my friend that he was hearing the VP8 very well and of all the nerve he was using one of my own antennas invented right here in this little town of 1360 people wi th no stop lights. Of all the nerve. Well I said to myself the VP8 will clear up here any moment. I listened and tuned the Old Orion, which by the way I still think is better at 160 than the K3, sure enough I could hear a character or 2 of the VP8. I listened and listened and it never got but little better. I called a few times when I was convinced I might just squeak through but alas I thought he may have come back to me but horrors, maybe I remain in the group reported to have been called and not heard. And so it is here on the morning of the 23rd I remain crushed by my own ego and at my own hand. Congratulations Rich K7ZV, I covet your mountain top location now because you have answered the question I have pondered for a long time. Now I am truly convinced that the mountain top locations really must be better on the low frequencies like 160. I am doubly crushed that it was one of my second tier designs that had whipped me so soundly. And so it is with my mind turning at t op speed today, which one of my antennas or how many should I place at this 1250 foot peak just 2 miles due South of my QTH with NO power lines and would it be worth the effort. Hmmm of course it would after all I have what I read a long time ago on Tree's web stuff. I am inflicted, yes you guessed it the dreaded 160 disease. Hmmm wonder if I could hear 630 meters up there. So it is now I thank my friend Rich which took the smile off my face last eve and left me with Hmmm why not, that peak sure is appealing and it belongs to the Federal grass lands. Surely I could get a grazing permit for some signal hungry aluminum and inconvenienced electrons corralled in some suitable enclosures. I need to call my friend whom is a digital guy and pick his brain about wifi remoting. I gotta go guys, got lots to do to prepare for next year. Granted my health, I am in. Congratulations to all whom have made it. I will try until they leave. It was better last night, surely it will be better tonight. Lee K7TJR Central Oregon _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: VP8STI last night in Oregon
N6SS is located about 40 miles north west of me in AZ,, 2800 feet higher in elevation and a lot quieter location,,and better receiving antennas,, I have not heard but just traces past 2 nights,, will be there tonight,, been listening to the east coast guys working them,, all signals have been great except Vp8!! Congrats to all that have worked them and maybe tonite the propagation gods will shine west!!! 73's Tom -Original Message- From: Tree <t...@kkn.net> Sender: "Topband" <topband-boun...@contesting.com> Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2016 06:57:33 To: 160<topband@contesting.com> Subject: Topband: VP8STI last night in Oregon At least in my location - I would say that things were no better last night. N6SS in Arizona said he worked them just after 0400Z. There was also a report that he came back to N6MB about 10 times around 0430Z - but N6MB was not hearing him. The data suggests they are hearing better than getting out - which means if you can hear them - the spotlight is shining on you and you have a pretty good chance of making the QSO. If it was easy - it wouldn't be as rewarding when it happens!! Good luck to all. 73 Tree N6TR Hillsboro, OR _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Ethics and the Individual
You conveniently clipped off the part where I said "as long as it hurts no one else". Don't play stupid games with me by rewording what I say and posting it in public to make it look like I said something I did not. Also, don't lecture me about ethics after that stunt. - Original Message - From: "Larry Burke"To: Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2016 8:10 AM Subject: Topband: Ethics and the Individual The ethics are limited to following the rules, and what a particular person decides to do beyond the rules is up to the individual Martin Shkreli would be proud of this argument. Increasing the price of Daraprim 5000% did not break any rules either. And, hey, he didn't hurt anyone or infringe on their rights -- they were sick already and if they wanted to get better the drug was available to them. It's the ultimate pay-to-play. - Larry K5RK _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2016.0.7294 / Virus Database: 4489/11412 - Release Date: 01/16/16 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: strange propagation
This reflector has gone down the toilet with personal BS that serves no purpose except to pick fights. After 20 years, I'm leaving it.It sure went down the tubes. - Original Message - From: "Louis Parascondola via Topband" <topband@contesting.com> To: <n...@roadrunner.com>; <topband@contesting.com> Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2016 7:24 AM Subject: Re: Topband: strange propagation That was not nice. Lou W1QJ -Original Message- From: Roger D Johnson <n...@roadrunner.com> To: topband <topband@contesting.com> Sent: Sat, Jan 16, 2016 7:09 am Subject: Re: Topband: strange propagation Sounds a lot like the RHR folks! A friend of mine at the Georgia State Public Service Training Center (right down my street) says this social trend, made pandemic through Internet, has even been assigned a name now. It is called Homogeneous Clustering. This is where groups of people cluster together and invent their own reality, feed off each other's emotions, and dismiss anyone outside their group as a problem and dishonest. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2016.0.7294 / Virus Database: 4489/11412 - Release Date: 01/16/16 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: strange propagation
I can't be 100% sure but I think this will all wash down to the fact that stations are no longer licensed and the control operator is fully responsible. And I do believe that is the case. RHR has lawyers on retainer and I'm sure this has been legally looked at. I can get the ruling they go by. This all comes up every time with this subject. I don't know why people have such a difficult time remembering it. Like politics today, we can't let facts get in the way of hyperbole. It is also more fashionable to hate and complain than offer any viable solution. It is always all about the insults instead of solutions.. Starting way back about 35 years ago, we no longer had station licenses. We no longer had to sign mobile, tell the FCC where we were at if out of local district, and no longer had to sign portable. Station licenses were gone as long as we were in the continental USA. The license is with the control op. About the same time, location or station for DXCC also changed and did not matter. DXCC went with the call, not the location. It was also never illegal to make money from property in a station, it was only illegal to charge for the service of communication or use communications to augment business communications. People have been renting stations and equipment for years and years, and people have "made money" since the very first copper wire was sold. The proper way to handle this, if people disagree with the rules, is to work to have the rules changed. I would suggest, however, things get thought through very carefully. It would be very easy to kill or seriously damage the hobby with poor changes. It seems to me the real problem is people want an award for DXCC specifically to how they operate and live, and everyone has to fit that criteria. To me, that makes absolute sense for three tiers. 1.) You cannot use a club station, you cannot move, you cannot phone a friend. This would be a STATION and operator DXCC. 2.) DXCC to the station no matter who the op. 3.) DXCC to the no matter what the station. This is what we have now. Instead of whining like two-year-olds about what the FCC rules are, because the FCC will never roll back to making us have specific station locations, the real solution is in what the DXCC rules are. The award rules will not be changed here, and it is very unlikely the ARRL with yank DXCC's from people who have worked DX from more than one location, so the best approach would be a new DXCC with all contacts allowed from one location, where it is the licensee's station and operating. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: strange propagation
I would think a few fines issued by the FCC to the remote station holder, would shut these games down in a hurry. I wonder if the RHR station owners that are being leased out by individuals realize their liability in these circumstances. I think some people will be shocked with a certified letter at some point and the game will quickly change. Ed, This horse gets beat to death every several months. RHR is the safest, most regulated, use of a remote station. IP's are watched, people pay a membership, they have to log in, and they know if caught breaking any law they lose a deposit and are booted. It is also completely 100% legal. In contrast, there are dozens of hundreds of unregulated free Internet stations. No one thinks about them, but they are all over the world now. I don't have the slightest worry about RHR leasing my station, because I know they watch it. I also know it is their responsibility to watch it, but the main thing is it is policed by them.\ This entire thing is beyond silly. A group of the same repeating people without facts just stir each other up with fantasies, which is typical for people today. This is why we can't fix anything. We never let logic or facts get in the way of whining like two-year-olds. A friend of mine at the Georgia State Public Service Training Center (right down my street) says this social trend, made pandemic through Internet, has even been assigned a name now. It is called Homogeneous Clustering. This is where groups of people cluster together and invent their own reality, feed off each other's emotions, and dismiss anyone outside their group as a problem and dishonest. Political parties are now largely homogeneous clusters, as are protest or action groups. I hate to see Hams, who generally used to be higher than average intelligence, develop homogeneous clustering. It looks like that is happening. Next thing you know, the false memes and quotes will start. :) 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: strange propagation
