Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
On 03/17/2012 08:12 PM, Jim Brown wrote: On 3/17/2012 6:34 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: Four 24 hour Stew's a year is a good deal, at the equinoxes and the soltices. While I LOVE the concept of the Stew, it seriously lacks critical mass, even in the main event in December. As a result, I always finding myself taking frequent breaks during the evening and going QRT from boredom by 1 am or so. It has seemed to me that adding the July and October runnings of the Stew are even more poorly attended, and have also served to dilute interest in the Dec event. While I'd love to see topband activity spread around the calendar, far more effort is needed to get more folks to participate. Hence, my suggestion to make the already-popular, all-HF-band, SSB/CW, IARU HF contest the summer 160 meter event. The ITU zones that make up the exchange don't provide quite the same geographic granularity as grid squares, but they can still be used to provide a distance-based metric. 73, Steve, N2IC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
On 3/18/2012 9:55 AM, Steve London wrote: On 03/17/2012 08:12 PM, Jim Brown wrote: On 3/17/2012 6:34 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: Four 24 hour Stew's a year is a good deal, at the equinoxes and the soltices. While I LOVE the concept of the Stew, it seriously lacks critical mass, even in the main event in December. As a result, I always finding myself taking frequent breaks during the evening and going QRT from boredom by 1 am or so. It has seemed to me that adding the July and October runnings of the Stew are even more poorly attended, and have also served to dilute interest in the Dec event. While I'd love to see topband activity spread around the calendar, far more effort is needed to get more folks to participate. Hence, my suggestion to make the already-popular, all-HF-band, SSB/CW, IARU HF contest the summer 160 meter event. The ITU zones that make up the exchange don't provide quite the same geographic granularity as grid squares, but they can still be used to provide a distance-based metric. 73, Steve, N2IC In most competition whether major or minor league sports or even NASCAR or Indie races the importance or a warm up is very crucial to the outcome in most cases. Herb, KV4FZ ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
IARU HF contest isn't Field Day. They are two weeks apart. On 03/18/2012 10:31 AM, DAVID CUTHBERT wrote: I beleive there is the issue holding the June Stew on Field Day; there will not be many serious efforts on top band. Do we need four hour top band contests or an occasional QSO party? Something less formal than a full blown contest? Dave WX7G On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Jim Brownj...@audiosystemsgroup.comwrote: On 3/18/2012 6:55 AM, Steve London wrote: Hence, my suggestion to make the already-popular, all-HF-band, SSB/CW, IARU HF contest the summer 160 meter event. The problem with that approach is that no one attempting a serious effort in IARU is going to be on 160M. 73, Jim K9YC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
A couple of comments. The June Stew is the weekend before field day. There is activity from the IARU on 160 meters as multipliers count once per band. I remember having some fun there for the first 5 or 10 minutes of the contest back when there was a bit more activity from the South Pacific. Also - quite easy to work a few JAs if they are around. The east coast guys can even work some of the HQ multipliers that we can't hear on the west coast. Maybe some dedicated activity hours? Maybe like 0400-0800 UTC or something (which leaves out some people obviously). Don't expect to work KL7. Think of the June Stew as an activity night. No weekend is going to be without conflicts - but maybe the die hard 160 types will show up and hand out some QSOs. Here are the results from last year: http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/SummerStew2011.txt The top QSO total was 94 QSOs. Not a lot - but more than you would have worked on most other evenings. :-) This was the first running of the event - so hopefully, there will be a bit more activity the second time. Tree N6TR On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 9:31 AM, DAVID CUTHBERT telegraph...@gmail.comwrote: I beleive there is the issue holding the June Stew on Field Day; there will not be many serious efforts on top band. Do we need four hour top band contests or an occasional QSO party? Something less formal than a full blown contest? Dave WX7G On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 9:24 AM, Jim Brown j...@audiosystemsgroup.com wrote: On 3/18/2012 6:55 AM, Steve London wrote: Hence, my suggestion to make the already-popular, all-HF-band, SSB/CW, IARU HF contest the summer 160 meter event. The problem with that approach is that no one attempting a serious effort in IARU is going to be on 160M. 73, Jim K9YC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
