Topband: 160M QRP Sprint Tuesday night
I will be on for the 160M NAQCC QRP Sprint Tuesday night! 0130Z to 0330Z Wednesday which is 8:30PM to 10:30PM Tuesday night east coast time. Want to check out your RX antennas for the upcoming CQ 160? This is a great opportunity! Full details here: http://naqcc.info/sprint/sprint201701_160.html Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160 vertical/L
One reason for the 120 radial ground system on broadcast sticks often over-looked is that a large number of radials below grade makes the system more stable over seasons between dry and wet wx. It may not matter as much for ham but many radials causes the Z to settle down or not vary as widely between dry and wet earth. This does not relieve hams from the need for a lot of radials on or below the ground; at least 60 is needed and no reason to not shoot for 90 short ones close in if room is limited. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: CQ World Wide 160-Meter CW Contest
VU Allocation of 160m is 1820 - 1860 khz. On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 at 1:23 AM, Doug Ellmore wrote: > Reminder for this weekend, CW: 2200Z January 27 to 2200Z January 29 > > Even if your not a contester, it should be a good opportunity to work some > top band. > > I'll be hunting for a baker's dozen new ones for my 160m DXCC, as well as, > Montana and Arizona for WAS. > > *Rules:* https://www.cq160.com/rules.htm > > *Exchange:* RS(T) and state for U.S., province for Canada, and CQ Zone for > DX. Note: Zones are location indicators only and do not count for > multipliers. > > *SCORING:* All stations—the final score is the result of the total QSO > points multiplied by the sum of all multipliers (states, VE provinces, DX > countries). > Hope to work you with my Inverted L. I'll be running HP. > > 73 > > Doug NA1DX > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: DXing on teh Edge 2nd ed
Dear OMs and YLs, My copy of the second edition has arrived. I am pleased to have kept the first edition as it has more technical content covering both RX and TX antennas. There is none of this in the second edition and this is a pity. The second edition is the history contained in the first edition which is interesting but if you have the first edition there is no reason to purchase the second except for an improved binding. I do not mean to cause Jeff any grief as he is both a pioneer and a beacon for the rest of us. I found his receive and transmit antenna sections often most helpful to recommend to others. In some ways his first edition of "DXing on the Edge" is more readable and useful than ON4UNs more comprehensive work. 73 Doug EI2CN _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: CQ World Wide 160-Meter CW Contest
Reminder for this weekend, CW: 2200Z January 27 to 2200Z January 29 Even if your not a contester, it should be a good opportunity to work some top band. I'll be hunting for a baker's dozen new ones for my 160m DXCC, as well as, Montana and Arizona for WAS. *Rules:* https://www.cq160.com/rules.htm *Exchange:* RS(T) and state for U.S., province for Canada, and CQ Zone for DX. Note: Zones are location indicators only and do not count for multipliers. *SCORING:* All stations—the final score is the result of the total QSO points multiplied by the sum of all multipliers (states, VE provinces, DX countries). Hope to work you with my Inverted L. I'll be running HP. 73 Doug NA1DX _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: CQ 160 Contest
Hi, It will be nice in future to have MULTI OP LOW POWER CATEGORY. Any ideas? Sam LY5W p.s. maybe not too late? On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 8:34 PM, Andy Blank wrote: > Greetings Fellow 160M contesters. > > Please visit CQ160.com for the latest rules and updates for the upcoming > contest this weekend. > > There are some changes to the Russian trophies resulting in 2 additional > awards as follows: > > These awards are *Single Operator Assisted or Unassisted whichever is > highe* > r. > > CWEuropean Russia UA2 Contest Club > CWAsiatic Russia UA2 Contest Club > SSB European RussiaUA2 Contest Club > SSB Asiatic Russia UA2 Contest Club > > The website will be updated later this week for these trophies. > > Many changes have been made to the site. > Thanks to Randy K5ZD, we have now added online certificates along with a > score database dating back to 1983 (not complete yet). > Many volunteers have been busy typing in scores from old results. > > Many thanks to: > MM0LID, KC1CWF, NN3W, W4AU, SV1DPI, OR2F, W0MU, K9GX, K1XX, K8FC, CT1EKD, > K9VV, and KE3X > who helped type in the scores. > > 73, CU in the Contest! > > Andy N2NT > Director CQ160 Contest > _ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: CQ 160 Contest