RHR has stated that they require operators to operate "ethically" on their network. Exactly how to they define that term? Is it considered ethical for a ham in, say, Huntington Beach CA to call -- via a commercial remote in New York -- a station at the United Nations on 6m when the only propagation at the time is ground wave? If you don't like the rules of an award, I suggest you work to modify the award or create a new award. This may come as a real shock, but you are going to have a very difficult time changing the world to fit your particular feeling or idea of how you think the world should be, without changing the actual rules. It cannot matter less what you think other people should do. The ethics are limited to following the rules, and what a particular person decides to do beyond the rules is up to the individual (as long as he infringes on no one else's rights in the process). That might even be a good way to run a country. If a few people spent half the time they do whining and complaining working on a new award or changing the award, the problem could have been fixed 20 years ago. My belief is the real hobby for some is being unhappy with not being in charge of everyone else. They don't want the problem fixed, because then they would have nothing to get all stirred up about. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: FCC regulations circa 1960's
I'm almost certain that all of his serious DXing was done from the water tower location. He also had a 160m station at his home, but it was on a very small urban lot and as I recall, he had only a low dipole up for 160m there. Whenever I heard him operating from the water tower site, he would sign W1BB/1 to indicate portable operation but I guess that was required back then. That's correct, if you think back we assigned a station address and a operator address on our licenses. Today, we only have an operator contact address. There is no station location or license location except as defined within this boundary: (1) Within 50 km of the Earth's surface and at a place where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC; (2) Within 50 km of the Earth's surface and aboard any vessel or craft that is documented or registered in the United States; or (3) More than 50 km above the Earth's surface aboard any craft that is documented or registered in the United States. Our station license covers the entire jurisdiction of the FCC, rather than a street address like it did in the 70's and earlier and it is any radio we control. Thus we no longer need to sign / district or mobile, or report to the FCC when we are going to operate away from home more than a certain time or distance. The station location license is gone. It is now everywhere the FCC controls as one big location, anywhere we control a radio. Stew had to sign /1 because at that time station licenses were location specific. There was no station license assigned to the water tower address. He was legally required to use /1. If there was a station license there, like W1XX, it would have been W1XX. Not W1BB. What I'm not sure of is operating above the class of the a station location, prior to the elimination of the station license we used to get (I think it was listed at the top of the license as "transmitter location or authorized remote location" ). Mine always said "same as below" :-) . Does anyone recall that rule? I know remote control locations had to be licensed, but what was the identifier when using another Ham's station who had lower license class but a station license assigned to that address? 73 Tom unless Stew's class allowed operation outside that station license class. Then it would have been both calls, but I can't recall if it was W1XX/W1BB or the other way. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Strange propagation
I am a 160 card checker, and I damn well DO check the times! I'm sorry to report that I have found cases where "impossible" QSOs were claimed, and reported them to the mother ship in Newington. I would sincerely hope that my colleagues would do the same.>>> But isn't it legal to operate anywhere in the lower continental USA to make a DXCC contact in the lower continental USA? As far as I know, they made that legal many years ago, and the contact simply has to be made from the USA lower 48 no matter where. Where were all the complainers when they did that? As far as I'm concerned, that was the end of DXCC meaning very much. I wrote and complained. Now it is what it is. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 4 square
Used both the 4 square and 8 circle array by DX Engineering. Both work but, in my thunderstorm environment, I spent many hours and as many dollars as the systems originally cost repairing them over three seasons. This is despite keeping the systems powered off, except when being used. The guys at DXE said doing so would protect the systems. Unfortunately that proved not to be the case at my middle Tennessee qth. Steve, NN4T Whoever said that probably had good intentions, but unfortunately that is false. No matter where you are located, off or on makes an immeasurable difference in likelihood of lightning damage. You really have to find out what is being damaged and where the ground loop causing the problem is your system. It should be curable to a large extent, but not by simply turning it off. That makes almost no difference for lightning. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: RE; Ground screen Question
His reinforcing steel inside his driveway is probably way far out of the realm of Ufer grounds, due to it being small gage conductors. Aside from the great difficulty of boring into the concrete and adequately bonding to those wires, I wouldn't try this anyway out of concern that the current density during a major lightning hit might be sufficient to produce widespread cracking of the concrete. If it was the sole ground, or the major part of a ground that might have to handle a direct hit, I wouldn't use it. If it were simply something to augment an already good lighting ground or improve an RF buried ground system, I would not worry one bit about using it. Now I'll have to go re-read and brush up on Ufer grounds, but as I remember, his driveway setup would be woefully inadequate for the possible current levels involved in the event of a direct lightning strike. Personally, I wouldn't go there. A concrete drive would be a little pricey to replace, especially considering the relatively small prospective gain in HF ground quality he might see by connecting his radial field to it. I'd much rather connect *over* that drive using strategically sawed grooves and lightly concreting in a few wires at the surface in a few places- this assuming he has somewhere to go on the far side of the drive with those wires anyway. Again, it is only a problem if that is the major part of the ground. If it is incidental and only an additional improvement, and the rests of the system was OK without it, I'd use it. I've tied my heating ducts and water pipes in, in the past. It does take some common sense in whether it is worth the work, and knowing if the rest of the system is large enough that it creates no hazard. I know a ham who thought his well pipe might make a dandy addition to his ground radial system. He connected it, and eventually had to replace a 600 dollar well pump after a strong lightning hit on his property. This driveway question reminds me of that. Properly designed Ufer grounds, fine- but I sure don't want to invite lightning hits to dissipate through anything concrete on my property. My two cents (two dollars, adjusted for inflation...) That is just asking for problems. Many well pipes are only metal at the head. Below the head or cap, they are often plastic. Well casings are almost always plastic today. The only guaranteed metal paths are the wires to the pump, even if it starts as metal at the top. Also, the wires are outside any metal pipes if metal pipes do exist, and lighting travels on the outermost surfaces. That would be the wires. The well is nothing like concrete remesh. I would not bother connecting to a unknown rebar system, but if I knew it was bonded or remesh (screen) I sure would use it. Not as a primary ground, but to augment an existing pretty good ground in a direction the existing ground might not go. I remember a few people who had houses in the way of a full system, and they ran the radials right under the floor joists. They used heating ducts, fences, water pipes, and everything else they could. The more they used, the stronger they got. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Received Signal Strengths
Typically, on 160M, I leave the preamp off for my beverages. The received noise floor for my N/S beverage (on CW) is usually S2 - 3 and for my phased EU beverages is S0 to S1. I have found the signal strengths of the received stations to be 1 to 2 S units down on the beverage and equal or stronger on the beverage if I turn the preamp on - with usually a rise in the noise floor by a 1 or 2 S units. Interestingly, on 80M CW, I usually use the beverage preamp. The signal often comes up 3 - 4 S units and the noise only 1 to 2 S units. I often drop in some attenuation to make the noise floor "just" go away. If the signal comes up 3-4 S units and the noise 1-2 S units, the meter is nonlinear. This is typical for many receivers. Some are as little as 1 dB per S unit down low on the scale. Most meters (it was years ago I looked) were 3 to 5 dB per S unit up at the high scale end. The entire idea of S readings is for many uncontrollable reasons.. meaningless. There have been various campaigns over the years to correct reports, but none can ever mean anything. It is silly getting all worked up because we **think** S meters and S reports are like precision dial calipers, when they are really like marks on a rubber band. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Received Signal Strengths