I know I tried very hard to participate last year, mother nature had it in for us here in WTX DM91sk if you check that list there were only two '5's listed one was in MS the other in KY but I'll for sure give it another try this year any Stew Perry test, any time, QRPers will be there if thunderstorms permit that is P.S. if you are a QRPer you know the Stew Perry is the ONLY contest 160m or anywhere, that we are treated with any respect by the rest of hamdom. You have it we will come! Nuff said -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 3/18/2012 12:01 PM, Tree wrote: Think of the June Stew as an activity night. No weekend is going to be without conflicts - but maybe the die hard 160 types will show up and hand out some QSOs. Here are the results from last year: http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/SummerStew2011.txt The top QSO total was 94 QSOs. Not a lot - but more than you would have worked on most other evenings.:-) This was the first running of the event - so hopefully, there will be a bit more activity the second time. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
You can count me in as a QRP entry, Sam - yep, LUV the Stew...we QRPers are worth more 'bout that time than others. Hi Hi Jim R. K9JWV Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:28:17 -0500 From: k5oai@gmail.com To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please I know I tried very hard to participate last year, mother nature had it in for us here in WTX DM91sk if you check that list there were only two '5's listed one was in MS the other in KY but I'll for sure give it another try this year any Stew Perry test, any time, QRPers will be there if thunderstorms permit that is P.S. if you are a QRPer you know the Stew Perry is the ONLY contest 160m or anywhere, that we are treated with any respect by the rest of hamdom. You have it we will come! Nuff said -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 3/18/2012 12:01 PM, Tree wrote: Think of the June Stew as an activity night. No weekend is going to be without conflicts - but maybe the die hard 160 types will show up and hand out some QSOs. Here are the results from last year: http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/SummerStew2011.txt The top QSO total was 94 QSOs. Not a lot - but more than you would have worked on most other evenings.:-) This was the first running of the event - so hopefully, there will be a bit more activity the second time. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
Perhaps during the summer months we should forgo QRP. Dave WX7G On Mar 18, 2012 11:29 AM, Sam Morgan k5oai@gmail.com wrote: I know I tried very hard to participate last year, mother nature had it in for us here in WTX DM91sk if you check that list there were only two '5's listed one was in MS the other in KY but I'll for sure give it another try this year any Stew Perry test, any time, QRPers will be there if thunderstorms permit that is P.S. if you are a QRPer you know the Stew Perry is the ONLY contest 160m or anywhere, that we are treated with any respect by the rest of hamdom. You have it we will come! Nuff said -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 3/18/2012 12:01 PM, Tree wrote: Think of the June Stew as an activity night. No weekend is going to be without conflicts - but maybe the die hard 160 types will show up and hand out some QSOs. Here are the results from last year: http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/SummerStew2011.txt The top QSO total was 94 QSOs. Not a lot - but more than you would have worked on most other evenings.:-) This was the first running of the event - so hopefully, there will be a bit more activity the second time. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
Oh yeah...not that comment SURE must lead one to believe that dd is 'trollin'! Hah - what an absurd thought - disallow QRP operations in an event where a QRP station garners more points/weight than even the heaviest/most high powered station? Oh yeah - we want some of that, not! Hi Hi Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:06:54 -0600 From: telegraph...@gmail.com To: k5oai@gmail.com CC: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please Perhaps during the summer months we should forgo QRP. Dave WX7G On Mar 18, 2012 11:29 AM, Sam Morgan k5oai@gmail.com wrote: I know I tried very hard to participate last year, mother nature had it in for us here in WTX DM91sk if you check that list there were only two '5's listed one was in MS the other in KY but I'll for sure give it another try this year any Stew Perry test, any time, QRPers will be there if thunderstorms permit that is P.S. if you are a QRPer you know the Stew Perry is the ONLY contest 160m or anywhere, that we are treated with any respect by the rest of hamdom. You have it we will come! Nuff said -- GB 73 K5OAI Sam Morgan On 3/18/2012 12:01 PM, Tree wrote: Think of the June Stew as an activity night. No weekend is going to be without conflicts - but maybe the die hard 160 types will show up and hand out some QSOs. Here are the results from last year: http://web.jzap.com/k7rat/SummerStew2011.txt The top QSO total was 94 QSOs. Not a lot - but more than you would have worked on most other evenings.:-) This was the first running of the event - so hopefully, there will be a bit more activity the second time. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
I understand your use of dissallow Jim --- this will be my first summer of operating Top Band, albeit at QRP levels ...I can crank it up to 20 watts max...after being shamed into operating after making a comment a couple of days ago about taking my top loading wires down for the summer and focusing on 40 and higher...much to my chagrin, heard from lots of reflector posts that we shouldn't do that..hang in there and all of that. Sounds like you and others might not be so keen on burying your ears in noise just to work a QRP puke like me, 'eh??!?!!?!? Jim R. K9JWV Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:14:21 -0700 From: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please On 3/18/2012 12:06 PM, James Rodenkirch wrote: disallow QRP operations The point was not to disallow QRP, but to observe that when noise levels are high a QRP signal is not likely to be heard. Three important facts of life that every QRPer must firmly understand are that 1) when you're running QRP the other station's receiving system is doing 99% of the work, and 2) your success is limited by the other station's noise level, and 3) 5W gives away 13dB ( two S-units) of noise as compared to 100W and 25dB (four S-units) as compared to 1.5kW. When you give that much away, you're only going to work guys in quiet locations with Beverages. During a recent 160M contest a QRP VY2 called me when I was running. He has a big antenna farm and I've got a good Beverage pointed at him, and he was just barely readable. Another important consideration with QRP is that propagation between any two points often varies by 30-40dB over the course of an evening. When you're running QRO you can make Qs when propagation is well below peak, while with QRP you've got to make your Q when conditions are just right, and the other guy may have gone to bed by then. :) When I lived in Chicago I ran WAE CW QRP. I couldn't work anyone when they were S5 -- I had to wait until they were S9 or better. I've run some contests QRP, including some 160M events, but I'm not enough of a glutton for punishment to do QRP on 160M during my summer. :) 73, Jim K9YC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
JT65 certainly levels the playing field as far as us low power goof balls are concerned - I, personally, dislike the digital modes, for nowwhen I can't work' with CW any longer I might cave in and give one of those modes a try... Great discussion on power and low power and QRP power and the affects Top Band have on 'em all - appreciate the various views and discussions. 72 to all, Jim R. K9JWV Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:14:26 -0700 From: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please On 3/18/2012 2:01 PM, James Rodenkirch wrote: Sounds like you and others might not be so keen on burying your ears in noise just to work a QRP puke like me, 'eh? I'm not keen on listening for hours and hours with no activity. I have recently taken up a new challenge -- working JT65A on 160M. There's JT65 activity almost every night at a dial frequency of 1838 kHz, which puts signals between about 1838.5 and 1840.5. The bandwidth of a signal is about 200 Hz, and stations spread out in that 2kHz bandwidth. It's not uncommon for me to decode five or six signals in that bandwidth when the band is hopping. The last couple of nights ZR1ADI has been on, and I heard a W1 work him. I heard him one of those nights and called him several times. JT65 is pretty easy to use with W6CQZ's JT65-HF software. The interface is just like RTTY AFSK or PSK, and W6CQZ maintains a reverse beacon server that you can set his software to send spots for everything you hear. If I call CQ around 0500Z or later I'll usually see between three and six spots of my signal from the east coast on every transmission. 73, Jim K9YC CM87 ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
Dear OMs and Yls A July Stew Perry is an excellent idea!!!We need something to temp more onto the band during the noisy season. One tunes the band a number of times and hears nothing and so resorts to HF.A good effort in high summer for the northern latitudes might clear our ears. Even if our receive antennas were largely down, a contest might bring some of us out. A summer contest could also make the K9AY and magnetic loop antennas have more justification for their existence.A July Stew Perry would be a fair handshake to the southern hemisphere and their efforts during the warm months. Please bring it on 73 Doug EI2CN PS Yes a summer contest, well Top Band Operators like pain. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
I'll throw out a related suggestion. Why not use the IARU HF contest as the summertime 160 contest ? It's 24 hours long and has excellent worldwide activity on all bands except 160 meters. 73, Steve, N2IC On 03/17/2012 05:12 AM, Doug Turnbull wrote: Dear OMs and Yls A July Stew Perry is an excellent idea!!!We need something to temp more onto the band during the noisy season. One tunes the band a number of times and hears nothing and so resorts to HF.A good effort in high summer for the northern latitudes might clear our ears. Even if our receive antennas were largely down, a contest might bring some of us out. A summer contest could also make the K9AY and magnetic loop antennas have more justification for their existence.A July Stew Perry would be a fair handshake to the southern hemisphere and their efforts during the warm months. Please bring it on 73 Doug EI2CN PS Yes a summer contest, well Top Band Operators like pain. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
Please no! Let the Stew be the Stew. It is the best and fairest TB contest ever devised by mankind. I wouldn't mind if we had one every month especially at the summer solstice, vernal and autumnal equinox when those in the southern hemisphere could have even more kick. Plus the IARU has those nonsense QTC's which would be totally inappropriate for TB DXing. Herb, KV4FZ On 3/17/2012 9:18 AM, Steve London wrote: I'll throw out a related suggestion. Why not use the IARU HF contest as the summertime 160 contest ? It's 24 hours long and has excellent worldwide activity on all bands except 160 meters. 73, Steve, N2IC On 03/17/2012 05:12 AM, Doug Turnbull wrote: Dear OMs and Yls A July Stew Perry is an excellent idea!!!We need something to temp more onto the band during the noisy season. One tunes the band a number of times and hears nothing and so resorts to HF.A good effort in high summer for the northern latitudes might clear our ears. Even if our receive antennas were largely down, a contest might bring some of us out. A summer contest could also make the K9AY and magnetic loop antennas have more justification for their existence.A July Stew Perry would be a fair handshake to the southern hemisphere and their efforts during the warm months. Please bring it on 73 Doug EI2CN PS Yes a summer contest, well Top Band Operators like pain. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
On 3/17/2012 6:34 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: Four 24 hour Stew's a year is a good deal, at the equinoxes and the soltices. While I LOVE the concept of the Stew, it seriously lacks critical mass, even in the main event in December. As a result, I always finding myself taking frequent breaks during the evening and going QRT from boredom by 1 am or so. It has seemed to me that adding the July and October runnings of the Stew are even more poorly attended, and have also served to dilute interest in the Dec event. While I'd love to see topband activity spread around the calendar, far more effort is needed to get more folks to participate. 73, Jim K9YC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: July Stew Perry Please!!!!
I like the Stew, however, it typically falls at a time when I've traveled away from home for the holidays and don't have access to a station or am actually traveling during the Stew weekend. Bummer. This year, the timing was different enough to operate the event and condx turned out to be less than stellar from QTH. I would like more 160 events but I doubt my station would be able to work any DX in the summer months. tnx Mike On Mar 17, 2012, at 10:12 PM, Jim Brown j...@audiosystemsgroup.com wrote: On 3/17/2012 6:34 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote: Four 24 hour Stew's a year is a good deal, at the equinoxes and the soltices. While I LOVE the concept of the Stew, it seriously lacks critical mass, even in the main event in December. As a result, I always finding myself taking frequent breaks during the evening and going QRT from boredom by 1 am or so. It has seemed to me that adding the July and October runnings of the Stew are even more poorly attended, and have also served to dilute interest in the Dec event. While I'd love to see topband activity spread around the calendar, far more effort is needed to get more folks to participate. 73, Jim K9YC ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
