Topband: The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge-160M

[Lew Sayre]

Attention 160M RF Connoisseurs Real or Imagined,
 December 29 and 30 are rapidly approaching. Please mouse on over to:
http://www.kkn.net/stew/ and read why this home grown contest is a
huge amount of fun to play in. It is unique. It uses a distance mnemonic
for
scoring. You can play in 14 of the 24 hour allotted time period. The plaques
are sponsored by the RF combatants in categories deemed important by the
donors. You can sponsor a plaque also, like the Stalwarts listed below. $65
and an email to me will get your family friendly plaque category listed to
be
fought over.

KL7RA Top # QSOs, S/O
EI2CN  W/K/N/VE/XE station with most QSOs with EI/British Isles
N9TFTop Score QRP, from RF deprived Grids EN00 through EN79
N9TFTop # Grids NA,S/O,QRP non-resonant antenna <40' above
ground
N9TF Top Score USA,S/O,L/P-multi trap vertical, non-resonant on
160Mno matching device for 160 on or at antenna, tuner in shack OK.
UX1UA   Top # SA + NA QSOs by Zone 16 Station
UX1UATop # QSOs with Zone 16 by NA Sation
K7CA   Top Score Zone 22
K7CA  Top Score Zone 24

VK6VZ   A Flying Doctors of VK Baseball cap for Top Score- Northern
Hemisphere  Station working Southern Hemisphere Stations.

 TopBand has been having some prodigious, powerful propagation over the
past week. The Boring Amateur Radio Club appreciates that the ARRL is
sponsoring a 160M CW contest this very weekend in order to have some
fun and to get your TopBand Affairs in astounding order for The Stew Perry
TopBand DX Challenger in a few weeks.
 If you're considering sponsoring a plaque- don't delay- just execute.
What
aspect of seriously fun 160M contesting would YOU like to emphasize?
 The results of the 2017 Stew are on the above web page. The plaque
winners
have been anointed. The new Official Boring Amateur Radio Club
plaquemeister  is hard at work making the beautiful  plaques which will be
dispatched
all around the world next week to the winners..
So get your chores done. Tell everyone you have a very important group
conference call that'll last 14 hours Dec. 29-30 so that you can participate
in the 23rd Stew Perry TopBand Dx Challenge sponsored by The Boring
Amateur Radio Club.
 73 and I remain,
Leww7ew  The Boring Amateur Radio Club Committee on RadioActivity
w...@arrl.net
_
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Installing Wire Antennas Supported By Lines Over Tall Trees

[terry burge]

Hi Dick,
This looks like a pretty go launcher for putting lines over trees. I've only 
seen them while watching some youtube videos of the tree cutting/pruning 
arborist and never knew where to buy them. Checking out the site I requested a 
catalog but am a bit turned off by the high prices. My air canon does a pretty 
good job but I suspect the one you show could be more accurate with it's 
direction control. Thanks for the post, I'm sure others will be interested too.

Terry
KI7M

> On November 29, 2018 at 10:46 AM Dick Bingham  wrote:
> 
> 
> I use a "Big Shot" arborist slingshot to install my wire antennas from tall
> Fir and Cottonwood trees.
> 
> Check it out here ===>
> *https://www.sherrilltree.com/sherrilltree-big-shot-standard-kit
> *
> 
> You can launch a 3/4-inch pipe elbow over 100+foot high trees with height
> to spare.
> This is not a wimpy-ass system and can hurl some strong messenger-line
> twine
> over the trees with ease even during serious winds.
> 
> Use an open-face style spool/roll of messenger line that allows the line to
> 'pay-out'
> off the end of the spool, or like a spin fish-casting reel, without having
> to reel-off by spinning the spool. I usually stab a rod into the ground so
> it points toward the selected tree and insert the roll of twine onto the
> rod so the line can be launched
> with minimal off-axis drag.
> 
> Painting the pipe-elbow/whatever *International-Orange* saves LOTS of
> search time when using nearly invisible fishing line and you are working
> alone!
> 
> 73 Dick/w7wkr
> _
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
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Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

[Gary Smith]

I made one somewhat like the one mentioned 
below. I actually made two, the one was 
with a 1" lawn sprinkler valve and the 2nd 
with a much larger valve. Mine looks like 
a Bazooka & this one below is folded like 
a trumpet which is much more convenient.

You can see mine near the bottom on my QRZ 
page.

A couple of thoughts: 

The one mentioned below is surely more 
convenient to carry and is more ergonomic. 
I couldn't find a price but it looks like 
a nice kit.