marks on a rubber band. Great analogy Tom.If I were truthful with the signal reports for most of the topband DX worked here, using the S-meter with RX loops, I would be sending "209". I don't know how to really express it, but our S meters have index marks that say the same thing but all read (because of many variables) different things. It's like have voltmeters where on some meters 1 volt is .529 volts and on others one volt is 8.7 volts. It isn't just the receiver (which are poor enough), it is the IF filter, local noise, antenna gain, and everything else. If we dispense with the S meter and go by ear, it can get even worse. I don't anyone who can listen to a receiver without looking at an S meter and tell levels from one through nine based on sound. Why anyone would criticize other people or contests for something we should all know is either next to meaningless at worse, or cannot ever be accurate at best, is beyond my comprehension. If you like the guy, give him an S9. If you don't, tell him he is S1. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Stew Beef
One really needs to look at the contest rules before deciding to not send RST. If it is the rules, please send it. A few years ago, there was a bit of a blow up on the CQ Contest reflector over this very issue. A high scoring station decided to not send RST. He did this in order to shave a few seconds off his contest exchange, and some folks cried fowl. In the end, he decided to submit his log as a checklog. So - instead of a big score, he scored zero... So - do whatever you like. SP does not require RST, so no problem there. But - be aware that some contests require RST, and may lead to a DQ for not following the rules... Tom - VE3CX On Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 10:06 AM, Doug Renwick <ve...@sasktel.net> wrote: > What I often do during a phone contest exchange is omit the signal report > and only give out the section, serial number, etc. Very few operators > request the signal report and when they do I reply 'my report to you is > already in your logging program, there is no use in repeating it.' I could > say a lot more but it would be deemed 'not politically correct.' Have we > hit bottom yet? > Doug > > I wasn't born in Saskatchewan, but I got here as soon as I could. > > -Original Message- > > I completely agree with Don on this. the incessant and utterly > meaningless "599" or "59" because it is programmed in and the operator > too lazy to think about a real signal report makes the minimal value > of contests sink to zero. > > They have become nothing more than a vehicle to keep the ham radio > economy running and the "play" part, after consumer hams have done the > plugging. > > 73 > > Rob > K5UJ > > > << that > your RST is likely to be "599" regardless, even when the other op can just > barely dig you out of the noise. Same with contests on other bands, both > phone > and CW. That nonsensical practice has eliminated what was erstwhile > perhaps > the most useful function of contesting, and IMHO, diminishes the worthiness > of > contests altogether. Back when the signal report was a real part of the > exchange and contesters tended to exchange honest reports, a major contest > could be an opportunity to determine how well your station got out, and > into > what localities you put the best and worst signal strength, providing some > insight to improvements you might wish make to your transmitter and antenna > system. >>> > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > https://www.avast.com/antivirus > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: W1BB (NOT K1BB, whoever that is)
I remember this stuff well from the early 1960's. I got my feet wet in 160 because it was a hotbed for local mobile and ragchew activity in the Great Lakes area. Stew, W1BB, was "famous" on 160 because Stew was the main organizer and main promoter of all 160 DX work, including trans-Atlantic tests. The trans-Atlantic tests were on weekends during DX season, generally at Europe sunrise Sunday mornings 0500Z-0730Z on "Saturday midnight" USA, where USA stations called CQ on the first and odd 5 minutes and Europe and DX CQ the second and even 5 minutes working split. This was because of LORAN, USA could not transmit above 1825 and Europe below 1825. There were other tests, but these were the popular ones. Stew also led in the DX chase toward 100 countries, which was very difficult back then because antennas were poor, equipment poor, and power levels severely limited. 160 was limited to as little as 25 watts dc plate input power in certain band sections and hours, which was maybe 12 watts output. (In 1983 Amateur power measurements changed to RF output power, instead of power amplifier DC input power.) There were several very active DX'ers on the east coast in the early 1960's, some calls were W1HGT, W2EQS, and W2IU, with W8FPU and W8GDQ active from Ohio. It was an entirely different world in the 1960's because of technology, LORAN mandated band segments (25kc wide in the USA), and power levels. Police and radio location used the area between 1600-1800 kc/s, I used to listen to the Cincinatti police at night on an opened up AM BC receiver around year 1960. The Great Lakes was also full of radio navigation transmitters in the area below 1800 and above the upper end of the AM band at 1600 kc/s. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Using shielded CAT5 data cable as feedline foractive antenna; benefits of multi-turn K9AY loop/SAL/etc?
Sounds like you, Tom, and LZ1AQ are saying the same: in order for loops to be effective (low SNR and high signal levels), they must have large area and low reactance (inductance to be exact). Parallel loops or fat conduits increase the signal levels, while the CP configuration and other similar measures are aimed at lowering the loop's inductance. All this of course is paired with a designed-for-purpose amp that does match the low loop impedance. Rudy N2WQ There are a dozen ways to say the same thing, but the physical area of a loop (when it is very small) determines the maximum energy extracted. This is why small transmitting loops are all pretty much single turn and single conductor. The sensitivity and what configuration produces maximum sensitivity has a great deal to do with the load placed on the loop and how the loop matches the load. For example, if the loop has a high impedance amplifier or matching system terminating the loop, it might be more sensitive with the extra turns in series rather than parallel. Then we have things that are called loops and look like loops, but really function in a different mode than a small loop. All of the small unidirectional loops act like pairs of small verticals that are phased. This includes the EWE right through the flag or pennant. They ideally have uniform current, which is made uniform by the terminating resistance which terminates the wire in its surge impedance, but the vertical or sloped ends are what we want to act like the antenna. It is pretty risky to generalize across everything, but what it all boils down to is the multiple wires can be used to improve the matching or reduce the losses. Which is more effective depends on the exact antenna and the things we have terminating the antenna. I wouldn't count on a system of more series turns, more parallel turns, or a thicker conductor, offering improved S/N or performance without know the specific system, the external noise, and the internal noise. Pretty much everything "loop" I have played with gets into propagated noise without multiple wires or a thick element. The thickest element I have used was old flexible copper waveguide from a BD station, I think it was maybe four to six inches and oval. I've also used ribbon cable in small loops, but as a series connected group. For all of my directional loops, I never used more than a single turn because they all occupied enough area to get into external noise. If there was any magic in this, it would have been used 40 years ago. :) 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Using shielded CAT5 data cable as feedline for active antenna; benefits of multi-turn K9AY loop/SAL/etc?
2. He cites experimental data showing that coplanar crossed loops and multi-turn quad loops both offer very significant improvement in the recovered signalcompared with a single loop. See <http://www.lz1aq.signacor.com/docs/experimental-comparison-v10.pdf> to check whether I got this right. Anyway, it occurred to me to ask if anyone has ever tried multiturn K9AY, SAL or flag/pennant receiving antennas, and did you see something similar? Be careful in what you might think the data means. The measurements are for an unmatched system, and apply to broadband untuned loops with "low impedance" loads. In a case like that, the parallel wires reduce the impedance primarily by reducing reactance. It is no different than a thicker conductor, which would reduce reactance and increase current in the simple circuit. This does not necessarily mean the loop would have a higher SNR, that would depend on how the amplifier "likes" the lower impedance and if external noise is limiting the system. It does not mean more directivity. An even larger improvement in sensitivity would come from cancelling reactance. If a small terminated loop had increased conductor size it would have more sensitivity, which means increased signal and noise pickup, because the termination and source resistances would decrease. You can see this effect by modeling an EWE antenna, or any small loop. As the conductor is made thicker the optimum termination resistance decreases. This increases sensitivity, because radiation resistance remains the same and loss resistances decrease. You can pick up a few dB in sensitivity in certain cases. If the amplifier or receive system is affecting S/N in a significant manner, it would improve S/N. If external noise is the significant factor in sensitivity, then it would pretty much do nothing. This effect occurs in all sorts of lossy antennas. For example, if you paralleled two close-spaced Beverages (making them act like a single very wide conductor) sensitivity increases. This does not mean S/N ratio increases, because signal and noise from the antenna would increase at the same rate. It just means the level of signal and noise from the antenna is a bit higher. If receive amplifier or system internal noise is helping set noise floor, then it would help S/N. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: vbog?