Greetings Fellow 160M contesters. Please visit CQ160.com for the latest rules and updates for the upcoming contest this weekend. There are some changes to the Russian trophies resulting in 2 additional awards as follows: These awards are *Single Operator Assisted or Unassisted whichever is highe* r. CWEuropean Russia UA2 Contest Club CWAsiatic Russia UA2 Contest Club SSB European RussiaUA2 Contest Club SSB Asiatic Russia UA2 Contest Club The website will be updated later this week for these trophies. Many changes have been made to the site. Thanks to Randy K5ZD, we have now added online certificates along with a score database dating back to 1983 (not complete yet). Many volunteers have been busy typing in scores from old results. Many thanks to: MM0LID, KC1CWF, NN3W, W4AU, SV1DPI, OR2F, W0MU, K9GX, K1XX, K8FC, CT1EKD, K9VV, and KE3X who helped type in the scores. 73, CU in the Contest! Andy N2NT Director CQ160 Contest _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Checking vacuum in vacuum relay
Have noticed a craze around two of the connections coming out of a glass 4PDT (Jennings RB4A) that I was getting ready to use. If one does not own a megger or other voltage breakdown testing instrument, is there a way to tell if there is a vacuum or air on the inside of the relay, other than to go ahead and install it and see if it breaks down. It will be subject to 10-12 kV p-p in normal use, rated for 18 kV. Or should I just toss it based on the description I've just given. No actual experience here with that kind of high RF voltage on these things. All punditry on the subject appreciated. 73, Guy K2AV _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: [Gmc] FS: DXing on the Edge book 2016 version gently used
Sold On 1/23/2017 9:26 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote: $15.00 includes shipping media shipping USA only. KH6/KL7 might be higher. W0MU ___ Gmc mailing list g...@grandmesa.org http://mail.grandmesa.org/mailman/listinfo/gmc_grandmesa.org _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160 vertical/L
I ran across this, which was originally posted on the Broadcasting list and may be of interest to Topbanders. Something I might add as a justification for exceeding, if possible, the point of diminishing returns in a radial field (not necessarily going all the way to 120) is that in many installations, some of radials will eventually get damaged or the wire may deteriorate in certain soils, and the redundancy may assure the ground system a longer lifetime. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Don k4kyv > On Wed Jan 18 17:48:53 CST 2017 Mike Vanhooser novaelec at sbcglobal.net > wrote: > As someone who has a great deal of experience with elevated counterpoise, I > can assure you that 4 will work just fine. I typically use 6, which is what > the Commission prefers to see, but the performance between the two is almost > unnoticeable. Clarence Beverage has even more experience than I do, and he > is the one who walked it through the approval process. You can get his NAB > paper on the subject in the documents section of his website, > www.commtechrf.com, filename NAB1995. The reason for 120 radials is because that is what they put in during the original development. A prime case of "That's how we always did it" making into a regulation. At about 60 radials you begin to hit the point of diminishing return, and anything over 90 is virtually undetectable. The main reason for so many is to overcome the earth losses. Once you get about .02 wavelength above ground, you have overcome the majority of that. I can show you the ND proof from WDTW, which had 6 radials, and it is almost a perfect circle, except for a rise to the NE where there was reradiation from the tall streetlight poles on I-94, about 100° away. In your situation..., were the radials elevated or on the ground? That makes a big difference. I understand the phenomena with the VHF/UHF verticals, but MW behaves a little differently. Another consultant friend did an experiment many years ago to find out the directionality, if any, of a partial radial field. He was installing a new ground system, so he plowed in 60 radials in a 180° arc. Here was an AM tower with half the radial field missing, so what would it do? He ran a ND proof on the antenna, and was amazed at what he saw. The pattern was completely round, with no discernible attenuation over the missing radials. He plowed in the remaining 60 and saw no change, other than a slight increase in radiation efficiency by going from 60 to 120 radials. So an adequate counterpoise at MW frequencies produces a true omnidirectional radiation pattern, whether in the ground or in the air. It just takes a whole lot less copper > when you go airborne. http://lists.radiolists.net/pipermail/broadcast/2017-January/172560.html _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: FS: DXing on the Edge book 2016 version gently used
