Topband: Vertical 2-element array?
I have a quarter-wave vertical for 40m on a steeply sloped lot, at about 100m AGL, 300m horizontally from the ocean. It currently has a relatively poor radial field (more are in the works, of course); I use it entirely as a multiband receive antenna, not for TX. A second fan-vertical element is connected to the same feedpoint, configured as an inverted-L for 80m, which I do use for TX, but rarely. It's resonant on both 40 and 80, and works on 160 at low power with an in-shack tuner. Downhill, toward the ocean, is also the direction to EU and JA. On sloped land like this, is a second vertical director-like element downhill, below the first one likely to work (it would have to be limited to 10.5m height above ground)? If so, would it buy me much? EZNEC suggests a slight improvement is possible, but modelling this kind of system has been problematic for me in the past, so I'm not confident of the results. Are there other alternatives I should consider for increased gain on 40, 80 and/or 160? The horizontal space I have available above ground is very limited, so things like an FCP or a K9AY loop are too big. I could make room for a BOG or Beverage, but the longest run would be about 50m, and it's not really in the right direction. 73, Rick ZL2HAM / ZM1G _ Topband Reflector
Topband: Source of spots for JT modes and LW or MW?
Does anyone know of a source for spots for the JT modes (JT65A, JT9, and so on) on any bands, and LW or MW (below 160m) in any mode, that is also machine-accessible? Or good automated tools to find and generate them? I know of the spots at WSPRnet and HamSpots, but neither site nor the WSJT toolset appear to offer an interface to make their spots accessible to other apps/sites, and I haven't found a conventional cluster site yet that has them, either. 73, Rick ZL2HAM _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: My Turn For a Brain Pick - Sanity Check
Regarding how the RBN works: You will be re-spotted if you change frequency (more than about 0.1 kHz), or after 10 minutes. Note that due to QRN/QRM/QSB, some Skimmers may not hear you the first time you call. For this type of testing, you might want to call several times in a row, on the same frequency. The RBN team suggests using the keyword TEST instead of CQ for this type of testing. For example: TEST TEST ZL2HAM ZL2HAM You will get the best results if you use the same WPM for all words (or use a keyer). Keep in mind that many RBN nodes, including mine, only listen on 80 and 160 during their local night -- so calling at different times may well result in different Skimmers hearing you. You might also consider using my ViewProp tool to help visualize Skimmer locations and spots. See http://zl2ham.wikispaces.com/ 73, Rick ZL2HAM -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim GM Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 4:14 AM To: topband Subject: Re: Topband: My Turn For a Brain Pick - Sanity Check I think your too close to tell, or just coupling into every thing around there. Knowing you I am sure you have done every thing right. Try calling CQ during day light hours and see what signal strengths the Reverse beacons give you. http://www.reversebeacon.net/main.php Problem with doing this is the beacons may not re-spot you until your off the air for say 15 minutes or shift frequency. I do not know how they really tick. -- Jim K9TF All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 500 kHz
I do not dream of working ZL on 500 Especially since 500 kHz isn't available to hams in ZL yet. We do have 1750m, though (130 to 190 KHz), but the maximum power output is only 5W. 73, Rick ZL2HAM -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Lennart M Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 7:36 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: 500 kHz Hi guys! Most or maybe all of us have been talking about 160 as the low band and that is correct in a sence IF they are just about to open up 500 kHz on a more global basis. I do not dream of working ZL on 500 but just want to figure out how big interest there is at this reflector to run some tests on 500. Been in touch with Elecraft and they recommend an up/down converter for the K3 rather than using the KRX3. If you are interested, please send a note off reflector to me. 73 Len SM7BIC _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Coupla things ...