Has anyone tried a v-beam configuration on the ground, similar to a bog? Obviously, it would be longer. The intent would be to increase RDF. Or would that be a waste of time? Waste of time to increase directivity. Long wires laid on or near the ground fire straight down the length of a wire. V-beams depend on the cone around the wires being overlaid and placed in phase at the center, so they depend on height and horizontal polarization. They require pretty good height to have worthwhile gain. Many years ago (in the 70's) I had two reversible Beverages in a 90 degree V. I could fire them singly or in various phase combinations. I could skew directions or phase and null signals heard by both that way, get but it never really increased directivity. It just helped me null LORAN, or pick up signals better on a line bisecting the V formed by antennas. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Commercial Antennas
My Ten Tec 238B L-Network tuner works well at 1500W. Some tuner networks, especially T-networks, can have very high currents through the shunt inductor. The largest issue with T tuners is capacitor value. Most tuners use generic 230-270 pF maximum capacitance caps, and that makes the network Q way too high on 160 into low Z loads. The ATR30 has around 500 pF, and that makes quite a difference. It will handle well over 1500 watts on 160 without issues, and several kW on 80 into reasonable impedances. It has a lot of headroom for weird load impedances at 1500W. All that aside, I don't know why people would want to use a tuner to match a real low impedance anyway. Other than some tweaking to extend useable frequency range, the matching is really best handled at the antenna with the tuner just extending BW a bit. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: beverage resistors at Mouser.com
If you are going to make the order, consider using several in parallel to improve the surge handling capability. I use 6x 2700 ohms here. 73/jeff/ac0c Be real careful with the resistor choice. A metal oxide or film resistor handles many times less surge than an OX or OY resistor. OX and OY resistors are 14kV and 20 kV pulse rated respectively without damage, and handle (OX) 40 and (OY) 70 watt-seconds for 100 pulses of 1 second at 50% duty. A standard metal oxide is not remotely close, and paralleling 10 will not get them close. Even better MOX are only 10 watt-seconds, and not remotely close to the peak pulse voltage (which will not increase when they are parallel). I've never actually had a single OY resistor used in a termination burn out from lightning, despite some pretty hard hits. MOX are a different story entirely. Either type works fine so far as reactance goes, unless the application is reactance critical. For a Beverage, reactance of either is not an issue. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Beverage Crow's Foot Ground Wire Pattern
What is the recommended pattern for the crow’s foot ground wires at each end of a two-wire reversible Beverage? Should ALL the ground wires be in the 180 degree plane behind the Beverage wire, or does it make any difference? I don’t imagine it’s a very good idea to put a ground wire under, or very close to, the Beverage wire itself. 73, Art/W4AA _ The antenna common mode impedance is 400-600 ohms. What you do with a ground is not going to matter much, as long as the ground is less than 50 ohms resistance or so. Unless you are on permafrost, dry sand, or some other terrible soil just a couple ground rods are more than enough. A few short radials are just extra insurance if the soil is questionable. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: re topband QRP
I disagree. Since it is a category I find that some operators appreciate the information. It sometimes leads to a discussion about our setups. With regards to miscopying someone. If you cannot intrepret the information sent because of a weak signal QRM or QRN you have not made a valid contact. A person should never do that in a contest. Not ever. It isn't actually even good to sign a "callsign/QRP" outside of a contest. It isn't a legal identifier, although it doesn't hurt anyone else as long as it is not a high rate or run contact series. The real place for that in the non-contest exchange is during the ragchew. There is never a reason or place for it inside a contest exchange unless the contest makes it a mandatory part of an exchange. I really hope people do not punish others by insisting on sending unnecessary, confusing, junk. That is what it would be doing, punishing others. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: QRPers calling CQ in the SP ?
Of course, any frequency ending in a zero is almost guaranteed to have a constant broadcast station harmonic. I almost always hear them here, especially at night. And very often, that BC carrier is stronger than stations zero-beat with them calling CQ! Better to be slightly off of zero, if you're QRP and want to be heard. I could never understand that either. Anything USA on the 10's is likely to, sometime or another, have a mixing product or harmonic. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: re topband QRP
On Fri,12/25/2015 12:24 PM, mstang...@comcast.net wrote: I operate QRP and normally give out that information as well as my power levels after the signal report. As a QRP op myself, I urge you to NOT do that. If I had worked to dig a weak signal out of the noise, I would interpret ANYTHING after R or TU as telling me I had miscopied something, and you are repeating it. NEVER send anything extra. I agree 100% with Jim on this. The only thing sending /QRP or anything unnecessary does is make it take longer and make it more difficult. I honestly think a good number of people will either just ignore a station signing nonsense or be confused by it. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to dig out a callsign or complete a contact with unnecessary meaningless stuff tacked on. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: SB-1000
Thanks to all for info on the capacitor. The only place I had checked was rf parts but have not ordered yet. Also wanted to come up with a #8 brass washer. I'll go with a new original cap from Ameritron/mfj. I saw the plate choke there but not the cap, will follow the link. I'll still be on 100W for a while. I've been hearing pretty well on beverage/Inv.L but not being heard that well on the Inv.L., Thanks again. Jimk2hn _ The OEM capacitor, which will be stable, is $26.45 from Ameritron. http://www.ameritron.com/Product.php?productid=290-0170-7 It is $29.95 from RF parts. Both are N750 types. You need a #6 lug, a short #6 screw (3/16th long), and some #16 bus wire plus a brass washer that Ameritron will have. The chokes come from Ameritron no matter where you buy them. I'd just get it all from Ameritron, since they will also have the hardware and appear to be less expensive. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: SB-1000
If you can't find the exact value of 170pf the ceramic 5KV door knobs at 200pf will work. Better yet even a couple of 500pf door knobs in series will give you 250 pf which will just mean a little less on your variable will tune. Another common ceramic door knob value is 500pf and three in series will put you in the ball park. NO. 170 pF was used because at 200 pF the capacitor breaks over into a different temperature coefficient. You will go from a N750 or so TC to up near or above N2000. This will make the tuning drift with temperature. Use the original part or parallel smaller values with the same or lower TC's. Also be ware the number on the case is often not met. Sometimes the caps cannot meet the stamped TC numbers. This is because the clay formula used is difficult to make temperture stable. Just buy the correct part. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: SB-1000
Both are N750 types. You need a #6 lug, a short #6 screw (3/16th long), and some #16 bus wire plus a brass washer that Ameritron will have. The chokes come from Ameritron no matter where you buy them. Thanks Tom,Re. the lug, screw and wire, I'm assuming the capacitor I ordered from them will install with the lug, screw and wire that already exists? Didn't realize they had the washer also but will give them a call, possibly they can include it in the order. I did get the choke from them also. I also got one of F1BXL's parasitic suppressors he sells on Ebay. Hopefully all this will calm things down a little. The knowledge generously shared by folks like yourself, Jim and others on their web pages and this forum are greatly appreciated by all. Have a good Christmas and New Years to all. Jimk2hn I don't know who F1BXL is, but parasitics have nothing to do with anything. I would not go sticking hairpins in there. That stuff is all heebie-jeebie voo doo. The 160 tab is under the most stress when the amp operates 80 meters. There is almost 3kV peak across that 160 plate padding terminal to the switch rotor. Every amplifier that switches a plate padding cap in has highest peak voltage on that tab when on 80 meters. To reduce the electric field gradient around all the pointed areas of the contact, a washer is used. The washer acts just like one of those anti-corona rings that used to be in TV sets, or that you see on HV power lines. It spreads the field out, and reduces the chances of the corona setting off an arc when you are on 80 meters. Voltage between the switch rotor and that contact is highly dependent on how you set the load control, because that sets the anode impedance. This is why people should **always** tune an amplifier up for maximum possible power at full drive and then back drive off to safe power. That reduces peak voltage. I can, for example, make the anode of a 3-500Z reach 3 or more times the dc supply voltage if I underload the amp. As a matter of fact if it is severely underloaded, the voltage increases until something someplace absorbs the energy. If it is a switch contact, then the contact goes away. People can cast all the spells they want with magical suppressors and, if the PA gets grossly underloaded for the peak drive power, something will arc. That is just how these class AB amplifier systems work. Ask Ameritron to include the parts. They do not normally come with the capacitor. When I released the SB1000 design to Heath, the release was real early in the run. I think we were at the first 100 or 200 AL80A's. That washer, plus a buck-boost winding to the transformer, came after Heath kitted the unit. What you have is a very early release of the AL80A, just after the AL80 was dropped. The AL80A was progressively refined until it couldn't be refined any more in that chassis. The next major revision was the AL80B, which had major changes. The AL80B remains pretty much unchanged. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Heathkit SB-1000
Good point Tom, beginning with too little drive would require more load C than is available. That and the brass washer should be installed also. Hi Lou, The anti-corona washer was not in the SB1000 or early AL80A. It should be added if a user might happen to mistune. But I'd like to reiterate..the LAST thing to do is just start throwing padding capacitors in. That tank will tune fine as designed unless it has a component or wiring problem, or unless the drive level is too low to match. If it is being driven with 50 watts or more and does not tune into a 50 ohm load, I'd carefully inspect the entire tank circuit and wiring of the tank. This includes the switch (as Herb suggested). Don't just go throwing parts in. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160m LP to LP DX contacts in 2015
In order for us to respond to your allegations you will need to provide support evidence. We will need details on his actual antenna configuration, was he using a counterpoise of some sort, is he on a hill, how close is he to the water ? Do you have proof that he was running more than 5 watts ? Comparing his results to your test is meaningless, there are too many variables to consider. While a list like this isn't the place for accusations, I'd like to offer some common sense on this because it goes broadly to the actual topic. It is difficult to tell power level of people running poor antennas. A coaxial dipole actually has loss over a normal dipole and is no better for receiving, and we all know a low dipole is generally not good except special times. A low dipole, however, can be surprisingly good at certain times. During band peak at sunrise or sunset, it can be competitive or above a tall very good vertical. The same is true during geomagnetic storms. Back in the 60's, before everyone knew a lot about antennas, many stations used low power and dipoles and had impressive DX. But to be sure, it took months and years to work the DX. Very few people could run DX, it was doing good to work even a half dozen DX stations in hours of great effort. For me, it was good to work one or two DX in an entire evening. It took many years, not just a contest weekend or two, to work DXCC on 160. This was partly because of lack of stations, but mostly because people used poor antennas and low power. Even high power, prior to the early 1980's, was a kilowatt input or about 600 watts output. A California kilowatt was something like a 4-1000Awhich could really only make 1300 watts or so output normally in grounded grid, and 2 kW out if totally hammered. If we look back at the TIME spent and the equipment and power levels, it all makes sense. No one ever had runs of 160 DX consistently even as late as the 70's. It wasn't until 1500 watts and Beverages became normal that we were spoiled. It is very easy to tell 5 watts from 500 because it is 20 dB, but it gets a little rough to tell 5 from 50. 10 dB (or even more) is easily in antenna and location differences even when close to the same area. If a low dipole stands out from other similar or better antennas by a whole bunch, and it consistently better over a long period of time, it is not because it is a "special" dipole or "special" location. We know that because it is 1960's technology, and back in the 60's using that technology of low power and generally crappy antennas DX QSO's were rare and very difficult. Antenna technology, noise, and QRM has made the spread in performance difference between locations much greater. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: SB-1000
Just came off 20M, amp working fine. Went to 160 plate and load controls have no control, no output. Plate current climbs high with any added drive (45-50W) and blew both 10amp fuses.Off comes the cover.jimk2hn _ It might be something else, but I would bet the contact on the 160 padding capacitor is burned off. This is what the anti-corona washer reduced. Heath did not use that washer. It arcs there when the loading cap is too far closed (too much grid current) for the amount of drive on higher bands, or if the antenna should become grossly mismatched when at high power on bands other than 160. The worse band for arcing the 160 padding contact is when on 80 meters. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: SB-1000
Thanks to all. I will go over it again today. I initially started out on 160 and then moved on to other bands. On 160 I could not get any increase in grid current, it came up but no increase with plate tuning but may not have applied enough drive. Staying below the 200ma grid and 400ma plate and just shooting for 500-600 watts on all bands right now. I did go over the switch before using the amp and it looked good and also deoxit it. The only thing I changed was 115v to 220. Probably just operator error since it's been a while doing any maxing and dipping:)Jimk2hn _ A pi-L also tunes a little weird. In a normal pi, the plate tune hardly moves with load changes. In a pi-L, the plate tune and load interact. But either has to be tuned near rated power. Don't bother spraying a band switch that carries several amperes and thousands of volts. It never really does good, and it might do bad. Save the deoxit for volume controls and things that only have a few volts and a few mA current. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Weatherproofing F-type connectors
Apply some silicone dielectric compound (non-hardening silicone "grease") to the coax center conductor. That will keep moisture out and prevent corrosion. This actually belongs anyplace anything is threaded or clamped. It will displace from pressure and allow a connection, but it seal the joint from moisture and air. I use it in connectors in my race car even. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: QRP
I have been puzzled with this question for a long time... Given the progress on antenna and Rx-capabilities (over the years) and say typical transceiver output power (100W), how come it has become so rare to witness (experience) low power to low power QSO's (over the USA to EU path) during major topband contests (winter time on both continents) ? What has happened to the topband conditions the last couple of decades? IMO it is hard to believe this is due only to environmental noise increases?! The largest problem is QRM. Mostly from intentional transmitters and also from hundreds of unintended transmitters that cause noise. In the USA during contests, stations are stacked every few hundred Hz. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 4SQ around tower
I am in the process of clearing land for full size 80m 4SQ. I have two questions for the group: 1) How much and what kind of degradation should I see if I place the 4SQ elements around my tower. The tower is 90' and has a 4 el 40 m yagi at 90' and 6 el tribander at 105'. Currently I have no plans to detune the tower, but do have plans to use it as a 160m TX antenna. 2) If the consensus is to move the 4SQ away from the tower, how far should I move it? Also, in what direction should I move it with respect to the W and S elements of the 4SQ. What happens depends entirely on how the tower behaves on 160. It might cause great harm, or it might have no effect at all. There isn't a way to tell without either testing it or modeling it without EVERY metallic guy line and antenna accurately included in the model, along with ground points. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 4SQ around tower
Thanks for the great reminder! The chapter does in fact describe exactly what I have been planning. It also gave me the most important piece of information- as long as the tower is grounded, which is the case, it has no impact on the 80m 4SQ. If that is the actual statement, it is not a correct statement except in a very specific case. If the tower is empty of any other antennas or guy lines and the tower is around 100-150 feet tall and grounded at the base, it would have the minimum effect on an 80M 4 square. Every area of the tower and the guy lines and everything else around the 4 square must not be resonant on the band the 4 square is on. A couple of points: 1) The 4SQ is for 80, not 160. I am trying to decide if I should clear some forest to make room for it or just place around the tower. If it goes in the forest, radials become a nightmare 2) Currently the tower is just a tower, not a 160m TX antenna. If the 80m 4SQ would suffer from gamma matching the tower than I have the option of building a dedicated 160m vertical in a new location. A lot of work, but less work than trying to lay radials in the forest. Let me explain the issue a little better. It doesn't matter one bit what anyone else does with a **different tower** on a different band or even on the same band. The center area of the 4square has very high field levels when the 4sq is active. The 4sq will couple into whatever is inside the 4 square, or around the 4sq on the outside. If you just simply had a tower with insulated non-resonant guy wires, and if that tower was 120-140 feet tall and reasonably well grounded at the base, it would be almost perfectly non-resonant on 80M. It would have only a minimal effect on the 4 square. The moment you add anything to the tower that is metallic, the anti-resonant frequency will shift. How much anti-resonance shifts naturally depends on what is placed on the tower and where it is placed on the tower. This would even include feedlines that are not bonded to the tower, because they can act like parallel stubs. If they happen to shift the anti-resonance caused by the tower being