Re: Topband: FT8

[Rod Mackintosh]

Well done Ross. A real credit to you and I look forward to hearing when you
two more countries on 160m.
73 Rod ZL3NW


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On Sat, 18 Nov 2023 at 10:49, Ross Johnson  wrote:

> Please think about this , I live on a 600 square metre section.  My
> inverted L with K2AV radial is only 10 metres high.
> Land is expensive here. In 6 years I have worked 98 countries on top
> band and we are very isolated.
>
> Two mornings ago  4W8X  was copyable for 2 hours , best at -08  but my 1
> KW did not make it.
> To my surprise I have copied there cw on several occasions  , but to
> weak to work.
>
> Please consider us with poor situations .
>
> I passed the cw in 1978.
>
> 73ZL3RJ
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Topband: Timor Leste report #4

[Dietmar Kasper]

Hi topbanders
another interesting night is over. Band opened late. I had  been there before 
sunset already and heard
AA7JV/mm with weak CQ. Skimmers did not pick me up long time. Night started 
slow.
Yesterday we again had rain showers coming over the mountains from the south. 
Rain brings QRN and
crashes. Very difficult copy so most of the weak W4s and 5s were call sign 
guessing.
Sometimes I only missed one letter but the crash always happened at the wrong 
moment - again and again.
VE6WZ skimmer picked me up before WA7LNW. After W4s some W5s followed, nothing 
heard from 8,9 area.
After 13z again the band seemed to close but shortly extreme loud W7s called 
and I worked some of
the VE5, 6, 7 and VY0SS. Missed KL7 heard pfx but unable to get the suffix.
After west coast had closed worked our Lagunaria team leader DL1MGB from DK6WL 
station at his sunset.
Later the band closed completely - not a single signal heard anymore.
Read complains about bad RX in cluster, so checked the beverages. I even took a 
light and made the
500 meters through the bushes during night to visit the EU beverage.
I think (hope) there are no bad animals out there in the bush. If they exist 
they did not expect me
running through in the night. Could not find anything wrong with beverage but 
80m also complained
that the band is totally empty. Turned the radio down to a radio station at 
1611. I checked all
beverages, changed the pre-amplifier and proved the wiring - all OK so far.
Slowly the band got back into life. Started with OH, went over the north to OZ, 
GM and back through
ON to Northern DL. Moved down south to East Germany, short detected by DF2CK 
skimmer and then
westward to Frankfurt area. Worked a bigger number of DLs. It was not bad habit 
only to work DLs
the propagation was just there. Finally propagation switched to ON, later to F 
and ended up in EA3.
15 minutes after sunset the band faded here. Heard stations still calling but 
deep in the noise.
When it comes to the RX capabilities, dont forget that we are here at 8 degrees 
south in the center
of the thunderstorm area. You are up in the north in clear winter time with 
mostly excellent receiving
(if you are not QRMd by city/village). Its much easier to listen to my signal 
for you than
listening for you where dozen of stations calling without stop in the noise all 
together on one QRG.
You increase your chances if you move away from crowded frequencies.
Thats for now, hope more such productive night will follow. There is still a 
lot of folks without 160m QSO
73 Dietmar DL3DXX

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Topband: FT8

[Ross Johnson]

Please think about this , I live on a 600 square metre section.  My 
inverted L with K2AV radial is only 10 metres high.
Land is expensive here. In 6 years I have worked 98 countries on top 
band and we are very isolated.


Two mornings ago  4W8X  was copyable for 2 hours , best at -08  but my 1 
KW did not make it.
To my surprise I have copied there cw on several occasions  , but to 
weak to work.


Please consider us with poor situations .

I passed the cw in 1978.

73ZL3RJ
_
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Re: Topband: Timor Leste Nov 17 ( Dietmar Kasper)

[Jim Brown]

That's fine if radio is your only interest in life. We're much happier 
here.


73, Jim K9YC

On 11/17/2023 7:16 AM, mstang...@comcast.net wrote:

Jim,

You should have stayed in Illinois and bought some farmland downstate on the 
Mississippi.

I moved from a city lot in New York to an acre lot in New Jersey a couple of 
miles from the ocean. When I moved here 23 years ago I was surrounded by 
gentleman farmers and noise level much lower . I was was successful on 160 with 
100 watts and an inverted L against radials. The noise level has steadily 
increased and some farms have been replaced by townhouses.

73 Mike N2MS



On 11/16/2023 3:19 PM EST Jim Brown  wrote:

  
On 11/16/2023 10:07 AM, Salvatore Borace wrote:

Hi Dietmar, dont pay attention for many lazy people want FT8


Salvatore,

FT8 is a weak signal mode, providing the advantage of about 15 dB more
noise rejection than CW. From my QTH near San Francisco, I haven't heard
EU on CW for 3 years; in 8 years, I've heard 6 EU stations, and two have
heard me. When I moved here from Chicago in 2006, I was able to work EU
on CW. The difference is MUCH louder noise on both ends of the QSO.

All with the same TX and RX antennas, including a 100 ft Tee-vertical, a
550 ft Beverage to EU, and a two-element array of phased loops spaced
5/8 wavelength.

73, Jim K9YC


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Re: Topband: Timor Leste Nov 17 ( Dietmar Kasper)

[mstangelo]

Jim,

You should have stayed in Illinois and bought some farmland downstate on the 
Mississippi.

I moved from a city lot in New York to an acre lot in New Jersey a couple of 
miles from the ocean. When I moved here 23 years ago I was surrounded by 
gentleman farmers and noise level much lower . I was was successful on 160 with 
100 watts and an inverted L against radials. The noise level has steadily 
increased and some farms have been replaced by townhouses.

73 Mike N2MS


> On 11/16/2023 3:19 PM EST Jim Brown  wrote:
> 
>  
> On 11/16/2023 10:07 AM, Salvatore Borace wrote:
> > Hi Dietmar, dont pay attention for many lazy people want FT8
> 
> Salvatore,
> 
> FT8 is a weak signal mode, providing the advantage of about 15 dB more 
> noise rejection than CW. From my QTH near San Francisco, I haven't heard 
> EU on CW for 3 years; in 8 years, I've heard 6 EU stations, and two have 
> heard me. When I moved here from Chicago in 2006, I was able to work EU 
> on CW. The difference is MUCH louder noise on both ends of the QSO.
> 
> All with the same TX and RX antennas, including a 100 ft Tee-vertical, a 
> 550 ft Beverage to EU, and a two-element array of phased loops spaced 
> 5/8 wavelength.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC

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