This isn't a problem only in contests. In non-contest settings, nearly every time I'm on the air for any length of time (SSB), it results in a pileup (no matter which band). Things generally go smoothly in most parts of the world, with the notable exception of EU. Many ops on the other end there seem to be increasingly unaware of, or unconcerned for, reasonable operating procedures. They transmit on top of me, they respond when I ask for a partial even when their call isn't close, they say their call ten times, trying to block everyone else, they even TX in the middle of an established QSO. They don't *listen*. Another regular thing these days is that someone apparently gets unhappy and starts tuning up (really just sending a carrier) on my run frequency for an extended period. Some of it might be called bullying, but it also smells of near-desperation. I don't claim to have an answer. Mostly, I just grin and bear it, and try to pick out the well behaved and/or quiet operators when I can. I have to say, though, that people who sign by saying have fun with the pileup have it backwards. At least for me, a big pileup full of inconsiderate operators is much more work than fun. 73, Rick ZL2HAM -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of lmlangenfeld tds.net Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 9:15 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Coupla things ... Message: 2 Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 15:04:13 -0500 From: Gary Smith g...@ka1j.com To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Coupla things Message-ID: 510436bd.15693.958f...@gary.ka1j.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII - It is a contest so the stronger and more savvy will wrangle contacts from those less able. I do find it disquieting to have someone obviously trying to copy my call and another contester come on top of my attempts and with their stronger signal, send their call over mine so the other person hearing them clearly replies to them instead. I'm running legal limit and the guy overpowering me is 20 over so I know he heard me, he just pushed me aside like a shopper at Macy's Bargain Basement. Yes it's a contest but I don't find that kind of bullying to carry much honor. Gary, et al.: That happened to me more than a few times, too. I was surprised and disappointed by how many seemed to take a DX station's WA9? as an invitation to reply from an entirely different call area or with a vastly dissimilar prefix. And, except in the few cases where the DX op was kind enough to persist, I was usually shouldered aside in the resulting shouting match. Contest or no, I sincerely hope this doesn't represent the new norm for the Gentleman's Band. 73, Mark -- WA9ETW _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Topband: New TX antenna for 80 and 160?
Until recently, I was planning to put up an inverted-L as a TX antenna for 80 and 160. However, things have changed, and it no longer looks like I'll be able to run the radials I would need to have an effective vertical. Now I'm leaning toward a low dipole. My site is highly constrained: it's near the top of a ridge, on a slope, facing the ocean (100m above sea level, 300m from the water). The highest spot above sea level is the top of my tower: it's only 8.5m above immediate ground level (next to the house), although the ground 10m away is 7m lower. I can't run more than a wire or two and a coax feed on (not above) the ground - an FCP, for example, would be much too large. Due to limitations imposed by the city, I can't go higher than 10.5m above ground level. If I run a wire around three sides of my property in a U shape, hung from the tower near (but not at) the feedpoint, I can just hit 80m total length, with a 46m long center section and two 17m long end sections. The wire would attach to 10m high fiberglass poles near each of the four corners of the property. I recently built a dipole for 40/20/15 using 300 ohm twinlead, which worked out very well, so I'm thinking of using a similar approach for this antenna, using the full length for 160, and trimming one wire to be resonant on 80. I'd like to do whatever I can to maximize bandwidth. If I could cover both 80 and 75, for example, that would be great. Questions: -- Is a low dipole for 80 and 160 on a sloping site like mine worth the effort? I'm interested in DX, not NVIS. -- Given my constraints, are there other types of TX antennas I should consider? -- What's the best wire to use to minimize stretching and to maximize bandwidth and efficiency, and that can handle full legal power? I will need at least two (maybe three?) wires to cover both bands. Copperweld is strong, but I've heard it can be lossy, too. Twinlead has two wires, but it's stranded and doesn't feel very strong. -- I'm thinking about using Spiderbeam black fiberglass telescopic poles at the corners. However, I'm concerned about durability in high winds and having enough strength to be able to tension the wires so they don't droop terribly. Is there a better choice? -- I'm planning to put a common mode choke at the feedpoint and run coax from there, as I've done with the other dipole. Any reason to do it differently? 73, Rick ZL2HAM ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: REVERSE BEACON
You can download the RBN raw data from: http://www.reversebeacon.net/raw_data/ After uncompressing the CSV files, you can use a the find command at a DOS prompt to collect your spots: find WA3MEJ *.csv wa3mej.csv After that, it's straightforward to import into Excel and analyze from there. 73, Rick -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of wa3...@comcast.net Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 5:17 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: REVERSE BEACON I am planning a new 160m transmit antenna to be erected in the next few weeks. Before I install it however I want to get a good history (over a few weeks) of spots from the reverse beacon network. My problem is that instead of going to WWW.DXMAPS.COM I would like to get the spots from the source. Is this possible? Is there a utility/program out there that will allow me to plug my call into it and collect all of my spots for me... displaying them on my computer ready to be archived/plotted.. whatever? My new antenna will be a 75 ft Vertical elevated about 8 ft above the ground to include 20 1/4 wave radials. This should be superior to my current Inverted L with 4 radials 6 ft above the ground that the deer keep getting into. WA3MEJ ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Outing The Scofflaws...