about 1/2 wave long and grounded at the base, then you are in the soup. The first change will be a modification of F/B ratio, because the nulls are most sensitive to current ratios that will be upset by the presence of the tower. It does not take much re-radiation to hurt the 4 square nulls. It takes more re-radiation to actually damage the gain. A worse case example of this would be a tower 130 feet long grounded at the base. If I put a large 20M Yagi with grounded elements on the tower anywhere except down near ground level, the tower will no longer be anti-resonant on 80. Moving the Yagi up and down the tower will change how the tower interacts, and there can be some very sour locations for the Yagi that would grossly affect the 4 square. The thicker the tower is, the more difficult it is to make invisible. The more feedlines and antennas, the worse it is. I have a 160 4 square surrounding a bare ~200 ft tall tower. If I completely float that tower from ground, it just kills the performance of my 4 square. If I ground the tower, it knocks about 10-15 dB of F/B out of the 4 square. I have to find a "sweet" value of reactance to put between the tower base and ground to make the 4 square behave. If I put one Yagi on it, the Yagi mounting height and size would affect the impedance needed at the base to detune the tower. If I loaded that tower with Yagi's, I might never get it detuned. If I ran a feedline down the tower on the outside that was not bonded to the tower every 1/4 wave or closer on 160 (in my case where it is on 160), that might also cause an issue. The case where we can carte blanche say there is minimal interaction would be when the tower is not too large a cross section, there are no metal guy lines attached, there is nothing else anywhere near resonance around, and the tower is about 1/2 wave tall and grounded at the base. The mechanism that decouples the tower is the ground at the base plus the transmission line effect of the tower tries to create a very high impedance 1/4 wave up, but that high impedance is "shorted" by the 1/4 wave section going up from the center to the open end. The top half tries to create a low impedance right where the bottom half tries to create a high impedance. This "detunes" the tower. The thinner the tower, the better this works. Stick something else on the tower, and it all can change. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: ON4KST low band chat
Thanks, but that doesn't fix the 40m clutter in the ON4KST lowband chat. That's what I meant. For me, adding 40m to the chat simply ruined it. I'd be willing to pay to have it work like it used to, just 160 and 80. 40 meters is more like 20 meters than a low band. From this part of the USA, 40 is open to Europe about 20 hours a day and hardly has QRN. 40 should not be rolled in with 80, let alone 160. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: DX on 160, was: Topband QRP WAS
On 12/5/2015 5:43 PM, Mark Lunday wrote: Bill, a question about your 160 meter antenna. I have learned from the wise old-timers on this message board that a vertical antenna with broad-banded behavior is a lossy antenna. Same with a vertical antenna that shows 1:1 match. Some people might believe that myth, but it isn't true. Bandwidth is a meaningless determinant of efficiency. SWR is meaningless also, by itself, in indicating efficiency. Verticals with good efficiency have sufficient ground radials/counterpoise and present approx 30 ohms impedance and therefore do not provide a 1:1 match (I think it's about 1.5:1 or something like that). In addition, the efficient verticals are not broad-banded. Dipoles yes, verticals no. Also, if your antenna is not a vertical on 160, then as you know it will be an even bigger challenge to work DX on TopBand. A 1/4 wave tall tower with a perfect ground system will cover all of the band with reasonable SWR change. If series fed they will be around 30 ohms depending in many things, but that still does not tell us efficiency. efficient verticals are not broad-banded. Dipoles yes, verticals no. Also, if your antenna is not a vertical on 160, then as you know it will be an even bigger challenge to work DX on TopBand. Actually that is exactly backwards, Mark. Dipoles are narrower than 1/4 wave verticals, all things equal. This is because a 1/4 wave vertical has half the resonant length. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 2 wl loop, worth the effort?
You are misinterpreting the model data by looking at the shape of the pattern rather than the relative strength of the pattern at angles of interest. Example -- the so-called "take off angle" simply shows the vertical angle where the signal is the strongest. FAR more important to look at the field strength at various angles as the height is varied. Many people talk about and look at TOA, and it causes them to pick antennas that are actually worse just because the TOA is at the correct angle. :) If you look at a low dipole, it has just about the same gain as a low loop. Being a loop helps moderate impedance on harmonics, but not much else. I have 300 ft of height here. For the most part, a vertical did as well or better than a dipole at any height and distance. The exceptions were at sunrise or in magnetic storms, or within 50-200 miles (where a dipole below 150 feet works much better). Compared to a vertical, there could be 10-30 dB difference in favor of a low dipole (less than 150 ft high) within a few hundred miles. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 2 wl loop, worth the effort?
You said "Compared to a vertical, there could be 10-30 dB difference in favor of a low dipole (less than 150 ft high) within a few hundred miles.", and I was pretty much trying to make the same point but indirectly since I don't have a dipole on 160 meters. The original poster mentioned relatively short distance work on 160 meters, and that is why I mentioned that a true vertical may not actually be his best choice (he might actually go backwards in performance if he is trying to work stations in adjacent states as an example). I've done hundreds or thousands of tests. I was test crazy when I moved here. Within around 100-200 miles, at night, the verticals and a dipole up about 1/2 wave are really dead compared to a "low" dipole. That problem rapidly vanishes with increased distance, and during daytime skip zone of the high dipole moves in closer. From my house the skip zone of a 280 ft high dipole is about 10-50 miles. The vertical never really has a skip zone in the daytime. Groundwave fills it in. I initially thought a low dipole (or a high dipole) was worth it, but I outgrew that. I just live with the weaker signal in the skip zone. The vertical does so much better at most distances most of the time it is just not worth worrying about. If I wanted to work 50-200 miles, I'd probably just use a low dipole. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 1/2 wl verticals and spaving
I'm glad to hear that it's that simple. I used the same principle when the verticals were dedicated to 40M and were 1/4wl tall where I fed them with 3/4wl and 5/4wl coaxial runs. The gain and side nulls were impressive.>>> Carl, This is real simple to handle. With a 1/4 wave or odd 1/4 feed to a current-fed vertical, the feedline needs equal voltages at the phasing unit to force equal currents. If it was a 1/2 wave feeder, it would require equal currents. With a voltage fed antenna and a 1/4 wave feeder to the phasing unit, it would require equal currents at the phasing unit. If you make the feeder to each vertical 1/2 wave long, then it takes equal voltages at the phasing unit just like a normal current fed does with 1/4 wave feeder. The issue with this is transmission line properties in the matching system at the vertical can upset what you think is the transmission line length. With the 1/2 wave wide spacing you really only have the choice of in or out of phase for any pattern with deep nulls, so none of this really matters. Each element would have the same impedance. If you had a unidirectional pattern it would matter. I probably would just run a catenary line between the towers and drop a pair of wire elements for 40. If the verticals would support that, then you could get a unidirectional end fire pattern with 40M elements. At 1/2 wave spacing, you are kind of stuck with limited patterns with very modest gain and no unidirectional pattern. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Diversity-capable transceivers
Barry, It is more than just second receiver quality. For maximum diversity effect, the receivers must use a common time base for both channels. They do not have to be phase synced (unless blended into mono), a person's brain will learn around that. The channels should not drift phase when on a given frequency, and if phase changes with tuning, it should be very gradual. This can be checked by running a common oscillator or carrier signal into both channels and listening in mono. Another test is observing background noise with a single antenna common to both channels. Listening in mono can be as simple as laying the headphones on the desk. There should be no beat warble or no fading and peaking on a carrier, and when the band is swept on noise any change in apparent audio level with frequency change should be very gradual. Ideally there should be no changes at all. My R4C's, because I used one receiver's oscillators to run both channels, were perfect. The K3's I have are imperfect, they have a gradual phase change between channels with frequency. My FT1000D was terrible, as was the Orion I had. They gave some diversity effect, but were so far unsynced they did not give the deep noise digging the K3 or R4C system would. If you never use a system that is phase locked, you might not realize the difference. The channel audio phase relationship has to be stable without drift to get the real enhancement. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: fixing beverage