I would buy the largest one, you never 
know where you might be able to help 
someone who has needs taller than your QTH 
allows.

I use PVC "Spuds", you can see one of mine 
on that QRZ page. Mine are about a foot 
long and weigh plenty, the weight helps 
them fall straight through the branches on 
the way down (my antennas are in a forest 
so there is no open space here). Something 
light like a tennis ball can bounce to & 
fro on the branches on way down and be a 
problem when pulling up the antenna with 
egg insulator at the end.

I would use brightly colored paint, the 
tennis ball is bright enough but will be 
camouflaged in the summer by leaves. I 
find lifting and lowering the Spud helps 
me to locate it as for me, it's always far 
from the launch point.

I mentioned the clothes pin to hold the 
line. I stressed the spring so it has 
little closing tension. I put tape on each 
side of the jaw to make sure the line 
doesn't get caught on the wood & it pulls 
free easily with no hang-up or damage.

I use a small bike pump. With the 
monofilament attached it takes exactly 17 
pumps to clear the tree. If you have a 
pressure gauge attached or to fit to the 
schrader valve, that'll make it easy to 
get the same pressure every time if you're 
using different pumps.

It's a life-saver of effort.

73,

Gary
KA1J
> Sometime back I bought one of those cheaper launchers that shot a
> 1-1.5 oz. fishing weight with fishing line attached. It was scary
> because if that fishing weight hit something other that the ground or
> the fish line broke you never knew where that thing was going to land.
> 
> 
> I now have a CSV19 Pneumatic Antenna Launching System like you can see
> at www.antennalaunchers.com/csv19/index.html. I have used it with a
> lot of success and have seen it send a tennis ball over a 105' fir
> tree about half again as high. I think with the max 80# of pressure
> (think that is what the max is labeled)  can get a woven fish line
> over a tree at least 160' tall. 100+ feet for sure. The big thing is
> to have a lot of fish line on the fishing real and don't forget to
> open the bail. If you start breaking lines and try splicing them
> together that can be a problem catching on the reel spool. The new
> woven fish lines are even smaller and I think lighter than
> monofilament. Can't remember how many times I've had to search for the
> tennis ball because the 30-40# fishing line broke. Even have one on my
> third guy line up on my tower.
> 
> 
> Wind can sometimes be a problem of course. Was really a problem with
> the first launcher using that in Keizer (in town). Hitting right above
> the top of a tall fir tree as a target you would be surprised just how
> far off one can go.
> 
> 
> Terry
> 
> KI7M
> 
> _
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> Reflector
> 



_
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Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

[Mike - W5JR]

+1 on the Ryobi hand held inflator. Much better than carrying a small air tank 
or heavy/bulky jump start kit. Makes easy and quick work of pressurizing the 
spud gun. 

tnx
Mike / W5JR
Alpharetta GA


> On Nov 28, 2018, at 7:00 PM, Grant Saviers  wrote:
> 
> I'll second the success with the CSV19 tennis ball launcher.  You won't need 
> the top model for 60' trees but I do recommend the fishing archery spool 
> option for paying out the line - very smooth and snag free.  The PE braid is 
> so light that one problem is how far the wind drift will take it. Shoot with 
> the wind if you can. Beats every other method I've seen other than a tree 
> climber.  If you buy the kit carefully RTFM.  The tennis ball is weighted 
> with about a dozen pennies so comes down thru firs easily.
> 
> Be careful, the weighted ball energy is dangerous. Handle with firearm rules. 
>  Also the recoil requires aiming & flinch control like a larger bore handgun.
> 
> A really nifty accessory is the Ryobi 18v battery powered hand held inflater, 
> especially if you have Ryobi tools.  It makes quick work of pressurizing in 
> the field.  $19 last I saw at HD.
> 
> Grant KZ1W
> 
>> On 11/28/2018 15:34 PM, Wayne Kline wrote:
>> Terry.
>> I never used one of those pneumatic air launchers….. following your link  
>> looks  like a great option.
>> In the past I have used a bow and arrow wit the bow having a Zebco spin cat 
>> real  attached. But was limited because  I have a 1000 ft road frontage tree 
>> line and arrows  descending can be a problem.
>> I  ran across a wrist rocket which uses a tennis ball … I  got a few hand 
>> balls  seemed to work better falling through the tree branches and have been 
>> using  it in that configuration for a while.
>> My trees are not in the 100ft range but more in the 50/60 ft
>> YMMV
>> Wayne W3EA
>> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
>> 
>> From: Topband  on behalf of terry burge 
>> 
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 6:04:10 PM
>> To: topband@contesting.com; terry burge
>> Subject: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas
>> Sometime back I bought one of those cheaper launchers that shot a 1-1.5 oz. 
>> fishing weight with fishing line attached. It was scary because if that 
>> fishing weight hit something other that the ground or the fish line broke 
>> you never knew where that thing was going to land.
>> I now have a CSV19 Pneumatic Antenna Launching System like you can see at 
>> www.antennalaunchers.com/csv19/index.html.
>>  I have used it with a lot of success and have seen it send a tennis ball 
>> over a 105' fir tree about half again as high. I think with the max 80# of 
>> pressure (think that is what the max is labeled)  can get a woven fish line 
>> over a tree at least 160' tall. 100+ feet for sure. The big thing is to have 
>> a lot of fish line on the fishing real and don't forget to open the bail. If 
>> you start breaking lines and try splicing them together that can be a 
>> problem catching on the reel spool. The new woven fish lines are even 
>> smaller and I think lighter than monofilament. Can't remember how many times 
>> I've had to search for the tennis ball because the 30-40# fishing line 
>> broke. Even have one on my third guy line up on my tower.
>> Wind can sometimes be a problem of course. Was really a problem with the 
>> first launcher using that in Keizer (in town). Hitting right above the top 
>> of a tall fir tree as a target you would be surprised just how far off one 
>> can go.
>> Terry
>> KI7M
>> _
>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
>> _
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> _
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Topband: Installing Wire Antennas Supported By Lines Over Tall Trees