I'm not a dxpeditioner, but even so I frequently find myself on the receiving end of pileups, particularly with EU. The behavior of some callers occasionally makes the process very painful. It's also much more work than I think some people understand. Callers who end with enjoy the pileup actually rub me the wrong way. While there's a definite satisfaction that comes out at the end, enjoy isn't really the right word for the feeling that the dysfunctional callers provoke. Some folks not only give their calls repeatedly, they don't wait for a response and so end up talking on top of me, or they still respond when I ask for a repeat on a particular partial that's not theirs, or they only give a few letters of their call. I've noticed a number of callers who give out parts of their call that make it sound like they might unusual DXCC. A ZL DXer friend of mine has taken to only responding to people who give full calls. I considered that, but even when they give full calls, I very often will only catch a partial due to the pileup. And when I do call someone, they still often call on top of me. I had one last night where I must have called the guy five times, and he doubled with me every time. If they're calling, you would think they might actually want to hear when I respond. Some seem to enjoy the chase more than the catch. So, for the dxpeds, who probably have a hundred times the number of people calling as I do, all I can say is: I have some sense for how much work it is, and I'm thankful they are willing fight the crowds (and I'd love a few tips!). 73, Rick ZL2HAM (ZM1G) ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Monopole Elev Pattern w.r.t. Earth Conductivity
From N4IS: Another advantage is to know if the band is open, thing not so common nowadays, I don't raise a skimmer in EU for several weeks, JA, ZL or VK since August. Keep in mind that both of the Skimmers in ZL have very poor reception on 160. ZL2RV is using a short active antenna, and I switched mine from a 10m vertical to a 40-20-15 multi-band dipole pointed toward EU/UA/JA about 10 days ago. 73, Rick ZL2HAM ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: TX antennas for 160m and 80m
I'm interested in putting up TX antennas for 80m and 160m DX, and would be interested in ideas/feedback on possibilities. I'm thinking about an inverted-L, rigged in some way to support both bands. I'd rather avoid Battle Creek Special style traps, if I can. I'd like to use an existing 10m telescoping aluminum antenna as a start. I can't go higher than that with the pole, but I can run a wire from the top of it to a nearby tree that sits uphill from where the pole would be - should allow for at least 20m of wire, hopefully a little more (so 30m+ total from antenna base to the end of the wire). Establishing a good ground plane / radials will be a challenge. The property is on a steep slope, part of the area is covered in dense foliage, and part is my wife's garden. The good news is that soil quality seems pretty good here, and I'm only about 300m away from the ocean, at about 100m above sea level. Questions: -- Assuming I don't have room for a full quarter-wave on 160m, what should I use for top-loading? Ideally something lightweight, easy to build and trim, and capable of handling high power. Maybe just extend the wire back toward the ground after peaking in the tree? The end might only be a few meters from the ground that way, though. -- What's the best way to add 80m? Would it work to run an insulated wire up alongside the aluminum pole, using the same feedpoint? Or perhaps an 80m 1/4-wave stub, connected at the far end of the high wire, running right next to it, coming back toward the base? -- In order to support my solid-state amplifier, one of my goals is to have an SWR less than about 2.5:1 at the antenna feedpoint. Am I likely to need a matching network at the base? -- How difficult would it be to support 40m on this antenna, as well? Can it be done without traps? (my objection to traps is mostly from the complexity and power handling side, not efficiency). -- Given the issues I'm likely to have with establishing a good ground plane, are there other types of antennas I should consider? Thanks and 73, Rick ZL2HAM (ZM1G) ___ Remember the PreStew coming on October 20th. http://www.kkn.net/stew for more info.