$15.00 includes shipping media shipping USA only. KH6/KL7 might be higher. W0MU _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 169, Issue 14
Congratulations Paul W5DM ! Thanks for telling us about your history. Truly an inspiration. Your 160m accomplishments from a RF noisy lot gives me incentive to stop complaining about my S 20 over RFI and get to trying for 160m contacts.thanks again for your contribution and many more years Greg On Sun, 1/22/17, topband-requ...@contesting.com wrote: Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 169, Issue 14 To: topband@contesting.com Date: Sunday, January 22, 2017, 12:00 PM Send Topband mailing list submissions to topband@contesting.com To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to topband-requ...@contesting.com You can reach the person managing the list at topband-ow...@contesting.com When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Topband digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Made it! 80 Years a Ham (Gary Smith) -- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2017 12:05:12 -0500 From: "Gary Smith" To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Made it! 80 Years a Ham Message-ID: <588394c8.11430.28a38...@gary.doctorgary.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Paul, You are a hero. What a wonderful experience Ham Radio has been for you. My father, Earl, passed in 2014 but was active on the air to the last. He was first licensed in 37 as W8QXF, then to Hawaii during WWII & became KH6RD for two years after the war. Back in PA and after the districts changed he became W3QXF. With a move to CT in 62 he became W1BML. He too was highly involved in the greatest parts of Ham Radio, perhaps you had met, you would have both enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for your service. 73, Gary KA1J > Made it! 19 January 2017, is the 80th anniversary of my first ham > license, Class C operating privileges with W5GGV as my call. Was 14 > years old at the time. A little over a year later I upgraded to Class > A. Many years later the Extra Class (with no added privileges) came > along. Upgraded. Some years later the FCC announced that hams with an > Extra Class license who had been licensed 25 years could apply for a > two -letter call, no place on the application to request of a specific > call. Was assigned W5DM. > > First rig made from junked Atwater Kent radio parts. First antenna was > a wire going out a hole in the window screen to a tree. First DX was > VK2SS on 40 m CW, September 1937. (An aside. There were no phone > privileges on 40 m for USA hams). The VK2SS QSL card is hung on my > wall. My card to him was written on a postcard (Great Depression=no > money to buy QSL cards). > > Been fairly active over the years, except, of course, for WW II. If > interested in WW II, you can do a web search on DD 792 for a small > part of my history. > > The first 20 or 30 years I built my transmitters (all low powered) and > receivers. Operated CW only until SSB came along. Then I built a low > powered phasing rig. A BC-348H receiver was made dual conversion using > 85 kcs (kcs then= kHz now) IF transformers from a BC 453 receiver. > Had a blast working the world with a homebuilt "cubical quad" on 20 > meters. Since then mostly CW. > > I may have made one small contribution to ham radio. In the April > 1958 issue of QST, in Technical Correspondence there was a letter from > me that, I think, was the first mention in a ham publication that the > formula for determining the length of a "cubical quad" antenna was not > correct. Since my measurements were made using a BC 348, a grid dip > oscillator, and a 100 kcs crystal oscillator. I don't know whether I > was just lucky to get as close as I did or did a fairly good job with > what I had. > > In the early 1990s started out to get 160 m WAS from a 120 x 120 foot > electrically noisy city lot (SE NM) with a long ( ~3/8 wavelength) > but low semi-inverted L antenna. Ground radials of varying length in > one 90 degree segment. Made 160 m WAS. Then started chasing DX. Now > have 189 countries confirmed on 160 m, 324 on all bands. > > Age, not surprisingly, has taken its toll. CW now down to 20-25 > wpm-at one time it was 35-40 wpm. Finger dexterity way down-has taken > me over 3 hours to type this email. Physical realities remain physical > realities--I am now a disabled, crippled old man. But--- > > No complaints-many people are worse off than I am. > > Thanks to all who have had the knowledge and the kindness to help me > over the years. > > 73 Paul W5DM > > > > > > > > > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http:
