Re: Topband: Not so Boring report
Interesting to see this report. A few years ago, OH2BO wrote on this reflector that for DX signals traveling through the polar regions, he watches the solar wind, and expects very good conditions when the solar wind speed is below 300 km/sec and the solar wind pressure is less than 0.5 nPa -- which is exactly what happened in the latter part of last week. Solar wind data is available here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/ Regards,Art DelibertKB3FJO From: t...@kkn.net Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2012 11:52:16 -0800 To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Not so Boring report Hi all. Until a few nights ago - I still hadn't worked any Europoeans this season. That changed on Wednesday night when I got 4 Europeans in the log. I would have had another one on Thursday night - but my TX antenna had developed a water short in the control cable and was beaming south when I thought I was TXing to the north. Missed RA4LW. However, Vlad heard me on Friday morning when I figured out the problem and called him using my E/W direction. This morning, I worked OH3XR about an hour before sunrise. It's very unusual to work the morning opening during a sunspot maximum - but we'll keep trying and see how it pans out over the next couple of weeks. 73 Tree N6TR/7 Boring, OR ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Not so Boring report
On 12/9/2012 6:14 AM, Arthur Delibert wrote: Interesting to see this report. A few years ago, OH2BO wrote on this reflector that for DX signals traveling through the polar regions, he watches the solar wind, and expects very good conditions when the solar wind speed is below 300 km/sec and the solar wind pressure is less than 0.5 nPa -- which is exactly what happened in the latter part of last week. Solar wind data is available here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/ Regards,Art DelibertKB3FJO From: t...@kkn.net This is really interesting, as last evening was the first time this year that I have heard Europe on 160 at my SS. G6PZ was really loud. 73, Mike, W5UC Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2012 11:52:16 -0800 To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Not so Boring report Hi all. Until a few nights ago - I still hadn't worked any Europoeans this season. That changed on Wednesday night when I got 4 Europeans in the log. I would have had another one on Thursday night - but my TX antenna had developed a water short in the control cable and was beaming south when I thought I was TXing to the north. Missed RA4LW. However, Vlad heard me on Friday morning when I figured out the problem and called him using my E/W direction. This morning, I worked OH3XR about an hour before sunrise. It's very unusual to work the morning opening during a sunspot maximum - but we'll keep trying and see how it pans out over the next couple of weeks. 73 Tree N6TR/7 Boring, OR ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Fw: Not so Boring report
Could hear a SM station calling CQ. A good signal, but he was coming in from the NW to mid coast Maine. Very unusual Thanks for the sola wind update. 73 Bruce On 12/9/2012 6:14 AM, Arthur Delibert wrote: Interesting to see this report. A few years ago, OH2BO wrote on this reflector that for DX signals traveling through the polar regions, he watches the solar wind, and expects very good conditions when the solar wind speed is below 300 km/sec and the solar wind pressure is less than 0.5 nPa -- which is exactly what happened in the latter part of last week. Solar wind data is available here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/ Regards,Art DelibertKB3FJO From: t...@kkn.net This is really interesting, as last evening was the first time this year that I have heard Europe on 160 at my SS. G6PZ was really loud. 73, Mike, W5UC ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Delaware report
Saturday morning JR7VHZ called in 10 minutes past sunrise for our first JA QSO of the season. Previous recent years this has happened as early as late August or mid-September. Although this year my work schedule has me leaving the shack well before sunrise one or two days a week, so I may have missed an earlier opportunity. I could also copy JA0MVW 20 minutes past sunrise, though no QSO resulted. Today, we heard JA7NI starting around 1000z but no QSO. Also later copied RU0FM and DU1IST. In the past week or more -- including the ARRL 160 contest -- it seemed the transmit vertical arrays were hearing better than the Beverages in many cases. Not sure what to make of that yet. 73/Jon AA1K ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Fw: Not so Boring report
That's interesting Bruce. I'm a BC DXer and just got back from a week at Quoddy House -- last private residence before the West Quoddy Head lighthouse. Lots of room for antennas and at the moment I'm working with Neil Kazaross on testing some of his EZNEC designs: http://realmonitor.com/QH3/DKAZ_2_sizes.pdf While at Quoddy House I had, at one time or another, 3 DKAZ antennas up -- one pointing 330 deg, one at 155 and 'the workhorse' at 60 deg. Lots of TAs, some LatAms of interest and even a few TPs -- Japan-774, Korea-972 and China-1593. Interesting thing is that all the TPs came in much better on the 60 deg antenna than the 330 degree one! This morning, after I got back home to Alexandria, VA I got the first-of-the-season 'trace' [waterfall mode on a Perseus receiver in 'reverse x-ray' mode] of a TP carrier on 972 ... and that too was using the TA beam of a 4-element Wellbrook phased delta array rather than the 'usual' place I find TPs -- facing North. Interesting propagation. BTW, on the way to Quoddy House - down South Lubec Road off of Hwy 189 - there is a pretty impressive antenna farm -- a few 100' towers and lots of HF yagis. Anybody know who this might be? Be nice to talk to another radio person on those lonely, short winter afternoons 'down east.' --- On Dec 9, 2012, at 11:52 AM, Bruce wrote: Could hear a SM station calling CQ. A good signal, but he was coming in from the NW to mid coast Maine. Very unusual Thanks for the sola wind update. 73 Bruce On 12/9/2012 6:14 AM, Arthur Delibert wrote: Interesting to see this report. A few years ago, OH2BO wrote on this reflector that for DX signals traveling through the polar regions, he watches the solar wind, and expects very good conditions when the solar wind speed is below 300 km/sec and the solar wind pressure is less than 0.5 nPa -- which is exactly what happened in the latter part of last week. Solar wind data is available here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/ Regards,Art DelibertKB3FJO From: t...@kkn.net This is really interesting, as last evening was the first time this year that I have heard Europe on 160 at my SS. G6PZ was really loud. 73, Mike, W5UC ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Antique Wireless Association---Topband Edition
Good Morning All, Well, the dust has pretty much settled down upon this year's 160-meters portion of the Antique Wireless Association's 1929 QSO Party (barring any stalwarts who might show-up tonight before the close of the event at 2300Z, that is)... I made a grand total of just 7 QSOs on 1.8-MHz---but the icing on the cake---for me, at any rate---was working VE7SL in British Columbia some 15+ minutes well AFTER my local sunrise this morning, and just THREE MINUTES before I was going to pull the plug anyway! That ain't too shabby a performance, coming as it did through the able work of a pair of 83 year old type 227 receiving tubes of unknown heritage that comprise the final PA stage of my 1929-style homebrewed Master-Oscillator-Power-Amplifier transmitter! It was very nice working a few of the 160 regulars, too, who stopped by to say hello... ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Delaware report
Jon, I'm usually using diversity reception here with a top loaded vertical and a Hi-Z 4-square. I have also noticed that lately the sigs are louder on the vertical, but it seems to vary from night to night. Conditions in general have been the best of the season during the past week or 10 days here. Thanks for the tip on the Asia openings. I'm going to have to exercise some discipline and not just rely on my prostate to get me up at 1000Z.:-) 73, Joe K2XX SW VA On 12/9/2012 9:45 AM, Jon Zaimes AA1K wrote: In the past week or more -- including the ARRL 160 contest -- it seemed the transmit vertical arrays were hearing better than the Beverages in many cases. Not sure what to make of that yet. ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Fw: Not so Boring report
On Sun, Dec 9, 2012 , Bill Whitacre wrote: BTW, on the way to Quoddy House - down South Lubec Road off of Hwy 189 - there is a pretty impressive antenna farm -- a few 100' towers and lots of HF yagis. Anybody know who this might be? Be nice to talk to another radio person on those lonely, short winter afternoons 'down east.' That is very likely W1WMU, the vacation home of W5WMU, who has even more towers and antennas at home in Louisiana. Rumor has it that Cajun Pat finds the winters in Lubec a bit on the chilly side. 73, Doug K1DG ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Fw: Not so Boring report
I can vouch for this observation. During the entire two days of the ARRL 160 Test all traditionally NE stations in Europe were strongest on my NW 160 meter Beverage. My QTH is near Rochester NY , FN13bd. Interesting thing is that all the TPs came in much better on the 60 deg antenna than the 330 degree one! This morning, after I got back home to Alexandria, VA I got the first-of-the-season 'trace' [waterfall mode on a Perseus receiver in 'reverse x-ray' mode] of a TP carrier on 972 ... and that too was using the TA beam of a 4-element Wellbrook phased delta array rather than the 'usual' place I find TPs -- facing North. Interesting propagation. Could hear a SM station calling CQ. A good signal, but he was coming in from the NW to mid coast Maine. Very unusual Thanks for the sola wind update. 73 Bruce ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Ready 160m tonight
TNX everyone who called me and we made good QSO's. There were so many station's very weak from N.A. what I can't read normally. Sorry, we will do it next time. Last night got some cold and I wasn't healthy. Went to bed early at 00z, and showed only after few hours. Called CQ and got some 10 N.A. call's. TNX for patience, especially K7ZV. Maybe I'll be in station next weekend too. Not sure. Best report: Dear Sam, I do appreciate the topband contact this morning, at both 21:40z and 21:55z (1823.1kHz). Apparently during today's 2nd QSO,sunrise process has been completed and sun was shinning at that time! Your CQn was still solid and copied well here in JA1. I've never have this kind of DX-QSO,so very excited. Wish you would add more contact with new states. 73,Tosy-JE1TSD 73 Sam LY5W On Sat, Dec 8, 2012 at 9:43 PM, Saulius Zalnerauskas wrote ly5w.sam@wrote: TNX everybody! On 12/7/12, Saulius Zalnerauskas wrote: Dear Topbanders, seem's condition this evening growing up. VY2ZM very early - 20z 599, N2KW at 2136z 559! Also big japanese signal's all evening. So I'm ready to stay till morning. Hope to hear something new! Need some 7 and 0 for full WAS complete. Yesterday evening and night worked about 70 japanese, and only 48 W/VE. But were new station's. Maybe tonight will spent again on 160m. PJ5J not showed :( Sam LY5W p.s. tnx for sked's ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: : antenna question
once upon a time a long time ago i saw somewhere in a magazine or book, or maybe someone told me, or i heard at a ham club meeting or flea market, or i had a dream while in heart surgery, or my wife told me that a 300 ohm TV twin lead dipole is not all twin lead, but the twin lead is shorter than a half wavelength and at each end a wire continues to make half wavelength length of the dipole. anyone do a dipole this way? or heard or read etc etc about this technique? thanks mike w7dra and..the half wavelength of a dipole by formula is 468/f, 468/1.8=260 * TV twin lead veolcity factor of .8 or so would bring down the half wavelength to a little under 215 feet. Woman is 53 But Looks 25 Mom reveals 1 simple wrinkle trick that has angered doctors... http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/50c4edd0677896dcf7a91st01vuc ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Two Day Band Opening
My first band opening experienced on Top Band was pretty exciting. Saturday eve. was good but Sunday eve. even better from NH. Could not make a QRP contact but still it was interesting to hear Super Stations out west easily working Super Stations in EU.. 73, Jim / W1FMR ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