[Dick Bingham]

I use a "Big Shot" arborist slingshot to install my wire antennas from tall
Fir and Cottonwood trees.

Check it out here ===>
*https://www.sherrilltree.com/sherrilltree-big-shot-standard-kit
*

You can launch a 3/4-inch pipe elbow over 100+foot high trees with height
to spare.
This is not a wimpy-ass system and can hurl some strong messenger-line
twine
over the trees with ease even during serious winds.

Use an open-face style spool/roll of messenger line that allows the line to
'pay-out'
off the end of the spool, or like a spin fish-casting reel, without having
to reel-off by spinning the spool. I usually stab a rod into the ground so
it points toward the selected tree and insert the roll of twine onto the
rod so the line can be launched
with minimal off-axis drag.

Painting the pipe-elbow/whatever *International-Orange* saves LOTS of
search time when using nearly invisible fishing line and you are working
alone!

73 Dick/w7wkr
_
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

[Peter Bertini]

I made my own.  There are tons of plans on the internet for spud launchers
or antenna launchers.  The designs are basically the same.  It costs around
60 bucks to make one, only because you will end up with extra material (PVC
tube) that will go along way to making one or two more. These are great
club projects. I used a cheap fishing reel (per W1VD's plans) for mine, and
it spools flawlessly.  The reel is cheap five dollar Amazon special.
_
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: ARRL 160 Contest

[Herbert Schoenbohm]

Stan, at least I will be able to work you.  Not being able for you to work
DX when many are calling (some for a new one) and the band is wide open to
EU, is not only embarrassing but a real let down for the EU stations
hearing you well. I have thought in personal protest to enter the contest
and work only EU using a CQ TEST EU.  But that will only make W/VE mad at
me.

73,

Herb, KV4FZ

On Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 5:06 AM Stan Stockton  wrote:

> Herb,
>
> I have never understood why anyone would want to be DX in the ARRL 160
> Meter Contest!  You have been saying for many, many years that you don't
> like it, the CAC has looked at it and no one is able to understand.
>
> I am not looking forward to being limited to ONLY working USA (extremely
> boring) when I could be running both Europe and USA, working JA, VK, etc.
> as you are able to do.
>
> I even explored the possibility of a remote operation from Cayman Brac
> into a USA station to operate the contest this weekend from the USA instead
> of operating as DX from ZF!  Won't work out because of Internet setup.
>
> Of course I would rather have it be a worldwide contest like CQ.
>
> If it were possible I would gladly trade places with you this weekend.
>
> Stan, ZF9CW
>
>
>
> > On Nov 28, 2018, at 2:41 PM, Herbert Schoenbohm <
> herbert.schoenb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >  I will try it out in the ARRL 160 contest although the
> > ARRL has the VI as non-DX which is always has been a real bummer.
>
_
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Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

[Arthur Delibert]

BTW, note that if the line is coiled on the tarp in a figure-8 shape, it won't 
tangle when you fire it.  Same trick works when you pack up the headset wire to 
your smart phone -- when you put it away, coil it around your fingers in a 
figure-8, and you won't have a tangled mess the next time you take it out.

This is how the coastal life-saving services coiled the rope that they had to 
shoot into the rigging of a ship stranded offshore, when they had to make sure 
the line didn't tangle.

Regards,
Art Delibert, KB3FJO



From: Topband  on behalf of Charles Moizeau 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 10:24 PM
To: Wayne Kline; topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

Wayne,

Ditch the idea of using the tennis ball launcher.  Neither it nor the Zebco 
spinning reel will solve your problem which is basically to get your projectile 
to reach the target but not go much further beyond it, either into a danger 
zone or into some other tree.

Here's my technique.  Get yourself a plastic tarp (Harbor Freight has lots of 
these).  I wanted some extra thickness and weight so I got a silver one that is 
10' x 20'.  Folded  down twice it makes a 5' x 10' surface.  I lay it on the 
ground with the 10' length pointing toward the target.

Estimating the distance to the target, I lay out about 15 percent more of the 
light weight line in an S shape back and forth on the tarp.  In my case I have 
about 300 yards of light weight line stored on a 9" plastic reel used by kite 
flyers.  This has enough weight so that when the weighted arrow has been shot 
and all the line on the tarp is used the reel jumps about 2' up in the air and 
brakes the the arrow before it can get into unwanted stuff.

I then lower the arrow to the ground, detach it and pull a heavier rope back to 
where I'm standing.

The tarp provides a friction-free surface for the light weight line.  The arrow 
won't seriously overshoot because there's a limited amount of line on the tarp 
before the gentle braking of the plastic reel.

There are some other tricks, but this should get you started in the right 
direction.

Charles, W2SH



From: Topband  on behalf of Wayne Kline 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 6:34 PM
To: terry burge; topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

Terry.

I never used one of those pneumatic air launchers….. following your link  looks 
 like a great option.



In the past I have used a bow and arrow wit the bow having a Zebco spin cat 
real  attached. But was limited because  I have a 1000 ft road frontage tree 
line and arrows  descending can be a problem.



I  ran across a wrist rocket which uses a tennis ball … I  got a few hand balls 
 seemed to work better falling through the tree branches and have been using  
it in that configuration for a while.



My trees are not in the 100ft range but more in the 50/60 ft



YMMV



Wayne W3EA



Sent from Mail for Windows 10




From: Topband  on behalf of terry burge 

Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 6:04:10 PM
To: topband@contesting.com; terry burge
Subject: Topband: tennis ball launcher for antennas

Sometime back I bought one of those cheaper launchers that shot a 1-1.5 oz. 
fishing weight with fishing line attached. It was scary because if that fishing 
weight hit something other that the ground or the fish line broke you never 
knew where that thing was going to land.


I now have a CSV19 Pneumatic Antenna Launching System like you can see at 
www.antennalaunchers.com/csv19/index.html>>.
 I have used it with a lot of success and have seen it send a tennis ball over 
a 105' fir tree about half again as high. I think with the max 80# of pressure 
(think that is what the max is labeled)  can get a woven fish line over a tree 
at least 160' tall. 100+ feet for sure. The big thing is to have a lot of fish 
line on the fishing real and don't forget to open the bail. If you start 
breaking lines and try splicing them together that can be a problem catching on 
the reel spool. The new woven fish lines are even smaller and I think lighter 
than monofilament. Can't remember how many times I've had to search for the 
tennis ball because the 30-40# fishing line broke. Even have one on my third 
guy line up on my tower.


Wind can sometimes be a problem of course. Was really a problem with the first 
launcher using that in Keizer (in town). Hitting right above the top of a tall 
fir tree as a target you would be surprised just how far off one can go.


Terry

KI7M

Re: Topband: 11-29-2018 80/160 Phoenix

[HP]

FWIW  

I don't know about polarization - but this evening/early morning 0700 to 0800 
here in Phoenix on a city lot buried in noise - I was hearing CT9/DJ2YA , 
H7/RM0F, C6AGU 
LOUD and was hearing several of the JA stations the H7 was working 
around 0730. I first thought it was WA8AET but it was JA8AET -then heard others 
he worked. 

Earlier on 80 PE5T 0634 was the loudest I have ever heard a PE station on 80 , 
worked him and heard other WC and NM work him. 
There were some G and GW on but wa down from the PE5 . 

THEN Centurylink decided to put S9+ carriers on from about 1775 to 1860 
every 4 khz - have no idea why they needed just 1775 to 1860 . And yes in 
Phoenix its every 4 khz like 1803.967 1807.967 etc -not the 
standard 4.375 khz spacing . ADSL2/VDSL stuff. 

Hank K7HP 
_
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