I've been doing FFT-based measurements since 1982. I suggest that you try a technique before you criticize it. Your analysis is badly mistaken. Jim, Factually, the little bumps or even big bumps on VHF are meaningless for active problems on lower frequencies. They might predict a future issue, but on 160 meters even crushing a cable flat for five feet would be meaningless for receive loss unless the center actually contacted the shield. This is just the way things work, and it is important we get our heads around the way things work. If I wanted to find the reason for high signal loss on 160, the last thing I would ever do is look at the system on 150 MHz or even 30 MHz. I would first look at the system down around where the problem is, or as close as I could to that frequency. I can go out and slice half of the shield off for 10 feet and not tell a difference in receive 160 signal, but it would be terrible on VHF. VHF certainly tells us a future problem or a defect nicely, but it will not directly point reliably to the LF issue unless by chance there is only one bad spot. I use a TDR when applicable, and that is about once every three or four years. I can find and fix any cable system for HF with a cheap common SWR analyzer, and so can anyone else. I can sit in my house and find a bad connection 1000 feet away by sweeping the SWR between 1.8 and 5 MHz, and get within a foot, and not spend $500 on equipment. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: fixing beverage
There are multiple ways to do TDR. I like the way that this unit does it -- an inverse FFT of a frequency sweep. http://sdr-kits.net/VNWA3_Description.html To expose small perturbations in the feedline or system, make the sweep at VHF/UHF. To see only the more gross defects, sweep from about 50-150 MHz. To understand this, remember that a linear frequency sweep will spend more time in the high octaves than the low ones, so the greatest contribution to the display will be that higher octave, whatever you have chosen. Actually, to see the more gross defects, we would look at a lower frequency. I don't want to imagine what my 160 stuff would look like at VHF. :) A system can have a 500 ohm transmission impedance bump 1 foot long on 160 meters and it just doesn't matter. The general rule is if a reasonable impedance discontinuity is less than one degree long, it will not upset the system. SO 239's, for example, are about 35 ohms in the female's joining spring part (the males are nearly perfect). The effect of that bump is nearly immeasurable below 100 MHz. We all know a one foot long chunk of wire that might be 400-800 ohms surge impedance barely changes SWR and adds immeasureable loss between the coax and a vertical base on 160. Same reason. Although the wire is a "major" impedance bump, it is electrically not too long. What we cannot tolerate on 160 are resistive series connections and low resistance shorts shunting the system, or cross coupling from sharing common currents. On 160 meters, if we simply measure RF voltage across the input of a line while sweeping low frequency, recording the repeating frequency of voltage minimums, we can find the distance to any cable or connection problem affecting the system by more than a few dB. Little lumps and bumps at VHF might locate a future issue like a chewed shield, but for an existing signal loss they are just a distraction. If a shield develops high resistance 800 feet from my house, the high series resistance will cause a repeating voltage null 800/492 = 1.626 MHz apart. If I swept the line and saw repeating nulls spaced 3 MHz apart, I would know an issue existed 492 / 3=164 electrical feet away. If the cable was .85 vf , the issue would be 164*.85 = 139.4 feet away physically. This would be true for an open or a short. All the software and refinement does for locating major existing issues affecting level is eliminate the use of a calculator. Any SWR measuring device, or even a simple voltage indicator, could do the job. I can find a bump affecting receive levels with a Heathkit VF1 VFO and a 1N34 diode and meter about as well as I can with a TDR on 160.:) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: fixing beverage
I agree with Mike, check the ground connection at the Beverage feed point. 73 Tom W1TO On 11/23/2015 10:26 AM, Mike Waters wrote: Not necessarily. I've seen a poor ground cause low signal levels. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 8:21 AM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM <cx6vm.jo...@gmail.com> wrote: ... I think the coax is not the problem, because if I have a problem in the coax, will be completely deaf, right? _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: fixing beverage
Any antenna analyzer with variable frequency can be used as a TDR of sorts. Anything will work. The method is very simple. You simply observe how far apart in frequency the repeating gyrations in impedance are, and use standard 1/2 wave formulas to convert the difference frequency to distance. I can do this with a low power VFO and a diode detector or scope. It does not even have to be a bridge. :) 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: fixing beverage
I notice that my USA beverage is lower in 3-4 S units that some weeks ago. 5-20 dB. Depending on receiver and where it is at on the S meter. That has to be a poor connection, open, or short between the receiver and the Beverage transformer end of the Beverage. It cannot be at the termination end. At simple view all seems to be OK. I think the coax is not the problem, because if I have a problem in the coax, will be completely deaf, right? No. Coax can do this. It happens all the time. Especially at connectors. So this can be the cause of a problem in the end resistor or maybe in the transformer? I use in this beverage a WX0B beverage boxes It can not be at the end resistor termination. The problem is if you disturb something it will often start working. You need to carefully check one thing at a time. Many times, if not most times, this is corrosion or tarnish on the center pin of the coax. Sometimes it is a broken wire, or a bad part from lightning or water. The best way to test it is with an SWR meter and do a frequency sweep from the house, before you touch the antenna or any outside connections. The frequency of either adjacent major dips in SWR or impedance will allow you to calculate exactly where the problem is. The MFJ analyzer will do this within a few feet, even on a 1000 foot cable, by using distance to fault. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Mag loop 400W if possible.
Loss is I squared R. as the current is lowered then loss drops rapidly. That isn't true. Loss as a percentage or as a ratio to applied power is exactly the same in a linear system. 6 dB loss is 6 dB loss whether at 1 milliwatt or 1 megawatt. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Mag loop 400W if possible.
The question always is the amount of area inside the loop and keeping the most distance between opposing sides. There are no tricks or magic. It is all about low resistance and maximum physical size. More loss will help it handle more power for a given capacitor voltage, but you don't want that. All of the tricks like helical winding or multi turns to make a loop "work better" never actually help, and actually hurt. That's why all the commercial loops settle on a single largest possible conductor and largest size design. The biggest electrical issues will be connection resistances and how well current and voltages are balanced in the loop, especially in relationship to the feedline and any mast. 73 Tom - Original Message - From: "jonathan white" <jonathan.whit...@btinternet.com> To: <TOPBAND@contesting.com> Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2015 7:59 AM Subject: Topband: Mag loop 400W if possible. Hi I am in a bit of trouble I will be mooing to a flat/apartment ,so can anyone give me details of a mag loop that will fit in a room and also be able to be taken apart and resembled on a beach,will use big vac cap 1000pf 40kv Russian type,any takers,and please dont laugh I love topband. 73`s Jon g8ccl _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4842 / Virus Database: 4447/11000 - Release Date: 11/14/15 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: RX PREAMPS
I have used the HI Z rx system and also the DXE ones. HI Z said in the past no need for a sequencer to get power off the amps if the xmit ant was close to the rx system antennas. Close I would say 60 foot. DXE has always suggested using a sequencer to get power off the amps during xmit. I am going to be forced to move a DXE system within 65 ft or so of my 160 vertical and wonder if anyone has had any experience of using the DXE without a sequencer close to their xmit antenna. Just hate to install one more thing I could get around but will if absolutely necessary. I know moving it closer is not an ideal situation but you do what you have to. Any input? 73 Mike K4PI _ You actually have to try it and see. Interaction depends on the very fine details of the system, including cable lengths and the transmitter system does to the feedline when on RX and how the RX antenna couples to the TX antenna. As such, there will never be one universally true answer, so asking others won't really tell you how it will work with your system. I do know that what Hardy said is basically correct. It models that way, it works the way he described. If I place any RX vertically polarized antenna around my 160 TX antenna, even if the RX antenna is 250 feet or further away, I can always see a substantial interaction with certain termination changes in the TX antenna array when receiving. The only exception is if the RX antenna design nulls coupling to the TX antenna. An RX antenna cannot be designed to be immune at such close spacings, unless it places a pretty deep null in the direction or in the polarization of the TX antenna. So you have multiple things affecting how it will work: 1.) How your system terminates your TX antenna when on RX 2.) If the RX antenna nulls the TX antenna, either by pattern and/or by polarization 3.) What level damages things or affects things 4.) What else is around 5.) What people call good enough and so on. Since no two systems are identical in every single way, you just really have to try it. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Mag loop 400W if possible.
His 400W TX power will likely be ~10 watts ERP if he does a good job on construction. 390W will be nothing but heat. :) - Original Message - From: "Barry N1EU"To: "topBand List" Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2015 8:59 AM Subject: Re: Topband: Mag loop 400W if possible. Wish you all the best with the antenna project Jon but not sure your apartment neighbors are going to love your indoor 400W on topband ;-) 73, Barry N1EU On Sun, Nov 15, 2015 at 12:59 PM, jonathan white < jonathan.whit...@btinternet.com> wrote: Hi I am in a bit of trouble I will be mooing to a flat/apartment ,so can anyone give me details of a mag loop that will fit in a room and also be able to be taken apart and resembled on a beach,will use big vac cap 1000pf 40kv Russian type,any takers,and please dont laugh I love topband. 73`s Jon g8ccl _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4842 / Virus Database: 4447/11004 - Release Date: 11/15/15 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?
Squirrels and rats can be a problem, but mostly my cable chew issues have been from raccoons. I used to trap them and deport them a few miles. Now I just I bury my cables. Even a few inches of dirt is enough. Where they come up out of ground, I sleeve them with cheap plastic sprinkler pipe. You can splice out the bad areas, but you have to bury, sleeve, or fix whatever is eating it. - Original Message - From: "Dave Olean"To: Sent: Monday, November 09, 2015 2:38 PM Subject: Topband: Why do rodents eat coax? I was transmitting on 160 last week, and after calling a CQ I noted that the background noise from one of my beverages dropped to almost nothing. Something obviously broke right then. All checks pointed to something external to the shack. I finally got out in the woods and checked the antenna system. All looked great. I used my new SARK-110 vector network analyzer and saw very believable results when connected to my 1100 ft long Europe beverage: about 75 ohms impedance and a VSWR that fluctuated between 1.5 and maybe 1.8:1 across the freq range. I double checked the entire beverage run for shorts or anomalies, and even took apart the termination box to make sure all was OK. The last thing left was the 1000 ft run of flooded RG-6 coax. I had run the cable on the ground back to the house about 2 years ago. It was mostly invisible now, being covered with leaves and moss etc etc. A TDR check showed gross "bad" things and a VOM test across the center pin to ground showed a resista nce of 35 ohms while the far end was terminated in a 75 ohm load. Obviously the cable was compromised. I made a quick inspection and found a few spots where small animals had chewed on the coax enough to break through the outer plastic covering and into the braid and aluminum foil shield. Water and gunk have caused a low resistance between center pin and the shield. What are my options now? I don't want to spend another $150 for another roll of coax just so a squirrel can feast on the PVC. Should I route the coax in the air and away from small mouths? That is one option. It seems that digging a 1000 ft trench thru the woods and burying it would work, but it would be an awful big chore for a 70 year old doofus. I doubt that I could manage that. If I run the coax above ground, I run the risk of picking up noise etc. I also worry about falling limbs and old dead trees falling on it. With a few beverages in the woods, I can't afford to spend $150 each time an animal feasts on it. I need to do something different! Incidentally, the beverage still has great directivity, but signals are very weak with the bad cable. It is barely useable now as a result. 73 Dave K1WHS _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4842 / Virus Database: 4447/10968 - Release Date: 11/09/15 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Fwd: BCB Interference
The first thing I would do is find out if it really is AM BCB stuff, or SW BC, or what it actually is. BCB filters won't help if it is a 3 MHz SWBC, or something just above 80 meters. Filters also will not help if it is rectification in the antenna system, or a real signal from mixing or a parasitic somewhere else. I've had broad spectrum noise like that from AM transmitter issues, some from Georgia and some from other states, and some SWBC station WWCR. I had one AM station in Georgia licensed to run just a few watts at night that was running a kilowatt, and the transmitter also had a wide parasitic that went from 1600 kHz up past 3 MHz. I had to drive halfway to Savannah to locate it. One thing happening now is AM stations share antennas, and SWBC stations nest antennas close together. Generally what I do is listen to the distorted QRM audio on one ear, and start at the low end of the AM BC and work my way up through shortwave looking for a signal match. Almost all of the time I find the match, and some of the time it isn't even stuff from the AM band. Usually, but not always, mixing is on spot frequencies. Usually, but not always, real wide stuff is arcing or parasitics at the BC station. Almost always a 10-30 dB filter cleans up a receiver. If the transmitter were right next door, you might need 50-60 dB. If you are sharing a feedline with them, then you need in the 100 dB range of filter. One port mixers with signals all through the same port are not linear with padding. If you can't hear a significant change with 10-20dB attenuation, the mixing is probably not receiver side of the attenuation. Before throwing too many bypasses or filters at things, I'd try to get some idea what it is. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160m & 80m RFI issues requesting ideas for ANC4 senseantenna to cancell out local noise
Does the SNR of the targeted noise source vs. other signals on the sense antenna, matter in this application? To null a particular noise, you want the noise antenna to have the highest unwanted noise pick up possible and the least amount of signal or other background noises. If the noise antenna has other noise or signals, it will add them in to the mix. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160m & 80m RFI issues requesting ideas for ANC4 senseantenna to cancell out local noise
I have an intermittent RFI issue that comes from a subdivision about a 1/4 mile away. To combat the noise I have been trying to use my ANC4 and I built a sense antenna out of an 80m hamstick that I put 20 feet in the air yesterday for a trial to cancel the noise on 80m (cheap and easy experiment). The location of the sense antenna is at the corner of my lot as close to the subdivision that I can get. The design is the hamstick as a vertical element and two 102 inch whips as elevated radials. 102 inch whips would not be an effective counterpoise unless one or both: 1.) The whips were loaded to resonance with a high Q coil, at which point it would be a single frequency counterpoise and still require a good feedline choke 2.) The feedline had a much high common mode impedance than the common point impedance of the whips Without the above, the coax shield is mostly the antenna...not the Hamstick. You would have been much better off with a ground rod. The noise is s9 on my 1/4 wave 80m vertical and 160m inverted L. This is a multi band vertical with wires for 40m, 80m & 160m. I also have other antennas such as a 160m 2wl long loop and a trapped dipole. What is interesting is that the noise is significantly less on the loop and the dipole. I attribute this to the noise being vertically polarized based on my research on the internet. Also this sense antenna is roughly 150ft away from the vertical antenna. That actual reason for that is the earth acts like a short circuit and attenuates any horizontally polarized ground wave. The low horizontal antennas also have very poor ground wave response. This combines to make horizontally polarized antennas less sensitive to distant ground wave noise. The issue is the level of the sense antenna noise is significantly less than the vertical and I am not able to find a null point that makes a difference. I can however use the loop antenna and I have enough signal with the hamstick experiment to get a null as the received level of noise on the loop is significantly less. So I believe I need more receive gain on the sense antenna. So with the above in mind, is there a low cost pre-amp that I could use on the sense antenna to boost the signal? Or what other ideas are there for a sense antenna. I don’t want to put up another 1/4 wave antenna for sensing. I have read where folks suggest putting 50 ft leg dipole at 5 ft above the ground for 80m & 40m but I think the noise is vertically polarized and this wont do much but I could be wrong and have been wrong before. I would build a ground mounted vertical sense antenna with amplifier, use a ground rod as a ground, and decouple the coax near the sense antenna. A simple J310 source follower amplifier on a 102 inch whip would have a ton of signal level. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband