Re: Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany
I briefly used the window line you all are discussing, before I built my own parallel line from scratch. I think all the window line that's available today from Wireman, RF Connection, etc is made by JSC. My experience was with JSC 1318. Yes, the window line had some issues. Change in properties when wet and the way it turns into a sail in any wind were my biggest problems. I think the window line is probably useful under some circumstances. It rolls up kinda nicely (being copper plated steel it will always coil back up!) and is rather lightweight. I know for sure my home-made parallel lines doesn't roll back up nicely! So maybe it would be useful to backpackers etc. especially in dry weather. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom W8JI Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 10:46 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany That tenuous advantage disappears if one popular 360 ohm heavy duty window line variant of 450 line is operated at a mismatch. At that point the stranded copperweld conductors (used for physical strength) start to lose a lot of power at the current maximums of the standing waves. I confirmed the 360 ohms on my particular piece of the window line. In my case, almost 500 feet of that running through the woods needed a surprising amount of finagling the system to present 360 ohms to the feedline. That SWR change people see in the rain apparently is a velocity factor change, making the degree of change in the rain proportional to the mismatch to the window line Z0. The 450 ohm baluns are not all that good a match, and most of the baluns are poor at 160.. The ARRL has had some goofy measurements. They had one article that showed almost no change in loss with a line laying right on wet dirt! Lines I measured here with heavy conductors were about 370 ohms, and loss, velocity factor, and surge impedance changed with water. They also changed substantially when the line was laid against things, or a line enclosed in PVC pipe was buried. It is illogical to have a change in Vf without an accompanying change in loss or impedance. The odd impedance of 450 ohm lines aggravates the issue of broadband use in matched systems. I would stay away from ladder lines for low loss impedance matched systems, and stick with real open wire line of a modest planned impedance such as 450 ohms. Surplus hardline is a much better option, IMO. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Beverage wire question
The solid copper clad steel stuff will always remember its original coiled-up-ness. Stranded stuff is not so bad for memory. I don't have a lot of antenna wire on/near the ground, but the short lengths I do have on/near the ground constantly have deer walking through them. I use very skinny 22 gauge stranded, keep them tensioned with pulleys and small amount of counterweight tension (just a few pounds of sand) and they have never broken yet. The copper clad steel stuff, you have to make sure it does not flex at a fixed point. Copper clad steel will break for sure wherever it is forced to flex, it is worse than soft copper (which will also eventually break at a forced flexure point, but not as quick as copper clad steel). You can do OK with a loop at the ends that can swivel in an insulator hole or a screw eye. Take whatever wire you ever contemplate being flexed at a fixed swivel point and just wiggle it by hand. You will decide instead to form a loop at any swivel point. And you will also decide that copper clad steel is far more brittle than soft copper. Copper clad steel has its advantages. Flexing at fixed points without a loop through an eyehole, is its weak point, not its strength. You will note that where others say it broke so I need stiffer wire at higher tension, I have chosen to go the other way and use skinnier flexier wire at low tension. I know I am bucking the trend. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Garland Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 11:42 AM To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Beverage wire question I've been using 450 ohm ladder line for my two bi-directional 720 ft beverages. These are supported on 4x4 posts, spaced 60 ft apart. I'm in a windy area, and the ladder line requires constant maintenance. I want to replace it with parallel wires, which run through ceramic feedthrough insulators screwed onto each post. The wires will be anchored only at their ends and under considerable tension. I'm thinking of using solid 14 awg or 12 awg copper clad steel wire (Wireman 502 or 503). I know there are less expensive choices, but at this point I'm so tired of working on the beverages, that the durability and reliability is more important to me than the expense. I want to make sure that The Wirmean coils the wire on a spool, so that it can be easily unwound, and also that it's not too stiff to handle. Obviously, I don't want wire that's going to go sproing and start tangling itself when I try to thread a 720 ft length through the insulators. I'd appreciate any suggestions or comments from people who have used this stuff. Is 14awg adequate, or do I need to go with the heavier gauge wire? Tnx, Jim W8ZR _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany
I use strips of 1/16 polycarbonate, about 5/16 wide by 4 long, with 1/16 holes punched near the ends and a slit cut for wire insertion, as spacers for my #14 solid wires. Has held up to the weather and UV just fine over past 5 years. I made some initial plastic spacers using drill press and saw but for me, the real timesaving breakthrough in making the spacers, was figuring out that snips cut the polycarbonate sheet just fine, and the Roper Whitney #5 does the holes like magic. I love that thing. http://www.roperwhitney.com/store/shop/no-5-jr-hand-punch/ Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Eric NO3M Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:42 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany OWL using #14 THHN and 1/2 in. irrigation drip tube. If drilled with the right sized hole, the spacers pinch the wire enough to stay in place w/o any additional hardware: http://no3m.net/index.php?page=open-wire-transmission-line 73 Eric NO3M On 04/30/2014 11:16 AM, Rik van Riel wrote: On 04/30/2014 11:08 AM, Shoppa, Tim wrote: I briefly used the window line you all are discussing, before I built my own parallel line from scratch. It is surprisingly easy to make one's own ladder line, on a budget, from materials that are locally available. I have made ladder line from 12ga THHN wire, 1/4 tubing, UV resistant zip ties, and super glue. First, I cut the 1/4 inch tubing in many pieces of equal length, representing the distance between the wires. Then, I string up two lines of copper wire near each other, at a convenient to work with height. This can be done between two trees, between a tree and the deck, etc... To assemble the ladder line, I run a zip tie through the tubing, around one wire, back through the tubing, around the second wire, and then I ratchet it close. I put spacers on about every foot and a half. Afterwards, I run by and snip off the zip tie ends, followed by another run to put a drop of superglue where each zip tie touches the wire. Ladder line like this has been up both at my house, and at a friend's place, for a few years now. It is a lot easier to make it this way, than to run hundreds of feet of copper wire through ready-bought spreaders. I did take pictures at one point. If someone wants the illustrated version of the above description, I'll type up a blog post with pictures. If someone has ideas on how to do it better, I am all ears :) _ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Ladder line vs coax loss epiphany
It took me literally decades to realize this, but the low ladder line losses that show up in the ARRL graphs are not because ladder line is magical. I had been reading many articles in QST, and on the web, that made it seem like ladder line was magical this way. Really, for decades I did not understand why ladder line had so much less loss than comparable-copper coax. It's because ladder line is used at 450 or 600 ohm impedance, so it of course has one tenth the resistive losses of 50 ohm coax built with similar amount of copper. There a similar (but smaller) advantage to 75 ohm coax vs 52 ohm coax. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Kenneth Silverman Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 11:00 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 1000 feet 5/8 hardline or 600ohm True Ladder lin Rune, Back in 1997 N6BV and I did some testing using ladder line (not the real 600 ohm stuff) and some 9:1 baluns on each end. We were looking at a site in YV where the beach was about 1000' from the hotel room. We tested the following: - loss in back to back baluns - loss in 100' of ladder line and baluns on each end We tested 160 to 10m. We lost the data but I seem to remember the total loss on 80/160 with 1000' of line was negligible. Maybe in the 2 dB range on 10m with 1000' of ladder line. A few of us went to the YV location to run the IARU contest with the 1000' run of ladder line, using a single vertical on the beach. The system worked well, except when there was rain (varying SWR), or coconuts and palm fronds fell and broke the line. I just talked to N6BV and he said the ARRL Labratory recently did some careful measurements on matched-line losses for open-wire line for input to Dean's TLW program. There is a new executable that contains the algorithms for loss computation. Good luck, Kenny K2KW _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Not so ood in the contest last night
I felt conditions to EU were great in Stew and Prestew. There was one really excellent hour to run EU boom-boom-boom in CQ WW in November from LPL. That was a real joy! I felt also 80/40 were lackluster in ARRL DX CW. Usually I could work an endless pool of QRP EU stations on 40M and several QRP EU's on 80M. But nothing like that this year. With 20M open all night, not really all that much of a loss in net score for me! Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Eddy Swynar [mailto:deswy...@xplornet.ca] Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2014 11:50 AM To: he...@vitelcom.net he...@vitelcom.net Cc: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Not so ood in the contest last night On 2014-02-22, at 11:45 AM, Herb Schoenbohm wrote: Don't feel bad Don as last night I only worked three stateside stations K3ZM, W8PR WD5R. I must have spent two hours calling W8PR at night but heard me until at my sunrise. I run an Alpha 87A and a quarter wave vertical but all the other stateside stations called just ran their CQ machines and apparently I could not even work Florida station in here 10 over 9 and only 1200 miles away. Even Jeff VY2ZM who has super ears could not even hear a single character of my call. So as the song goes you gotta know when to hold and when to fold. So I decided to thrown the main breaker to the ham shack and save some money on electricity. Herb, KV4FZ Hi Guys, It's comments like yours, Herb, that make me somewhat glad that Mother Nature effectively robbed me of any Topband activities here this year... I detected a decline in conditions for at least 2 years prior to this season, from all accounts, the 2013-14 session has MORE than earned any Rotten Tomato awards hurled its way...! :o) ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Contest in progress - few signals
If I am operating ARRL DX contest at home I just work the handful of no-mult-no-point domestic guys to get them out of the way. Out of 2000+ QSO's, only two such cases this year, better than some previous years! A multi-multi would worry about setting a bad precedent though. I know some contest loggers will reject domestic calls in a DX test, but I actually like the way N1MM currently does it - just puts it in the log but knows that it counts for no mult no points. Same as working a dupe, it's faster just to work them and get them out of the way. I think there was one RTTY test last year where the same guy is in my log 5 times same band, he probably was doing the contest using a non-contest logger. Should've snail-mailed him a Op Aid 6 :-) Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Bernie McClenny, W3UR [ber...@dailydx.com] Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2014 5:44 AM To: Mike Waters Cc: topband; MU 4CX250B Subject: Re: Topband: Contest in progress - few signals I suspect there were several other reasons they did not come back to your 1500 watts! I suspect during a DX contest like the ARRL DX CW Contest most US or VE stations will not reply to other US or VE station's first several calls and put a DX emphasis on the next several CQ tests. Also I suspect the 160 ops at W3LPL were listening toward EU, AF, SA or the Caribbean for QSOs with points. Remember US and VE stations work DX for three points and any other stations from VE or the United States count as ZERO in the contest. On my way back to W3LPL as one of the 10 meter ops. Bernie McClenny, W3UR Editor of The Daily DX, The Weekly DX and How's DX? Two week trial - http://www.dailydx.com/trial.html https://twitter.com/dailydx 410-489-6518 On Feb 15, 2014, at 8:19 PM, Mike Waters mikew...@gmail.com wrote: I didn't notice that the K index jumped to 5 until after I posted this. That doesn't help. But the 3 or 4 stations that I hear calling CQ are quite strong (S9+) in SW Missouri. W3LPL is S9+, but he had a lot of trouble hearing my 1500 watts. Odd. 73, MIke www.w0btu.com On Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 7:09 PM, MU 4CX250B 4cx2...@miamioh.edu wrote: Band has been poor here in NM. Last night didn't hear Europe at all, and only about 10 SA and Carrib. Stations. This morning, opening into Asia was marginal, with only a handful of weak JAs. Even Kim HL5IVL, who usually blasts through here, was barely out if the noise. 73, Jim W8ZR Sent from my iPhone On Feb 15, 2014, at 5:17 PM, Mike Waters mikew...@gmail.com wrote: There's a contest in progress --the ARRL Int. DX CW-- but you wouldn't know it from listening on 160. Where is everyone? The only two stations on 160 calling CQ TEST are K3LR and W3LPL. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: DX Summit connection problems
I too started with DXsummit as a web interface to spotting info and especially recent history. Today when I want to research spots I most commonly use reversebeacon.net (skimmer spots) and dxwatch.net (manually entered spots) which I feel have superior tools. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Herb Schoenbohm [mailto:he...@vitelcom.net] Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2014 05:21 PM To: TopBand List topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: DX Summit connection problems I use DX-Summit at times to monitor topand activity. But for some reason the connection is rejected via my normal ISP. However when I use by Android on ATT there is no problem connection. The same ability to connect is via another computer hooked to a different IP address. One local ISP is blocked and the other isn't. I just hope someone can help me with this as there must be some simple solution. On the DX Summit site I can not find a help or contact person to send my problem to. Thanks, Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Chassis Bonding
K9YC writes: There is no problem with V- bonded at load equipment (the rig). The problem is bonding at the power supply, and that is EASY to fix -- indeed, many (most?) power supplies are built either with V- NOT bonded, or with nothing chassis-referenced and a removable jumper at the output. All Astron supplied I've looked at are built this way -- indeed, all I've looked at had the bond to the mounting stud of terminal strip that was insulated from the chassis by paint. So they were NOT bonded, and neither was the green wire, which went to the same lug. My observations of Astron ground wiring are similar to yours but I come to a different conclusion. The V- goes to the terminal strip lug and the terminal strip lug is attached to painted chassis by screw, but I would assume that this makes a poor and intermittent connection between V- and chassis ground. Insulated by paint seems like a very poor idea. It's like someone thought my boss told me to do this, I don't think I it should be done, and if it isn't worth doing then it isn't worth doing well :-) Lifting the ground connection to V- is a very common modification to Astrons and some sources (e.g. http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-intro-stuff.html ) tell me that Astron has vacillated between grounding V- to cabinet and not grounding and isolating it with 3K ohm resistor over the years. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Submerging variable caps in oil as substitute for vacuum variables
The author points out (correctly) the tempco issues with oil dielectric. Still I am intrigued by the thought of a remote tuning capacitor via hydraulic tubing :-). The capacitor plates could be as simple as two concentric cylinder conductors with appropriate spacers. I betcha crud collecting on the top of the oil would set voltage limit. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Pete Smith N4ZR [mailto:n...@contesting.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 05:42 PM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Submerging variable caps in oil as substitute for vacuum variables The omega match for my shunt fed tower uses two 300 uF roughly 3000-volt variables I bought from Henry radio a few years ago. I think occasionally about running more than 100 watts on 160, but the cost of the vacuum variables is a real issue. February QST has an article on using mineral oil immersion to increase the voltage capability of variables in a 600M amplifier. The article does not include any hi-pot data, but indicates that the maximum capacitance went up a lot. Opinions? -- 73, Pete N4ZR Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com. For spots, please go to your favorite ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node. _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: PZ1AA
PZ1AA sent me zone DX and was very definitely south of my QTH based on antenna selection. CQ contest FAQ says log the zone based on their location if the guy sends wrong or no zone. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Don Kirk [mailto:wd8...@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2014 06:53 PM To: topband topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: PZ1AA Worked a station identified as PZ1AA during the CQWW 160 meter CW contest this weekend, and the zone they reported was 8. Wonder if this was a valid call, as I believe the zone should have been 9, and can't find any information on the internet regarding this call sign. PZ1AA was worked by numerous stations, and looks like they were spotted one time by WJ2D, and they show up on the W3LPL reverse beacon network numerous times. Any information would be appreciated, as this would be a new one for me if it really is a valid call. Thanks, Don (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Single antenna port xcvr but want to employ separate receive antenna
Traditionally a T/R switch means a switch to be used the other way, to allow you to move a single antenna between your separate transmitter and receiver. Ironic that here we are in the 21st century and some of use an external box to do the reverse function! To switch between transmit and receive antennas on my rig, I use a small 12V relay keyed via my Ten-Tec Eagle's amp key output when I'm on 160. Every transceiver made in the past 50 years has an amp key line of some kind. On the Jupiter it's a phono jack labeled EXT T/R. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of James Rodenkirch Sent: Monday, January 13, 2014 8:36 AM To: Top Band Contesting Subject: Topband: Single antenna port xcvr but want to employ separate receive antenna Have my vertical working great and have a small Delta-loop low band receive antenna BUT the Ten Tec Jupiter doesn't have a separate receive antenna like a K2, for instance (I borrowed a K2 to try out but the buttons/controls are to small for me to operate as I have a severe case of peripheral neuropathy, courtesy of Agent Orange).So, I am up and running and will be in the CQ 160 contest at the end of January but have no means, currently, of switching rapidly 'tween the top loaded vertical and loop. A T/R switch won't do it for meso looking at a DX Engineering RTR-1A but sure don't like the price!!http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-rtr-1a Anyone have an RTR-1 or 1A that is excess to their needs and willing to sell OR have another idea of how I can employ a separate receive antenna when I have one antenna port? Thank you, in advance, for any repliesoff line replies work for me. 72/73, Jim Rodenkirch K9JWV _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Single antenna port xcvr but want to employ separatereceive antenna
If you pull a relay low to go TX and you ever lose power to the relay, lose the relay, or lose the relay path, the system defaults with the transmitter running into the receiver antenna. You have to decide if that can damage RX antenna stuff. This requires a fast relay pull in time, and a slow release time.. I've done that several times, usually right after I clean up the cabling. I've had several QSO's with me using the RX antenna for transmit :-). In fact modeling puts the K9AY loop at 25 or so dB down compared to my transmit antenna and this is consistent with observed performance both transmit and receive! I usually run the rig at about 60W out into the amp which puts about 600W out. So 60W into the receive antenna, minus 25dB, is around a few hundred milliwatts ERP. The better equipped 160M stations within a few hundred miles can still hear me but it takes some effort to complete the Q. I know in the yearly NAQCC 160M QRP sprint, I work easily into the better stations in the upper Midwest and NE with 5W. I think I should sponsor a Stew Perry plaque, most QSO's made transmitting into the receive antenna, but that would be unfair because I would probably win it. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Ground Radials
I think my situation is very similar to yours. My antenna (a 130 foot doublet up 80 feet when fed on 80 and up, but when I tie the feedline together at the base it becomes a Marconi T for 160M transmit) comes down at a corner of the house. That corner of the house is surrounded on: 90 degrees by backyard 90 degrees by driveway 90 degrees by garage 90 degrees by house What I do is run radials off in all directions. In the 90 degree sector taken up by the garage the radials are laid across the garage floor, go out the garage windows, then across the driveway and yard. In the 90 degree sector taken up by the driveway, the radials run across the top of the blacktop driveway. In the 90 degree sector taken up by the house, the radials run across the basement ceiling, through the crawlspace ceiling, and then out the other side of the house to emerge and be buried through the rest of the yard In the 90 degree sector taken up by the yard there are buried radials. The garage and driveway radials are rolled up in summertime (although redeployed for summer stew). In no direction do I have a quarter wavelength. The shortest radials to the edge of the property line are 30 feet, and the longest ones are about 80 feet. There are about 40 radials in all, a mix of copper and aluminum electric fence wire. As to performance... I have compared my signal strengths with other east coast contest stations into EU and western US. So have the contest stations. I feel I am an alligator with regards to 160M performance right now, I have a great transmit signal, but need to work on my receive system. Right now I have a K9AY loop and a west facing pennant and feel I still have a long way to go, to get to some phased loops for certain important directions. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Chortek, Robert L Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 10:30 AM To: Eddy Swynar Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Ground Radials Thanks Eddy, Rudy's work is excellent and I've studied much of it in detail! My question, in-artfully posed, related to the impact of the house on a ground radial system, not elevated vs . Ground radials. All the best! HNY Bob AA6VB Sent from my iPhone On Jan 7, 2014, at 7:26 AM, Eddy Swynar deswy...@xplornet.ca wrote: Hi All, I must admit that I've been only half-paying attention to the on-going discussions of ground radials here, but I do submit herewith---for your information enlightenment---that VERY excellent series that was written-up by N6LF, and which was referred to earlier by another poster... It may be accessed by clicking here: http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/2009/12/series-of-qex-articles-on-ground-system-experiments.html ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Digital mode spurious issues Ideas for possible resolution
I think we could encourage use of ARRL band plan, by not complaining when digital modes show up in 1800-1810. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Steven Raas [mailto:sjr...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 12:47 PM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Digital mode spurious issues Ideas for possible resolution I have an idea, it may be far fetched, but I think a good one none the less. As a group we can create a document, in short explaining the issues that are hand , that the technical people will see and understand the non-technical end users ( not saying all end-users are non-technical ) will also understand, our best idea for resolution and present this document with 'signatures' , to the major 'digita'l reflectors, groups, creators and experimenters, outlining the benefits for both groups interested. For kicks, I looked up the ARRL's 'band plan' http://www.arrl.org/band-plan and their document says 1800-1810 ( digital ) 1995-2000 (beacons), I personally believe that the WSPR stuff for prop reports should go there ( some is not as we all know ) because its not 2-way com stuff to the best of my knowledge, their just low power prop beacons. Yes I do understand that the ways of the ARRL are not always great.. however I can see benefits for us all on a move of the digital stuff, just as many that are following this thread can see aswell. This may have been done before possibly no traction came of it, I'm not sure, however if this is a problem that is affecting masses, it should be addressed, in kind to the masses, until resolved. Just a thought...comments suggestions? -Steve Raas N2JDQ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Stew Perry Streaming Audio
I always set these software-based goals before the test, but funny how they get delayed in the face of driving kids around to acitivities and stringing up antennas in the trees, and then when the sun goes down and the contest starts swinging, all those pie in the sky virtual dreams evaporate in the face of real QSO's to be made :-) I had a lot of fun in the Stew Perry and felt my new west-facing pennant was an improvement for stations in the deeper west and on west coast. I'm sure I didn't hear some low power California stations that tried to call me. Tim N3QE From: Shoppa, Tim Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2013 9:58 AM Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: RE: Topband: Stew Perry Streaming Audio Streaming audio live during the contest doesn't seem particularly useful to me. But recordings made available post-contest over the web, those might be interesting to others. I'm going to see if I can set that up at my (much more modest) shack. I would love to hear what my signal sounds like on West Coast or in EU. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Tree [t...@kkn.net] Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2013 9:39 AM To: Eric NO3M Cc: Stan Stockton; topband@contesting.com; cq-cont...@contesting.com; Clive GM3POI Subject: Re: Topband: Stew Perry Streaming Audio Perhaps a different approach is to make it available to people who are interested in hearing it. There are probably some people who are not able to operate the contest and would appreciate the opportunity to hear what it sounds like. Also - Eric is a top notch operator and being able to listen to how he uses two radios might be educational for some. I really doubt there is going to be abuse of this - despite what our imaginations come up with. I know K5ZD and others have done this for other major contests. Tree N6TR On Sat, Dec 28, 2013 at 3:39 AM, Eric NO3M n...@no3m.net wrote: Since there seems to be too much concern over this, though no ill intent was intended, audio will not be broadcast. GL / 73 Eric NO3M On 12/28/2013 06:23 AM, Stan Stockton wrote: Eric, You made it clear what you were doing, and I am quite sure Clive understood. I think the logic behind his question has to do with whether it is within the spirit of the contest - especially this one. Let's say, as a result of the announcement or advertisement , 15 DX stations and 25 USA stations who are not even going to send in their log called you, just for fun and the novelty of it, so they could listen to their own signal at your end via Internet. What if some have enough QRM or QRN that they could only copy whether you came back to them by listening via internet? Fair to your competitors? It is cool, but I've always had a problem with this, regardless of what contest. 73...Stan, K5GO Sent from my iPad _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Stew Perry Streaming Audio
Streaming audio live during the contest doesn't seem particularly useful to me. But recordings made available post-contest over the web, those might be interesting to others. I'm going to see if I can set that up at my (much more modest) shack. I would love to hear what my signal sounds like on West Coast or in EU. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Tree [t...@kkn.net] Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2013 9:39 AM To: Eric NO3M Cc: Stan Stockton; topband@contesting.com; cq-cont...@contesting.com; Clive GM3POI Subject: Re: Topband: Stew Perry Streaming Audio Perhaps a different approach is to make it available to people who are interested in hearing it. There are probably some people who are not able to operate the contest and would appreciate the opportunity to hear what it sounds like. Also - Eric is a top notch operator and being able to listen to how he uses two radios might be educational for some. I really doubt there is going to be abuse of this - despite what our imaginations come up with. I know K5ZD and others have done this for other major contests. Tree N6TR On Sat, Dec 28, 2013 at 3:39 AM, Eric NO3M n...@no3m.net wrote: Since there seems to be too much concern over this, though no ill intent was intended, audio will not be broadcast. GL / 73 Eric NO3M On 12/28/2013 06:23 AM, Stan Stockton wrote: Eric, You made it clear what you were doing, and I am quite sure Clive understood. I think the logic behind his question has to do with whether it is within the spirit of the contest - especially this one. Let's say, as a result of the announcement or advertisement , 15 DX stations and 25 USA stations who are not even going to send in their log called you, just for fun and the novelty of it, so they could listen to their own signal at your end via Internet. What if some have enough QRM or QRN that they could only copy whether you came back to them by listening via internet? Fair to your competitors? It is cool, but I've always had a problem with this, regardless of what contest. 73...Stan, K5GO Sent from my iPad _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: 160 condx last night
I found conditions on 160M were spectacular last night at end of CWops event, several loud DL's and F's and HA's and for the first time this season for me, Ukraine. Highlight for me was working V5/DL3DXX at 0400Z on 160M, and he just got louder and louder after that (his sunrise?) Right now I have horrible 40M line noise but 80M and 160M seem to be unaffected. How that can be... I do not know. Noise blanker helps a lot. If anyone has any insight for how 120Hz impulse noise can just disappear below a certain frequency, that might help me find it. Ground is frozen solid right now but I will go out and try to set up the second K9AY loop phased endfire with my first towards west coast for Stew. Eric found these links for me: http://www.kkn.net/dayton2011/K4IQJ_Dayton_Update.pdf and http://www.kkn.net/dayton2012/K4IQJ_Dayton_2012.pdf Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: 160 condx last night
I went exploring with a direction finding antenna and my rig on batteries along the street, and the 120Hz impulse noise near the power lines on the street is far far worse than it is up the driveway at my house. But unable to pin down to any one pole. The 120Hz noise I have is worst on 40M and 30M... I suppose it's possible it's an arcing source on a 50 foot wire, that would be about a half wavelength on those bands, and that's why its worst in that range. But that's all hypothetical until it's tracked down and fixed! Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Jim Brown [j...@audiosystemsgroup.com] Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 12:22 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 160 condx last night On 12/26/2013 6:22 AM, Shoppa, Tim wrote: If anyone has any insight for how 120Hz impulse noise can just disappear below a certain frequency, that might help me find it. Several logical reasons that can happen. 1) The antenna radiating it is more effective at higher frequencies. 2) The directivity of your RX antennas with respect to the source is such that they reject the noise on those lower bands. 3) It's not broadband, because it's electronically generated. This is true of virtually all switching power supplies, and many electronic sources. The noise from my SteppIR controller and its switching PSU wipe out some bands and not others. The PSU is worst on 12M, bad on the bands around it, but not so bad lower in frequency. Now that I've replaced it with a linear supply, I hear the controller on the160M that's 25 ft away, so I have to turn it off when I want to work 160M. 4) The source you're hearing on 40M might not have been active when you were on 160 last night. 73, Jim K9YC _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Boring Report
In the Croatian CW contest Saturday night, LY7M, 9A2AJ, 9A5W, 9A5CW, S57DX had amazingly loud signals on the East Coast of US circa 0400UTC. 9A5CW in particular. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tree Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2013 9:52 AM To: 160 Subject: Topband: Boring Report After about two years of no QSOs with Europe - the band started showing signs of life a few nights ago. Over the past three days - I have made six QSOs with Europe. Last night - some of the signals were pretty encouraging. 9A5CW was getting copied by my K3's CW decoder occasionally. S51V showed up with an amazing signal around 0600Z which I initially thought had to be from North America. Hopefully - this is a sign that conditions will be good for the Stew Perry contest coming up this Saturday. Here is that link for the rules again - www.kkn.net/stew 73 Tree N6TR/7 Boring, OR _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Insulator problems
Some of the old-school ham radio suppliers sell/stock Daburn porcelain insulators, or you can get them direct from Daburn. e.g. Daburn 10-52: http://www.daburn.com/10-58ceramicfeed-thruinsulators.aspx Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Herb Schoenbohm [he...@vitelcom.net] Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 2:19 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Insulator problems My 160 meter ATU uses an old military box with the original behive feed thru insulator that is starting to crumble. I haven't been able to find a pocelin feed thu of that size (about 3'') and the ones on e bay are very small. Any suggestions for a source? Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ On 12/17/2013 3:09 PM, w9...@aol.com wrote: When I lost my last set of monster buss bar ceramic insulators to breakage due to a broken guy line on the tower, I replaced them with artificial wood. I used 4 X 4's. It machines easily and works flawlessly wet or dry with full power even in very high voltage conditions. The material is actually made from recycled milk containers, so the factory told me. Anyone who wants a picture, I'll send it to you. 73, Barry W9UCW _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: K3 some interesting noise lessons in the ARRL 160.
I have used the K3 noise blanker in several different environments, sometimes with great success, sometimes with less success. I know the word null, which many will take to be a subtractive linear process, does not apply to the traditional impulse-noise blanker. The traditional noise blanker is in fact quite nonlinear and more accurately a multiply signal by zero during a noise pulse function. But it is not unusual to find a magic frequency where the NB settings and the noise phase characteristics and antenna characteristics all interact to yield good place on the band vs bad place on the band and that can be hugely important during a test. I'm not sure anyone needs to disqualify themselves for CQ'ing in a DX window in a contest, but discussions about the DX window and noise environments are very relevant to me and I like hearing them. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Greg Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 6:30 AM To: 'TopBand List' Subject: Re: Topband: K3 some interesting noise lessons in the ARRL 160. Why would the NB null be frequency dependent? Why does it change? Why would a different antenna make any difference unless you pick up different noise sources with the two different antennas? 73, Greg-N4CC -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger K2AV Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2013 8:59 PM To: Richard (Rick) Karlquist Cc: TopBand List Subject: Re: Topband: K3 some interesting noise lessons in the ARRL 160. I am confused about 1831.5 being occupied. That's 1831 was UNoccupied, so I used it as a run frequency. No one else was using it as a run frequency. The noise blanker, at that time, with aforementioned settings, was producing a very effective null in the noise at 1831-1833. There were vacant frequencies in that range, vacant at various times, and I used them, in the process breaking the dx window rule. The combination of NB settings and the 250 Hz width (with 250 8 pole filter) on the K3 was NOT being falsed by nearby frequencies, nor was it mushing the noise over weak signals, that discovered by a few hours messing with settings. If I turned OFF the K3 NB, the buzz noise at 1831-1833 drowned out all but loud signals. Tonight the noise null using the NB on the TX antenna is around 1826. On the TX antenna the noise goes up over 16 dB when I turn the NB off. On the RX ant the null is at 1838 and the noise goes up 17 dB when I turn NB off. These are less pronounced than on the contest night when the diffs were in the low 20's, and the noise was S9. 73, Guy 1. The NB works well on the noise, but gets falsed by nearby signals on a crowded band in the contest. IOW, the NB would have worked fine during non-contest times. The NB on my FT-1000 is like this (I have the W8JI NB mod). or 2. The local noise was lower on 1831.5, but you still needed the NB. QRM from other stations was not an issue. I don't own a K3, but an considering buying one. Rick N6RK _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Insulator problems- Notr og caution
Non-UV-rated clear 0.118 Polycarbonate is visibly yellowed and mildly brittle after 5 years in my outdoors environment in the sunshine and other weather. I think this is the plasticizers drying out but I'm sure a polymers chemist would correct me. Even though it's mildly brittle none of my insulators broke in service. They only broke when I flexed them with physical force. I would say the stuff was still way more flexible than similar new acrylic. I still have the original non-UV-rated polycarbonate up 80 feet in the sky, and last year I added some UV-rated polycarbonate spacers. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bill Wichers Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 2:36 PM To: Charlie Cunningham; 'Greg - ZL3IX'; 'Topband Reflector' Subject: Re: Topband: Insulator problems- Notr og caution Yep, that's the black pigment commonly used that I refer to. It's used in the PE jacks of coax too! I can't say I've tested black - vs - white materials in the microwave region, but I've never seen a problem with them down in the HF (or 2m/6m) range. Regarding acetal itself, I have a white bearing block on a boat lift that (was) in the sun pretty much all day, all summer, every year, and it lasted about 15 years. It gets chalky after that time and starts to fracture. It would be a problem in tension, and it was a problem in constant used as a rotary bearing. The black material I replaced it with is about 5 years old now and still like new. -Bill -Original Message- From: Charlie Cunningham [mailto:charlie-cunning...@nc.rr.com] Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 2:33 PM To: Bill Wichers; 'Greg - ZL3IX'; 'Topband Reflector' Subject: RE: Topband: Insulator problems- Notr og caution Many black plastics are blackened by the addition of carbon black that can make them rather lossy at RF! Been there, done that in my work - at 900 MHz. 73, Charlie, K4OTV _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: ARRL 160 contest observation
I spent almost all of the second night of the ARRL 160 test, just running, little to no SP. This probably shows up in my final score as a high QSO count but comparatively low mult count. I certainly didn't rack up the most 5-pointers of the east coast guys, either! Interestingly... whenever I worked a DX station while running, sometimes even before I successfully copied all of the DX's call, other folks would start showing up on my run frequency trying to work, I guess, the DX. Often I worked them even if they were dupes. Sometimes the EU DX I worked seemed to come in a streak too. I don't have the best station in the world and it's unusual for me to work 5 EU's in a row but it happened on several occasions. This may have just been a couple of good condx to EU highlights the second evening. I'll be going to go back and look at reversebeacon and manual spots from those nights, and see what correlations there might be. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: ARRL 160 contest observation
After CQ WW CW, I was talking with a guy in Arizona who had worked 100+ JA's on 160 in that test! More than half a continent away, very different perspective on 160 than mine! Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Ashton Lee [mailto:ashton.r@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 10:12 AM To: Shoppa, Tim Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: ARRL 160 contest observation Come out to Colorado and you won't have the problem of mass European pile ups. On Dec 11, 2013, at 8:03 AM, Shoppa, Tim tsho...@wmata.com wrote: I spent almost all of the second night of the ARRL 160 test, just running, little to no SP. This probably shows up in my final score as a high QSO count but comparatively low mult count. I certainly didn't rack up the most 5-pointers of the east coast guys, either! Interestingly... whenever I worked a DX station while running, sometimes even before I successfully copied all of the DX's call, other folks would start showing up on my run frequency trying to work, I guess, the DX. Often I worked them even if they were dupes. Sometimes the EU DX I worked seemed to come in a streak too. I don't have the best station in the world and it's unusual for me to work 5 EU's in a row but it happened on several occasions. This may have just been a couple of good condx to EU highlights the second evening. I'll be going to go back and look at reversebeacon and manual spots from those nights, and see what correlations there might be. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: How much ground independence?
I found it very educational when setting up my K9AY loop, to listen to the PT0S pileups. It's what convinced me that I had done it right in building the K9AY. Remote direction selection on the antenna worked a lot like an astronomical blink comparator: hearing which signals disappear, and then looking up headings using qrz.com and other online tools, helped me accurately locate the true directionality of my antennas. The blink comparator is a very powerful tool (I think I was one of the last generations of astronomy grad students to be trained using the original hardware version... I think most folks since my generation use image differencing algorithms on the digital capture) for the eye. Similarly switching direction instantaneously and hearing which signals drop away and which ones come up, is a very powerful tool for the ear. I will see if I can get diversity reception and get similar advantages. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Don Kirk Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 11:16 AM To: Bruce Cc: topband; chetmoore Subject: Re: Topband: How much ground independence? Hi Bruce, I'm using 3 small Pennant RX antennas (51.6% the size of full size pennants), one pointing 40 degrees, one pointing 160 degrees, and one pointing 300 degrees (sharing the same feedpoint). Originally bottom of them were 2 feet off the ground and then after a year of encouragement from my wife I raised them up so the bottom are 8 feet above ground. My buried radial field (55 short radials, average length 60 feet) runs right under my pennants, and my 68 foot base loaded TX vertical is approximately 40 or 45 feet (as I recall) from the feedpoint of the pennants. No difference in performance between the 2 foot and the 8 foot above ground mounting positions (no noticeable difference in signal to noise using my TX vertical as a reference antenna for signal to noise improvement, and no noticeable difference in front to back ratio). Originally I took steps to detune my TX antenna during receive, but to my surprise detuning was not necessary on 160 meters in my installation. On the other hand something is destroying the pattern (noticeable on front to back) of my pennants when used on 80 meters, and detuning of my TX antenna helps slightly, but the TX antenna is not the main cause of my 80 meters problem (I even removed (took down) my TX antenna to make sure it was not the TX antenna causing the problem). I've always suspected the problem is the proximity of the RX array to my house and interaction with house wiring, rain gutters, metal I beams, metal chimney flue, etc, but never considered the ground radials. Since my primary interest is 160 meters I'm very happy with my system (installed summer of 2011). This morning I recorded AA1K calling CQ on 160 meters and uploaded the recording to youtube so you (and others) can experience one example of the directional properties of my pennants. Since my pennants are not pointing exactly 180 degrees from each other it's impossible to fully capture the front to back properties, but you can certainly compare the performance to the expected plots of my array. There was a lot of QSB during my recordings this morning, and suspect (based on the variation in front to back ratio during the recording) that the arrival angle was changing considerably over time but the QSB might have also been due to a different propagation phenomena. The youtube link for the AA1K recording is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWlBy5ypMIU (Note : AA1K is 564 miles from my QTH at a heading of 93.6 degrees) The link to my website where you can see the expected directional properties (pattern plots overlay) when receiving AA1K from my QTH is http://sites.google.com/site/pennantflagantennas/ You will definitely see periods where I'm experiencing 18 to 20 dB front to back directional properties in the AA1K youtube recording (and AA1K is not lined up exactly with the back of my 300 degree pennant), but then you will also see times where the directional properties are much less. My plot overlays predict approximately 15 dB in directional properties when receiving AA1K (if arrival angle is 31 degrees), and think the 15 dB is close to the average experienced in my recording. Also on my website I show a plot for predicted front to back ratio versus arrival angle for pennants, and think you will find this interesting (front to back ratio is very dependent on arrival angle). On the average I would say I notice front to back to be 18 to 20 dB if the back of one of my antennas is close to being lined up with the station I'm receiving (not exactly front to back since my antennas are not facing exactly 180 degrees from each other, but close since the forward pattern is so broad). Sorry for the long posting, but very complicated topic. I also have lots of comments about the overall characteristics of
Topband: Quarter-wavelength patterns available
I am an alligator since adding an amp to my station and need to improve 160M receive abilities. I have a very odd shaped suburban lot but I do have a quarter wavelength on 160M available in roughly the NNE-SSW direction. The corners of the lot have a lot of brush and trees and are actually pretty good opportunities for supporting K9AY loops in. I have a near infinite supply of bamboo poles from neighbor's overgrowth I might be able to use as supports too. I already have a K9AY loop in one corner of the lot but would like to improve things. What patterns would be available to me given the roughly quarter wavelength spacing? Most desirable directions are NE to EU and W to California. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Easy-to-learn 160 contest logging program?
I have extensively used N1MM inside a Virtualbox VM emulator on Linux. I don't think it'll ever work in Wine. I heartily recommend N1MM. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Pete Smith N4ZR [mailto:n...@contesting.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 05:12 PM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Easy-to-learn 160 contest logging program? It would make sense to raise this on n1mmlog...@yahoogroups.com. For that matter, a quick search will find a number of recent threads on exactly this topic. 73, Pete N4ZR Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com. For spots, please go to your favorite ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node. On 12/4/2013 1:12 PM, Mike Waters wrote: Thanks for all the recommendations for N1MM, but I am just unable to install it on my shack's Linux computer. Under WINE, I get a database run-time error after I do the latest update. And there's something wrong with my Virtualbox Windows XP installation on that machine that I don't have time to fix. How about Trlog for DOS? There is NO price or purchase info at http://www.trlog.com, nor does it say what contests the free version supports. I'll look at the others soon. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Verifying integrity of 75 ohm coax.
High pressure contacts, I feel fine getting slathering dielectric grease all over them before making the connection. Examples are like a Battery terminal in a car, or a spade lug under a screw, or the barrel on an F connector. Something you actually apply some amount of force to tighten (even just tight finger force). This forces the grease out of the actual metal to metal contact, and at the same time ensures the metal contacts are enclosed in the grease. But for low pressure contacts, e.g. molex pins, or the center pin on an F connector jack, I think it's best to keep the dielectric grease off the low pressure contacts. Having it in and around a connector boot or shroud that goes around a low pressure contact is fine. A good thing in harsh weather or chemical environment to help keep weather and fumes out. Rubber connector boots last a lot longer with silicone grease on them. -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Garland Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 9:32 AM To: 'Tom W8JI'; 'topband' Subject: Re: Topband: Verifying integrity of 75 ohm coax. Helpful advice, Tom. Thanks. I've always worried about using silcone grease on connectors. I understand it helps seal the connector, but my fear is that it could interfere with the electrical bond. On the face of it, getting non-conducting grease on, e.g., the center terminal of an N-connector or PL259 seems like asking for trouble. 73, Jim W8ZR -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom W8JI Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 5:26 PM To: Bill Wichers; g...@ka1j.com; Topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Verifying integrity of 75 ohm coax. Just a suggestion: the TB Snap'n'seal connectors also have Seal nuts which can be bought separately. They're intended to seal out water from the thread area on the F connector. They are basically a metal shell with some threads that captivates an O-ring such that tightening them against the connector seals the o-ring between the threads and the F-connector itself. They're intended to be a water seal, but they also make a pretty decent locknut for an F connector even if you don't care about the weather proofing function. The newer CATV splitters, etc, have rubber boots that the male end seats into. Those also reduce the possibility of loosening but probably not as much as the seal nuts. If you have a problem with F connectors loosening over time the seal nuts used as lock nuts might be worth a try. Note that the seal nuts will require about 1/8 or so of extra threaded area on the female connector compared to using the F connector alone so they don't work with all female connectors. You need to make sure when using them that the mail connector still seats properly (i.e. the coax shouldn't rotate within the threaded ferrule of the male connector after it's been tightened). If the connectors are properly tightened, there is no reason at all to use a lock nut or any locking aids. It is as unnecessary as a lock nut or lock washer on a car lug nut. I dealt extensively with F connectors in the 1980's for a company that had dozens of small CATV and MATV systems. They never had problems with fitting getting loose. They had ten's of thousands of F connectors. You have to **snug** the connector with a wrench or tool of some type. Be sure the threads are clean and use some light pure silicon or Teflon electrical rated grease. It does not take much pressure, around 10 inch-pounds of torque is enough. With a four inch wrench, that's about 2 pounds of push. DO NOT use the common 30 inch-lb wrenches. They will do as much harm as good. If you do not know what two pounds is to push a wrench, push on a bathroom scale with two fingers and get used to the feel. Then push the same way on a regular 4 or 5 inch wrench. The worse tools of all to judge torque are pliers and connector drivers that you spin with your wrist. End wrenches are the easiest to learn, because you can snug with two fingers and really learn the pressure. One way to avoid water problems on low frequencies is to flood the connector with a pure silicon grease. Dielectric tune up grease for automobiles is a nearly perfect grease. There are some good Teflon based non-petroleum greases, also. DO NOT use Noalox or any other anti-seize. Noalox is nothing but trouble. On higher frequencies, like UHF or higher, you do not want to flood the connector. On lower frequencies, you can just flood it. Connectors coming loose is like having connecting rod nuts falling off, or wheel lug nuts falling off. It has nothing at all to do with lock hardware. They all stay on just as well when greased or oiled as they do dry or locked. They only loosen when not tightened properly or when the mechanical connection is seriously abused.
Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches
I have a homemade K9AY loop with the classic diode setup to pick direction remotely. Unlike the classic switching scheme with Bias-T's, I use isolation transformers at both ends to couple switching voltages into the coax. I started with 1N4001 because they looked more than beefy enough. This past summer I lost the diodes several times, I assumed due to thunderstorm activity. Diodes failed shorted each time. Easy enough to fix. This time I put in 1N4007's. This past weekend I again lost the diodes, again failed shorted. No thunderstorm activity but maybe induced signals from my TX antenna? Big RTTY contest with the amp on. I also had built a little switching matrix of transistors and foot switches inside the shack to let me pick direction with a footswitches. Those transistors have blown several times too. Again first time I assumed thunderstorm but not so sure anymore. So obviously there is some voltage differential zapping these simple low voltage switching devices. Thing is, the switching network is completely galvanically isolated at the antenna end. Confirmed with ohmmeter and HV supply. Unlike the classic K9AY design, I use isolation transformers at each end to couple the switching voltages in. So what is killing these simple semiconductors? Thinking about removing all semiconductors and running independent switching wires. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches
I think you raise a good point Tom. I know I have some RF in the shack especially when running the amplifier on 10M which has been happening a lot the past few months. The computer sometimes reboots and USB and audio peripherals go wacky. With the switch diodes dying during a big RTTY test on 10M maybe my transmit signal just in the shack could do in the diodes etc. The bypassing of control voltages is just some dinky 50V .01uF monolithic ceramics, and the inductance in the isolation transformer windings. Right now I have a rats nest of coax, each cable way too long, daisy chaining rig to switchbox to amp to switchbox to tuner to antenna. Computer, USB, video, audio, and footswitch wiring is all tangled up too. Maybe should just clean that! Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Tom W8JI [mailto:w...@w8ji.com] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 07:55 AM To: Shoppa, Tim; topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches So what is killing these simple semiconductors? Thinking about removing all semiconductors and running independent switching wires. How is the RF bypassing and layout? _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches
The antenna end of mine, looks very similar to PG0A/PA3FYM implementation, drawn at http://remco.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/pg0a-k9ay-small.jpg Uses an isolation transformer (not an autotransformer) and provides galvanic isolation between antenna, antenna ground rod, and the coax. I do not use LED's in mine, I just use regular diodes, and these are the diodes that are blowing. I'm starting to believe that it's during RTTY contest weekends when I'm on 10 a lot, that the diodes are blowing, and I think Tom's suggestion about bypassing effective for 10M (not just 160M) may be most relevant. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: kd9sv [mailto:kd...@comcast.net] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 7:43 AM To: Shoppa, Tim Subject: RE: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches Tim can you share a schematic of what you are doing? I don't see how it is possible to couple DC voltage through a transformer...de gary -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Shoppa, Tim Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 7:34 AM To: 'topband@contesting.com' Subject: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches I have a homemade K9AY loop with the classic diode setup to pick direction remotely. Unlike the classic switching scheme with Bias-T's, I use isolation transformers at both ends to couple switching voltages into the coax. I started with 1N4001 because they looked more than beefy enough. This past summer I lost the diodes several times, I assumed due to thunderstorm activity. Diodes failed shorted each time. Easy enough to fix. This time I put in 1N4007's. This past weekend I again lost the diodes, again failed shorted. No thunderstorm activity but maybe induced signals from my TX antenna? Big RTTY contest with the amp on. I also had built a little switching matrix of transistors and foot switches inside the shack to let me pick direction with a footswitches. Those transistors have blown several times too. Again first time I assumed thunderstorm but not so sure anymore. So obviously there is some voltage differential zapping these simple low voltage switching devices. Thing is, the switching network is completely galvanically isolated at the antenna end. Confirmed with ohmmeter and HV supply. Unlike the classic K9AY design, I use isolation transformers at each end to couple the switching voltages in. So what is killing these simple semiconductors? Thinking about removing all semiconductors and running independent switching wires. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches
Is there a better way to use an isolation transformer to couple relay control voltages over the coax? Or is it as simple as, Bias-T's are always best, and there's no good way to do it with a transformer winding? Or just skip all these methods and go to separate control wires? Tim. -Original Message- From: Tom W8JI [mailto:w...@w8ji.com] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 10:14 AM To: Shoppa, Tim; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Blowing diodes on relay switches The antenna end of mine, looks very similar to PG0A/PA3FYM implementation, drawn at http://remco.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/pg0a-k9ay-small. jpg I guess he uses the LED as a rectifier? Not even remotely the best idea I have seen. LED's are horrible for anything with high peak currents (like charging capacitors). Also, it is generally a bad idea to have high peak currents (like charging electrolytics) in iron or ferrite cores. You can pass some current through the secondary, but you better be sure the current level is a long way from altering the core's magnetic properties, and this flux level would include any flux from external signals. This has nothing to do with your diodes blowing, just to say the circuit you linked does not look the least bit good for multiple reasons. Uses an isolation transformer (not an autotransformer) and provides galvanic isolation between antenna, antenna ground rod, and the coax. I do not use LED's in mine, I just use regular diodes, and these are the diodes that are blowing. I'm starting to believe that it's during RTTY contest weekends when I'm on 10 a lot, that the diodes are blowing, and I think Tom's suggestion about bypassing effective for 10M (not just 160M) may be most relevant. Is this a + , - , and AC logic system? That circuit has a terrible bypassing and isolation scheme. It has no diode bypassing for the common mode path from the cable through the diodes to the relay coils and to the loops, except for what the electrolytics might marginally provide at radio frequencies. That circuit can also induce significant common mode into the loops, exactly what the isolated secondary is attempting to cure! The wiring undoes the goal of the isolated secondary. I would give that circuit a completely failing grade. 0 out of 100. Bad design. Of course this is getting more and more common these days, as we look at systems with tunnel vision to focus on and cure one thing. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Light fiber question
I do not know of any analog optical coupling technology that has nearly the dynamic range of copper. 50dB is considered quite good HF dynamic range for completely sealed analog optocouplers. Start putting cables and junctions in there and it has to only get worse. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2013 12:06 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Light fiber question Tim, Good information, but I was thinking of a way for Mr. Average DXer to get a connection, that is not adding noise, from his on site receiving antenna. 73 Bruce - Original Message - From: Shoppa, Tim tsho...@wmata.com To: Bruce k...@myfairpoint.net Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2013 5:50 AM Subject: RE: Topband: Light fiber question I think that is called a remote receiver connected by optical fiber networking. Several folks use this technology on topband. Sometimes the remote receiver is the other side of the world. Tim. -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2013 11:48 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Light fiber question I am now using twisted pair on my receiving Delta antenna and is less noise than the coax. Question: Any one ever tried using light fibers as a near ultimate transmission line from their receiving antennas? 73 Bruce-K1FZ www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Light fiber question
CATV analog modulation video over fiber has a typical 50dB dynamic range. See e.g. http://www.emcore.com/wp-content/uploads/Medallion-6000-Series.pdf Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Bill Wichers [mailto:bi...@waveform.net] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2013 12:10 PM To: Tom W8JI; Shoppa, Tim; Bruce; topband@contesting.com Subject: RE: Topband: Light fiber question Um, no... Not really -- you do NOT need modulators and demodulators to use fiber for *analog* applications. If you want to run your signal over a commercial transport network you will (to digitize the signal and deal with framing for SONET, Ethernet etc.). Cable TV systems run their RF over fiber with very wide frequency ranges (50-700+MHz). I don't know dynamic range off hand since that's not a parameter that comes up with the digital systems I work with (we use extinction ratio instead). The downside is that the equipment to do that is not cheap. This is what I do all day at work (well, digital only, but optical) :-) Anyway, if you only want to run a topband signal it shouldn't be difficult to run the entire band over fiber. You'd need to use a small laser (although an LED would probably work fine since 2MHz is very slow compared to the data rates used on most digital transport systems these days). The important part would be that you'd need to run a feedback loop with the laser/LED and a photodiode monitoring the output. The combined system would be your fiber driver. The receiver would be simpler -- just a photodiode and an amplifier. If you used a decent laser in the 1310nm band and singlemode fiber (the most common kind) you should be able to send your signal at least 5 miles or so without really doing anything special. If I was to build a system like this, I'd use a small 1310nm laser driving an optical splitter. One output from the splitter would be the output, the other would go to a photodiode that would be part of a feedback loop with the laser. The receiver would be a photodiode and an amplifier to convert the optical signal back into an electrical signal. Note that optical splitters are specified in percentages, not decibels, so a 50/50 is 3dB down on both outputs, a 90/10 is 10dB down on one output, etc. It would be an interesting project, although I think it would be a lot simpler to just use low-loss coax unless you run is REALLY long or you have some very special requirements. Fiber is lightning proof though -- just plastic and glass :-) -Bill People forget, or don't know, fiber cables require modulators and demodulators. The modulators and demodulators are not simple, and have horrible dynamic range compared to a simple piece of coax. I can't think of a good Ham shack application using fiberoptics for coupling RF signals. First, the dynamic range stinks compared to coax. Second, common mode is very easily completely cured with extreme measures. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: W8ji ATR-10 design 160M?
Very interesting! I remember seeing transposition blocks at hamfests when I was a kid but I didn't know what they were at the time. Looking up some old patents, e.g. http://www.google.com/patents/US2305688 and http://www.google.com/patents/US2135344 show something very similar to what I saw as a kid. The advice I was always given about parallel lines, is to have some twist in them, not just to help with balance, but to help prevent them from turning into sails in high wind. Where possible I try to put my tuner where the wire enters the shack. I thought I was pretty clever the way I set up my link-coupled tuner, wall-mounted L network, plugboard to select L and C based on band, etc., then I open an old issue of QST and there's a picture of a kid who had the EXACT same setup on the wall of his shack 60 years ago. I mean, exact. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:18 AM To: topband Subject: Re: Topband: W8ji ATR-10 design 160M? So what different bout your tuner, is it like the ATR-10 design? Nothing special. It's just a symmetrical balanced tuner with a pair of synchronized roller inductors and a large vacuum variable cap (with a very small minimum C and large max C) that's switched with a pair of vacuum relays. A 1:1 coaxial choke is used on the input since the circuit is symmetrical. In fact, it's really just a variation of the AG6K tuner described in QST some twenty years ago. I went with this design since I'm presently restricted to wire antennas. And due to the presence of switch-mode appliance noise, the goal was to keep the open feeders as far away from the house as possible. Balanced open lines are capable of a high degree of balance but on receive, their ability to cancel noise is dependent on the orientation of the line to the direction of the noise source. If you look at early literature from the 1930s, open feeders often used transposition blocks. I own several different types made by E.F. Johsnon as display pieces. Nice concept -- I'm not sure how satisfied I would be with using them. Anyway, to better deal with the household noise issues, the tuner is located outside of the house, in a weatherproof enclosure. LMR400 is then used between the tuner and shack. Paul, W9AC _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Stew Perry Warmup coming this weekend
Last night on 160M condx seemed super good, SV2RF coming in as loud as ever and TO2TT often way above the noise. And KG4HF giving me a near instant LOTW confirmation from Guantanamo. Tim - Original Message - From: Mike Waters [mailto:mikew...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 10:22 AM To: topband topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Stew Perry Warmup coming this weekend Can't wait! :-) This will be my first 160m contest ever (at my own QTH) using a legal limit amplifier. However, the last CW contests (SP in December and CQ 160 in January) were still great fun even with just 100 watts. Given my rusty CW skills, we'll probably just search-and-pounce like before. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 9:22 PM, Tree t...@kkn.net wrote: The Stew Perry Warmup is coming up this weekend - starting at 1500Z on Oct 19th and finishing at 1500Z on Oct 20th. More information can be found at http://www.kkn.net/stew _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 'Hairpin' matching
I modeled my Marconi T antenna using EZNEC, got complex impedance parameters at feedpoint, plugged these into the L-network calculator that Tom mentions to find an L-network design, made an air-wound coil and found a suitable old air variable, and had 100% success getting a match exactly where the theory said it would be. I was very impressed. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Charlie Cunningham Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 8:16 AM To: 'Tom Boucher'; '160 reflector' Subject: Re: Topband: 'Hairpin' matching Very nice to have all of those collected into one place! Thanks for sharing, Tom! Have a god day! 73, Charlie, K4OTV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom Boucher Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 2:25 AM To: 160 reflector Subject: Topband: 'Hairpin' matching The excellent web site for calculating matching network values should have been: http://home.sandiego.edu/~ekim/e194rfs01/jwmatcher/matcher2.html not the one I posted yesterday. 73, Tom G3OLB _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Are stacked verticals feasible?
Isn't this a Vertical dipole? Two quarter wave radiating elements? And tower behind it will be some kind of reflector/director depending on height. The radials seem unimportant if thought of this way. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Carl [k...@jeremy.mv.com] Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2013 9:17 AM To: topband Subject: Topband: Are stacked verticals feasible? Assuming that sufficient tower height was available, guy wires are insulated or broken up into short non-resonant sections. Tower face is 12 or 18. Start at 1/4 wave up with a 1/4 wave ground plane with radials sloping at about 45 degrees. The vertical wire is 6-12' away from the tower face. Then a 1/4 wave (or 1/8) up install a duplicate. What does EZNEC say about this? With the different spacings? Effect of starting lower and how low before there are ground related problems? Phasing with coax or a LC network? Switching in a delay line to tilt the lobe up a bit? Curiosity got the cat! Carl KM1H _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Closed for the season or maybe just redecorating..
YW5X (IOTA activation in Venezuela) has been active on 160M CW past couple of nights with a fair number of callers. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Bill Cromwell [wrcromw...@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 9:02 AM To: 'topband' Subject: Topband: Closed for the season or maybe just redecorating.. Hi, I continue to find evidence that 160 meters is NOT closed for the season. Most of the evidence is to be found way up in the phone band. I wondered if those guys were running California kilowatts or something but in some of the QSOs they mentioned their power output in the 100 watt area. I have occasionally heard some CW calls for DX but those are scarce. Apparently the CW hams are just plain absent..doing soemthing else for the 'closed' season. This morning I set up a receiver to slowly scan (troll) from 1800 to 1830 kc...continuously. While I am working around here in and out of the shack I will hopefully hear anybody in range if there is activity. 73, Bill KU8H _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 160 meter activity
There is an official S meter scale based on microvolts at the antenna jack, 50uV is S9. Objective S meter reading? When band noise is S9+20 on my transmit antenna, a true S9 signal wouldn't even be copied. Of course on my RX antenna band noise is S1 and a strong EU signal is S5 to S6 for real easy copy. Probably the reversebeacon style Signal to Noise would be most fair but even that will mostly depend on relative local noise. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Bob Kupps [mailto:n...@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 07:44 PM To: topband topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 160 meter activity Well I applaud your making the effort at giving an honest report. It seems to me that 599 is reported far too casually these days and I certainly attempt to give honest reports even in a (non contest) pile up. Although R reports are fairly easy - I give 3 if I'm struggling, 4 if I have to pay attention and 5 if it's easy. But S reports, especially on the low bands where we are often using preamps, attenuators or both make an objective report a bit tougher. The other night I was chatting with my pal W6YA on 20. My 100 watts to a 5/5 stack always gets a better report on his K3 than his 1500W to a 4 el gets on my K3 until he finally said that he always uses his preamp on the high bands because the K3 S meter is factory calibrated with the preamp on, and he like I strive to give meaningful reports. Anyway, I would be interested in how other ops (who care) try to give meaningful reports - objective vs subjective. Also my compliments to N4ZR and the RBN guys who are providing a great service to the ham DX community in this regard. 73 Bob HS0ZIA From: John Harden jh...@bellsouth.net To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 9:17 PM Subject: Topband: 160 meter activity 160 is really picking up here. I called CQ on 1824.5 this morning here in Atlanta at 1030 Z. VK3ZL came back to me with a 599 report and I gave him an honest 579. The band has been open for some time at this QTH. However, the RX antenna is the Hi-Z 4-8 PRO, 8 vertical array (with 4 antennas active at any time). No doubt I hear signals others cannot hear. I do HIGHLY recommend it.. 73, John, W4NU _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: How to detune a wire Inverted L? How to 'detune'electrical fence
Short of expensive fast vacuum relays, what sort of readily available T/R (not QSK) relays handle QRO power at non-50-ohm points? If it was purely 50 ohms, I wouldn't feel bad using a big ice cube relay. But I suspect that on many bands the voltages at the base of the antenna would easily jump the air gap in that kind of relay. I'm thinking not just of detuning the transmit antenna but also general band change activities that right now I go over to the L network at the base of the antenna to do. That's the wall of my shack so not a huge distance but it would be cool to do band change activities all from the operating seat rather than go over to the wall and move banana plugs like I do right now. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Charlie Cunningham Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:49 AM To: 'Tom W8JI'; 'Tomas Magyla'; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: How to detune a wire Inverted L? How to 'detune'electrical fence Sounds like a robust relay, just above the feed-point would de-tune the L rather nicely. At least that was my thought. Probably simpler and more straightforward than trying to detune it in the shack. Charlie, K4OTV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom W8JI Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:39 AM To: Tomas Magyla; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: How to detune a wire Inverted L? How to 'detune'electrical fence Q1) Would a simple relay disconnecting the vertical wire at the TX antenna feedpoint be good for detuning TX antenna? (I am using a piece of wire attached to 18m Spidermast for the vertical section) and another piece of horizontal on the top. Q2) Are there any practical solutions for detuning TX antenna by using some circuitry at the shack end instead? Q3) What in practice could be done about the impact of the electrical fence? (other then moving RX antenna as far away as possible/ and considering using a shielded coax loop / or Waller Flag to 'null' the fence out?) Assuming it is a 1/4 wave L, anything that electrically opens the base of the antenna at the feedpoint with maximum possible impedance detunes the L. Depending on any networks or transmission lines between the detuning switch and the element, the optimum termination at the switch might be almost anything. It is quite possible to detune the antenna from the shack, although it will generally require a certain value of inductance or capacitance to be switched in. I detune my 200 ft tower, fed through an L network, about 50 feet from the element and L network with a short. Tom _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Zo of an individual CAT5 twisted pair
A transformer that is connected such that it is UNbalanced on one side and BALanced on the other, and connected that way on purpose, is not a balun? Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Jim Brown [mailto:j...@audiosystemsgroup.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 03:16 AM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Zo of an individual CAT5 twisted pair On 8/12/2013 2:10 PM, JC N4IS wrote: 50/75 BALUN Thanks for the detailed post, Carlos. BUT -- please let's use the right words to describe things so that people understand what you're describing and how it works. I strongly suspect that at least some of those things you are calling a balun are really a simple transformer -- that is, a primary and a secondary with magnetic coupling between them, and probably on a ferrite or powdered iron core. If it's a transformer, let's call it a transformer. Likewise, if we have a common mode choke formed by winding a coil of the transmission line, it is a common mode choke, not a balun. Using the word balun confuses things, because that word is used to describe at least a dozen very different things that I know of. When we use the word balun, it's a magic box that few hams really understand. When we use the right word, most hams have a chance of understanding what it does in a circuit. :) Yes, there are arrays of common mode chokes that can be used to transform impedance, and there are transmission line transformers of various sorts that can do that as well. BTW -- your discussion of phasing between elements of an RX array causes me to add an important post script to my advice that a perfect match is not required. When ANY passive network is used to produce phase shift, the source and termination impedances DO matter. The tricky part, though, is knowing what the input Z of the RX is, and if you're doing something like a phased array using phasing lines that end at the RX input, it might be a good idea to actually measure input Z and the antenna Zs with a VNA. 73, Jim K9YC _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Effect of trees- tree appreciation
Different folks here have promulgated a high voltage point loss model for antennas in trees. I think this could be a valid model for a doublet hung with wires directly touching wet tree branches, I'm sure at high enough power level this could burn away some of the tree probably at a high voltage point on the wire. But my feeling (having done some VHF/UHF foliage loss modeling in my day job) is that the heat distributed over several thousand feet of tree trunk or heat distributed over several million leaves is the correct model if the wire isn't actually brushing against a tree. Interestingly enough one of my favorite VHF/UHF foliage loss models notes that vertical polarization losses at VHF are higher than horizontal polarization, and they say this is due to tree morphology i.e. the tree is taller than it is wide :-). They also note that most of the models that work best at VHF/UHF, do underestimate loss at HF, so maybe there is no good verified and published model for HF loss much less MF loss in trees. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom W8JI Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2013 12:40 PM To: Rick Stealey; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Effect of trees- tree appreciation Just thinking here - I can hold my hand on a 75 watt lightbulb for a few seconds. 10 of those lightbulbs-worth of heat isn't very much heat, dissipated over the surface area of the bark of a tree, 60 feet tall, in winter, with low temps, and maybe even some wind can't really have much in the way of visible impact, could it? Gone up in flaming glory? Good logical thinking. It's difficult to know a 6 dB change without measurement, let alone three dB. Take a tank coil as an example. Even 50 watts of loss could make it smoke or melt if the loss is concentrated in one small area, say just a few turns. If loss is spread over enough area, even 1000 watts power loss might not be noticeable. This not only applies to trees, it applies to everything from ferrite cores to transmission lines. 0.1 dB loss in a coax connector can melt it down at amateur power levels, 10 dB loss in a 100-foot cable might be unnoticeable. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: best core material?
If receive only, you will do just fine using the 2873000202 binocular 73 material core that Tom mentions. I think this corresponds to Amidon part number BN-202-73. Newark stocks the part under the original Fair-Rite 2873000202 number. Tom shows 2:5 ratio but I've done other ratios just fine. I am very very impressed with the 2873000202 core, in fact I also use it in some DC-DC converters and the core just barely gets warm at the 10 watt level. Whenever I've accidentally transmitted into my receive antenna, the transformer survives just fine, it's the terminating resistor that goes up in smoke. I try not to make a habit of it :-) Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of James Rodenkirch Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 2:04 PM To: BY THE LAKE; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: best core material? Sorry - didn't make it crystal clear that this is a Delta shaped variant of a EWE antenna My bad for not utilizing all of the necessary verbiage to make that clearyou see it in ON4UN's latest book on page 7-104. From: ma...@isp.ca To: rodenkirch_...@msn.com Subject: Re: Topband: best core material? Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 14:00:48 -0400 A full-wave delta loop would have the transformation done with a 1/4 wave line of 75 ohm cable. This must be something other than a full-wave loop? Bill VE3NH - Original Message - From: James Rodenkirch rodenkirch_...@msn.com To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 1:33 PM Subject: Topband: best core material? I have a schematic for a delta shaped loop that shows I'll need an 18:1 transformer to transform the 950 ohms of the antenna to 50 ohms (feeding it with 50 ohm coax). One transformer diagram shows an FT-140-43 core being used. BUT, looking over some of Tom's, W8JI, write-ups, I see where he uses 73 material instead. I see where 77 material replaced 73 material so -- is an FT-140-77 the mo betta way to go? Thanks, in advance, for any advice/info. Jim Rodenkirch K9JWV _ Topband Reflector - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3209/6552 - Release Date: 08/05/13 - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3209/6552 - Release Date: 08/05/13 _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: best core material?
You'll notice in my original response I was trying to determine if this is only for receiving or if you were planning on transmitting with this transformer too :). FT-140 is pretty huge for a receive antenna transformer and winding just a few turns of skinny wire through it would look particularly odd. Binocular cores will have better coupling and less leakage than toroidal cores. Toroidal cores might be preferable if you had to wind so many turns that it wouldn't be possible to fit through the binocular holes (admittedly the hole in a toroid is much bigger than the holes in a binocular core :)!) Tim N3QE From: James Rodenkirch [mailto:rodenkirch_...@msn.com] Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 2:20 PM To: Shoppa, Tim; BY THE LAKE; topband@contesting.com Subject: RE: Topband: best core material? I wasn't going to use a binocular core, Tim - I was going to use the Amidon FT-140-43 OR the FT-140-77 IF it made any noticeable differenceis there some magical reason to use binocular vice standard round? From: tsho...@wmata.commailto:tsho...@wmata.com To: rodenkirch_...@msn.commailto:rodenkirch_...@msn.com; ma...@isp.camailto:ma...@isp.ca; topband@contesting.commailto:topband@contesting.com Subject: RE: Topband: best core material? Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 18:12:48 + If receive only, you will do just fine using the 2873000202 binocular 73 material core that Tom mentions. I think this corresponds to Amidon part number BN-202-73. Newark stocks the part under the original Fair-Rite 2873000202 number. Tom shows 2:5 ratio but I've done other ratios just fine. I am very very impressed with the 2873000202 core, in fact I also use it in some DC-DC converters and the core just barely gets warm at the 10 watt level. Whenever I've accidentally transmitted into my receive antenna, the transformer survives just fine, it's the terminating resistor that goes up in smoke. I try not to make a habit of it :-) Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of James Rodenkirch Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 2:04 PM To: BY THE LAKE; topband@contesting.commailto:topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: best core material? Sorry - didn't make it crystal clear that this is a Delta shaped variant of a EWE antenna My bad for not utilizing all of the necessary verbiage to make that clearyou see it in ON4UN's latest book on page 7-104. From: ma...@isp.camailto:ma...@isp.ca To: rodenkirch_...@msn.commailto:rodenkirch_...@msn.com Subject: Re: Topband: best core material? Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 14:00:48 -0400 A full-wave delta loop would have the transformation done with a 1/4 wave line of 75 ohm cable. This must be something other than a full-wave loop? Bill VE3NH - Original Message - From: James Rodenkirch rodenkirch_...@msn.commailto:rodenkirch_...@msn.com To: topband@contesting.commailto:topband@contesting.com Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 1:33 PM Subject: Topband: best core material? I have a schematic for a delta shaped loop that shows I'll need an 18:1 transformer to transform the 950 ohms of the antenna to 50 ohms (feeding it with 50 ohm coax). One transformer diagram shows an FT-140-43 core being used. BUT, looking over some of Tom's, W8JI, write-ups, I see where he uses 73 material instead. I see where 77 material replaced 73 material so -- is an FT-140-77 the mo betta way to go? Thanks, in advance, for any advice/info. Jim Rodenkirch K9JWV _ Topband Reflector - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.comhttp://www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3209/6552 - Release Date: 08/05/13 - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.comhttp://www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3209/6552 - Release Date: 08/05/13 _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Topband: 160M Rhombics
Anybody on this list have a Rhombic for 160M? W1AW used to use one for bulletins and code practice on 160M but I think it came down years ago (1989?) I seem to recall pics in CQ of a big California desert DX'er who had what was essentially a radial array of rhombics for maybe 160M or 80M. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Grant Saviers Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 11:03 AM To: ZR Cc: g...@ka1j.com; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Topband Inv-L Joy Posted on towertalk yesterday was the link to the free download of the 1952 text Radio Antenna Engineering http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/edmund-laport/radio-antenna-engineering/ebook/product-17560294.html Some fascinating stuff since much of the focus is high power broadcasting LF/HF and point to point reliable RF links with high gain HF wire antennas. (many pictures of amazing arrays). A quick peruse found in a later chapter how to build high power non-inductive terminations for rhombics etc. Make an open wire feeder of the needed Z from iron or stainless wire and as long as the db's you wish to absorb and with wire heavy enough to handle the current. Clever stuff, invented when HF was a primary long distance communications technology. The formulas are there for resistivity and ferromagnetic losses. Of course some of the content is now pretty irrelevant since we have cheap great coax, ferrite, and NEC software and a billion times the worlds 1952 total computing power on every desktop. Grant KZ1W On 7/25/2013 8:17 AM, ZR wrote: On a side note WD-1A conductors are a copper/cadmium alloy; whatever that means in RF resistance. Fine for a Beverage but what is the loss? Carl KM1H - Original Message - From: Gary Smith g...@ka1j.com To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 1:22 AM Subject: Re: Topband: Topband Inv-L Joy Had a more difficult time getting the antenna up there this time. The first spud snapped away from the fishing line in the dense thicket I was unable to find where it landed. Had to make another the mosquitos were so thick they posted a LUAU sign on my forehead. Till I get something better I retrieved my WD-1A military field phone wire that was left out in the marsh as my old beverage wire. and after a comedy of errors I finally got the antenna up. I was earlier getting a SWR of 1.1 on 160 before and now am getting 1.1 on 1.74365 MHZ 1.74365mhz R=51 X= 6,7,8 swr 1.1 At the desired frequency to match the antenna I've aimed for 1.8MHZ here's the information I was able to get at my desired frequency: 1.8025 mhZ Coax loss 6.3db C=4193 XC=21 L=1.970 X1=21 r=41 x=21 swr 1.6 So this is what the antenna is giving me at this moment. I need to get back down and add the broken wire to the radial bed and I should also trim some length to bring my values to 1.1 at 1.025MHz. Given the info above from the MFJ 259B any idea how much I might nibble off and more, is there anything in this info that tells me I should look to do anything differently? Hopefully the coax loss will be mitigated by a friend bringing me 350' of hardline. Can't wait! Thanks, Gary KA1J _ Topband Reflector - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1432 / Virus Database: 3209/6019 - Release Date: 07/25/13 _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Topband Inv-L Joy
I myself, tune my 160 antenna with a simple L-matching network at the base. I used EZNEC to model the antenna, and an online L-network calculator, and it was spot-on. I was very impressed. Since you can measure the antenna right at the base with your antenna analyzer, you can do even better. Your match is almost perfect already, it should only take a moderate matching network. You must have a really long coax run if you are getting so much loss with such a close match already. For DX'ing, a better target frequency is probably 1820kc rather than 1802kc, but with a moderate matching network you'll get low SWR for many 10's of kHz around either side of the center freq. Online L-network calculator I used: http://home.sandiego.edu/~ekim/e194rfs01/jwmatcher/matcher2.html Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gary Smith Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 1:22 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Topband Inv-L Joy Had a more difficult time getting the antenna up there this time. The first spud snapped away from the fishing line in the dense thicket I was unable to find where it landed. Had to make another the mosquitos were so thick they posted a LUAU sign on my forehead. Till I get something better I retrieved my WD-1A military field phone wire that was left out in the marsh as my old beverage wire. and after a comedy of errors I finally got the antenna up. I was earlier getting a SWR of 1.1 on 160 before and now am getting 1.1 on 1.74365 MHZ 1.74365mhz R=51 X= 6,7,8 swr 1.1 At the desired frequency to match the antenna I've aimed for 1.8MHZ here's the information I was able to get at my desired frequency: 1.8025 mhZ Coax loss 6.3db C=4193 XC=21 L=1.970 X1=21 r=41 x=21 swr 1.6 So this is what the antenna is giving me at this moment. I need to get back down and add the broken wire to the radial bed and I should also trim some length to bring my values to 1.1 at 1.025MHz. Given the info above from the MFJ 259B any idea how much I might nibble off and more, is there anything in this info that tells me I should look to do anything differently? Hopefully the coax loss will be mitigated by a friend bringing me 350' of hardline. Can't wait! Thanks, Gary KA1J _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Symbol Rates (was [ARRL-LOTW] BoD votes LoTWinitiatives)
I think proposed symbol rate verbiage is inspired by digital voice technology. As long as digital voice doesn't come to CW bands I'm OK. But I do not see anything in the language that would ban digital voice in CW bands, am I wrong? I am strongly against digital voice taking up bandwidth on current CW bands. I am fine with digital voice being used on the phone bands. I would discourage (through bandplans and international coordination) digital voice from EU in the upper parts of US 40M CW band. I have nothing against low-bandwidth digital modes like JT65 in the 1838-1840 region. But I do strongly encourage ARRL to work with EU societies and rationalize bandplans especially on 40M where the CW sliver is already so tiny tiny and shared with PSK31 in 7035-7040. That's not so much a FCC action as it is a ARRL or IARU action. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom W8JI Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 10:43 AM To: Brian Machesney; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Symbol Rates (was [ARRL-LOTW] BoD votes LoTWinitiatives) I don't understand your objection to removal of the symbol rate language. Under the existing band plan, CW is expected to co-exist with other digital modes of all kinds. I think perhaps Joe is objecting to the potential **bandwidth** of modes mixing with narrow modes. Many people either don't understand, or are unwilling to admit, that digital modes can occupy a wide bandwidth, and that many or most people cannot copy or recognize what is being sent on a different mode.. Modes really should be segregated by bandwidth and information type, and symbol rate is at least one way to somewhat set limits on bandwidth. I'd prefer to have plans by actual bandwidth, and by compatibility of decoding. It's wonderful that some people have solutions to their personal operating style or habits and are not bothered by some existing mode mixes. In the long term, and for the overall good, it makes no sense at all to mix incompatible modes, or especially to mix significantly different bandwidths. Anyone with an ounce of common radio sense should be able to think about this, and understand the potential problems of allowing anything anywhere. 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Inv-L joy
I use RF Connection Polystealth 18 in the trees and bushes at the edge of my lot. Very lightweight. 117 pounds breaking strength, way stronger than your Cat 5. It is stranded copper-clad steel with a fairly thick and robust and low-friction/slippery polyethylene jacket and is very flexible and really deals well with going around tree trunks and over limbs and deer running into the wires etc. I think the same stuff is sold by a different name by other ham vendors, e.g. I think Wireman 532 is the same stuff. The copper plating on the this stuff is quite easy to solder to. The 18 gauge stuff is easily tied in knots etc. if you don't want to solder loops at the end, I have use this in experiments to make it easy to change antenna length. There is also a 13-gauge variant if you really think you want heavy duty stuff. I have a 130-foot doublet made out of the 13 gauge stuff that has been up for many years now; it is kept tensioned with a pulley and a gallon of sand. I way overengineered that, it would have done just fine with the 18 gauge stuff. You could probably lift a car with the 13 gauge stuff. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 12:29 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Inv-L joy Any suggestion as to a good rugged wire? Gary WD-1A military field phone wire is strong, lightweght and very inexpensive. It is available on E-bay. ___Herb__ I used WD-1A for one, two direction Beverage antenna along a neighbor sensitive boundry. Did not want insulators showing, so just ran it through the dense tree line with no insulators. Thought it may last a year, but three years later it still works fine. www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html 73 Bruce-K1FZ _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Desktop Power Supply Brand/Noise Question
Not a new problem for hams. For most of a century consumer stuff had poor to nonexistent RFI compatibility... And if the equipment itself wasn't so bad, it was connected with huge loops of wires that made the installation susceptible. Adding a few bypass capacitors and helping the consumer use decent differential wiring has been part of the solution since at least the 1930's handbooks. Except today we are more often worried about radiation and not susceptibility of consumer stuff. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Jim Brown [mailto:j...@audiosystemsgroup.com] Sent: Sunday, July 21, 2013 08:37 PM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Desktop Power Supply Brand/Noise Question On 7/21/2013 4:52 PM, Tom W8JI wrote: Bypass capacitors will cure common mode also, because common mode cannot be generated without differential mode someplace in the system between two points. But you're re-engineering someone else's design, without knowledge of all the issues.That's a questionable practice unless you're a circuit designer -- it's easy to open a can of worms. Few hams are qualified to do that, and I would be the last to recommend it. 73, Jim K9YC _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: My Turn For a Brain Pick - Sanity Check
Read and envy: http://shakespeare-military.com/masts.asp They take Visa and Mastercard! Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim GM Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 1:19 PM To: topband Subject: Re: Topband: My Turn For a Brain Pick - Sanity Check I have seen some thing like those military surplus mast sections. I believe the ones I saw were made by Shakespear. I think this is the same company that made those good trout fishing rods and reels like the one I have. Sounds like your gearing up for Field Day. If so where are you going to set up? -- Jim K9TF All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Fwd: Add top loading or invert-L 43 ft vertical
I use my 80 foot doublet by tying the ladder line together at bottom and feeding against ground+radials as a T, in every 160 contests with excellent results. It helps that mine is up 75-80 feet but even if yours was only up 40 feet I'm sure it would be fine. 80M was in excellent shape last night, despite ongoing local thunderstorm I was hearing lots of EU, and I was being spotted all over western EU with excellent levels at just 100W out: http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0c=n3qet=dx Tim N3QE Original Message Subject: Add top loading or invert-L 43 ft vertical From: Philip Zminda pzmi...@recordtrak.com To: phi...@comcast.net CC: I would like to try my hand in the 160 contest this weekend. My antenna is a 43 ft vertical. I don't intend to use it as-is or add a base loading coil. I have heard of adding a wire to the top to act as an inverted-L or adding several wires to act as a top-hat. I will be using the internal tuner in my K3 and running 100 watts. I have 60 radials, mostly 43 ft and a few 60 footers. I don't have many options for supports but could put a 23 ft fiberglass mast temporarily at my shed about 100 to 120 ft from the antenna and run a sloping wire. Which might be more effective? What wire lengths should I try? My only other option is an 80 meter doublet fed with ladder line that put up for Field day. If I put it up it wouldn't be very high. For receiving I have a magnetic loop. Any suggestions appreciated. Phil N3ZP All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: RFI ferrites
Fair-Rite 2631803802 is the Amidon FT-240-31. Available at Mouser, Newark, Arrow, and other places. I have a personal cross-ref between some Amidon and Fair-rite numbers. Not sure if I'd get in trouble for publishing it. I like to use a white paint marker to put numbers on big cores as I unpack them :-) Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: dospi...@q.com [mailto:dospi...@q.com] Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 11:06 AM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: RFI ferrites HI All: I am looking for a source(s ) for mix 31 ferrites. Especially in the larger sizes, like the FT 240. I have tried the usual suspects . Amidon, Digikey, Mouser, Lodestar Pacific, to no avail. Any leads will be appreciated, either on or off the list. 73 to all Dean W5PJR Tijeras, NM All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector All good topband ops know how to put up a beverage at night. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Voltage along coax feeder
September 1997 QST, K9AY relay and switch box. Usually done with two DPDT relays (giving 4 possible permutations) rather than three SPST relays. Google will find you many slight variations of the remote relay and station controller boxes showing different ways to couple in the control voltage over the coax. Some use chokes others use transformers. Some use autotransformers and some use isolation transformers. I use isolation transformers at both ends of CATV 75 ohm coax. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of David Cole Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 4:49 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Voltage along coax feeder Could anyone please point me in the direction of a circuit to feed +12 -12 and AC along the feeder to my beverages to switch 3 relays - thanks all from Dave in the UK All good topband ops know fine whiskey is a daylight beverage. _ Topband Reflector All good topband ops know fine whiskey is a daylight beverage. _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Using GE silicone as antenna sealant.
After several less than satisfactory experiences with various outdoor sealed boxes and junctions etc. I have had my ladder line, transmit antenna, and all junctions completely exposed to the weather for the past 4 years with no problems. The problem was never as bad as the corrosion due to sealant, but I found out that what was happening was that I was sealing water in! Obviously I was doing something wrong but many of these containers had no lead-ins or holes in the top, only sealed lead-ins with drip loops at the bottom. I briefly had a NEMA rated junction box with watertight cover and seal over the spark gap, but after water started accumulating in there, I simply removed the cover. Every fall I go blow the leaves and bugs out. On the receive antenna side... My K9AY relay board and termination resistor are covered by a Tupperware dish but are exposed at the bottom. I had made a brief attempt at sealing them inside the Tupperware but despite drip loops and all the wires entering only at the bottom... I found water accumulating in the Tupperware even though I swear it hadn't rained since I had installed it. I don't have any fancy conformal coating or anything on the K9AY relay/transformer/termination board. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Don Kirk Sent: Monday, March 18, 2013 8:17 AM To: wa3...@comcast.net Cc: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Using GE silicone as antenna sealant. WA3MEJ said : be very sure that if you pick GE silicone sealant.. (RTV or whatever you call it) DO NOT use the kind that has acetic acid in it. This is a very good point, and this is the reason I use GE Silicone Sealant II versus GE Silicone Sealant I. GE Silicone Sealant II is a neutral cure silicone whereas GE Silicone Sealant is an acid or acetoxy cure silicone. Neutral Cure silicone means no acids are released during the curing process (note this information was obtained from the GE website). 73's Don (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Antenna terminations
Heat shrink squeezes resistor. Squeezing a carbon composition resistor will decrease its resistance. Film and ceramic resistors much less affected. Remember when we were kids and played with telephone carbon microphone elements? Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Bruce [mailto:k...@myfairpoint.net] Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 06:43 PM To: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna terminations Anyone else found a lowering of resistance after heat shrinking terminations after cool down? 73 Bruce-K1FZ You may have some of that somewhat conductive heat shrink tubing. Good idea to check the glue for conductivity before use. www.qsl.net/k1fz/beveragenotes.html _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: How does KP4KE do it with 20 watts?
I find no record of KP4KE in my CW logs or in reversebeacon data. ??? I'm guessing he's phone-only. Is this summary for CQ 160M phone or what? As to killer loud signals... TX5K (Clipperton) was coming in at my QTH on East Coast night before last, super duper loud on 160M, amazing. Louder than many legal-limit stations in my region. I'm guessing saltwater path on 160M makes a big difference. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Herb Schoenbohm Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2013 5:32 PM To: TopBand List Subject: Topband: How does KP4KE do it with 20 watts? Really, if his claims are true KP4KE worked 49 countries in two nights during the CQ 160 meter contest running only 20 watts. He claims he is using for the states a double bazooka at 85 feet. His signals on RBN were consistently stronger than my 1.5 KW to a 1/4 wave vertical with 60 radials. In fact he was stronger here than Perdro, NP4A who has an excellent low band setup with ample power output. My point is that if there some sort of magic antenna that can do this I think it would be important to do an forensic analysis of it's structure. As far a I can understand such a feat is unprecedented on 160 meter SSB and TB'ers might be interested in examining such an an antenna that you can hang at 85 feet and be the top dog on the band. Please let me know when you know if there is true RF magic on 160 meters. Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ Call: KP4KE Operator(s): KP4KE Station: KP4KE Class: Single Op LP QTH: Puerto Rico Operating Time (hrs): 14 Summary: Total: QSOs = 508 State/Prov = 49 Countries = 49 Total Score = 318,794 Club: Rhein Ruhr DX Association Comments: [log removed from comments] Hello, from Aguadilla PR *Working the contest with 20 watts was fun.* my Antennas are 4 el. vertical beam looking to EU and two inverter L and a double bazooka at 85 feet high to the USA but conditions no good to USA but to EU very good opening both day my goal was 50 countries but only made 49 and 49 State and Canada No activities from central america and a lot of islands in the caribbean with no operators. I receive very good reports from EU station. I think I was the only KP4 Station early on band both days that help a lot Sorry for delay in send this report but no internet in shack. See you in next contest 73 DX and remember put your money in ant. no in power hi hi. Good ham operator no need power. _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Webinar - The first Top Band DX Contest â? the 1921 Transatlantic Test
W9AC writes: The antenna was a caged T-top with elevated counterpoise I had the opportunity to travel around China a lot last summer and saw many caged T-top or cage dipole antennas. Maybe they were cage dipoles, hard to tell from the distance I was at (typically I sighted them from tour buses or rail lines, around outer ring roads in major cities). Had visions that maybe a ham club there would get to use them to get on 80 or 160 :-). Are T-tops ever used in NA for commercial BCB stations? Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: New 160M high performance receiving antenna at W3LPL
Out of curiosity... with so many narrow-pattern receive antenna configs, how do typical contest stations check different directions after a CQ? Frank, I still want to come visit your station during a test and see how it all works. Diversity and stereo headphones gets you to two different directions but I wonder if there's some more powerful technique. My station is much more modest, just a K9AY loop, and I rigged up a footswitch system to let me scan different directions after CQ'ing in the contests. Still, Bernie at J77A told me that I was ignoring him after my CQ's during the CQ 160 CW, and I'm guessing that's because I was mostly listening to the NE for Europe and neglecting to scan the other directions. Also, another one I suspect I may have missed by not rotating receive religiously, was ZS6EZ, who I heard clear as day doing SP with others. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Eric NO3M Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 1:56 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: New 160M high performance receiving antenna at W3LPL In case anyone is interested in constructing a switchable 8-circle based on the BSEF array, W9RE's PCB is laid out with provisions for Magic-Ts and step-up auto-transformers where applicable, also the phase inverter. I finally got my array up using Mike's board a week or so before ARRL160 and it does quite well against the broadside beverage arrays, especially useful for diversity reception. 73 - Eric NO3M On 02/03/13 13:14, donov...@starpower.net wrote: As you noticed after writing your 0013Z email, I'm using three 75 ohm Magic-T combiners as suggested by W1MK. The From: Lee K7TJRk7...@msn.com A combiner with a little more complicated impedance matching would help this problem. _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: RX/TX Antenna switching
I find it ironic that when I was a kid we all built T/R switches to use a single antenna with our separate Transmitter and Receiver. Today we build a switch to use two antennas to interface with our fancy pants transceivers :-) 1: All but the small or entry level rigs already have a RX antenna input. 2: If you don't have a RX antenna input, then you can put a T/R relay on transceiver output. 3: Relay does not have to be fancy. Small 12VDC relays with contacts rated at several amps work fine (typical street cost, a dollar or two). High power coaxial relays seem completely unnecessary here. Remember at 100W levels the typical RF currents and voltages will be less than a few amps and less than a few hundred V. 4: Amp key line from the rig works well to drive the T/R relay. AFAIK all transceivers since the 1970's have an amp key line. 5: If you have an amp, the T/R relay can sit between rig and amp. This way the relay is only handling the lower power level. Again no need for fancy relays. 6: If (4) you will probably find that you can have QSK on 160M without having QSK in the amp - again gets down to the vagaries of PA vs T/R switch timing. Ironically I use my rigs amp key line to key the T/R relay at QSK rate, and my K1EL keyer PTT output to key the amp with hang time so its relays do not click on every dit. Also... on a more interesting antenna switching contest, to switch between multiple receive antennas during a contest, I find it very natural to use footswitches to select receive antenna. This lets me comfortably switch receive directions after every CQ or while scanning the bands in SP. And I think I saw you reversebeacon spotted during the contest, but the only YO I worked was YO8DOH. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of cris blak Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 5:15 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: RX/TX Antenna switching Hello, I'm interested to hear from you all, what do you use to switch RX/TX antennas on 160m band. I'm currently use an INV-L as TX(RX) antenna and a K9AY for RX. In this moment I use a high power coaxial manual switch getting through INV-L or K9AY but this is very time consuming, especially in the contest. I'm thinking of RX/TX switch choosing on RX between K9AY and INV-L and on TX, only INV-L, no metter what is used on RX side. I've tried with a high power coaxial relay but it doesn't work due to faster relays on PA. seems to me that a sequencer should be used. Look for any practical ideas. By the way, CQ160mCW contest was a success here with more than 600 QSOs in the log and several DX (also VE/K) stations. 73 de YO3FFF Cristi _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Coupla things
Bob (K6NV) and I were having a off-list discussion and it got me wondering I heard some bad signals on the east coast here, but nothing memorable that I would describe as having keyclicks. I think I know what a keyclick is, I got lots of OO postcards in the mail for them and other maladies when I was a kid :-). I would be surprised if things were much different on West coast. Is it possible... that what folks are attributing to keyclicks in the transmitter, are actually AGC artifacts in their receiver? There are several legal-limit contest stations within a few miles of me and I'm used to a strong-signal environment. And how it can pump AGC causing audible artifacts that are not in the transmitter. And I will generally disable AGC for anything but ear saving purposes. Why set AGC to make all signals sound the loudness as each other, or use AGC to make the noise be as loud as a signal? I think it's possible that some of the modern DSP rigs may have unusual (impulse) AGC artifacts in a strong signal environment. Having noise blanker turned on may make keyclick-sounding artifacts too. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: CQ 160 Contest _ updated
The reason we have split on 40M is only lack of a coordinated band plan between EU and W/VE. It is far and away not a desirable situation. I have been a ham who regards 40M as his home stomping grounds for (lets count them) 5 different calendar decades now. I have seen the SW BC stations mostly leave, and this has helped enormously. I hope that before I die that 40M bandplans are rationalized. Even though the split is most obvious on phone, it unnaturally constrains CW operations too. Holding a run freq without a kilowatt in a 40M DX test is nigh impossible and this hurts rates on both sides of the pond. The 1810 wall is unfortunate for EU's. On our side of the pond, we have 160M phone guys from 1855 or so up, and that's less of a wall but still there. Again, we need rationalized band plans. Every time I meet anyone having anything to do with IARU/ITU I ask, what can I do to help?, and I will now include 160M rationalization as well as 40M rationalization. I would not encourage split on 160 during a contest except maybe for DXpeditions that actually followed a well announced narrow split. Certainly having two dxpeditions split and within a few kHz of each other, is a complete disaster, even on the high bands. There's no good reason why a DXpedition should mess up 5, 10, 15 kc of spectrum during a high usage period. A think a narrow split could work. P.S Todd WD0T (SD) and others are on 80M CW every Thursday night (your Friday AM) circa 0250Z in the NS sprint. Sometimes we have EU participants join in, and appreciate them! Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of dl1...@web.de Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 1:04 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: CQ 160 Contest _ updated Heard/worked W/K best on Sunday morning during 1 hour before SR here (06.55z), time frame 27. Jan 06z - 07z. Went west up to the border between zones ITU-7/ITU-8 (TN, MI, OH, WV, IL, WI, KY, IN). Farest west was K0DI in NE. All time before was disappointing. I heard much more W/K but was unable to deciffer them or hear exchanges due to VY much and VY strong EUs nearby working EUs or calling CQ side by side up to 1.880 kc ... Didn't know yet how much EUs are active on TopBand. To overcome this situation we should think about split as we did on 40m some years before. W/K should calling DX in the range of 1.800 ... 1.810 kc and listen above 1.810 kc or so. Heard several W/K below 1.810 kc. But also heard EUs answering them while out of the band. Any better proposal, please ? 73 de Thomas, DL1AMQ. by the way: still need SD and NV on 80m to complete WAS@80m and 5BWAS and hope to find some in ARRL CW Contest. Gesendet: Montag, 28. Januar 2013 um 08:42 Uhr Von: Henk PA5KT pa...@remijn.net An: topband@contesting.com Betreff: Re: Topband: CQ 160 Contest I was only active from Saturday evening on. Had the idea that there were more participants as last years. About the DX, I did not hear a lot of asian stations, and those that I hear were very weak. Did not work Japan. Till about 02:00 UTC I did only work 5 NA stations, and signals were not good. I took a break and from 03:00 I was on again. After that time I worked several eastcoast NA. Signals were like on 20m. But almost no midwest. From half hour before sunrise (sunrise at 07:30) I also worked AZ and CA and several caribbean stations. Signals like 20m. After sunrise band closed pretty fast. Last dx at 07:33 with W0AIH. I stopped at 07:45. Sunday evening was the same, only EU no Asia, only some middle east heard. (Not worked as too many stations only calling and not listening). I did work 2 TX stations, but used to work more. 73 Henk PA5KT Op 28-1-2013 1:45, Mike(W5UC) Kathy (K5MWH) schreef: The CQ 160 contest was a large disappointment this year here in EM21. At least at this location, Europe was weak or not heard. Please, I would like to know what others were hearing. I saw few, if any EU postings on VE7CC from others in this area. At least I am enjoying the winter. It was a frigid 78 degrees F here in EM21pi today. (No, that's not a typo) 73, Mike, W5UC _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Coupla things
I didn't notice the keyclicks so bad, but what did bother me was one local who had an incredible amount of (?) phase noise (it was keyed broadband noise plus whiny synth noise) up and down from his very enthusiastic CQ'ing, and a number of guys who had some pretty bad 120Hz ripple, bad enough their sigs were most of a kHz wide. There was one very loud guy in new england Sunday AM, who for the life of me I could not copy his call when my RX antenna was pointed at him (my memory was jarred by someone talking about UFO sounds), but when I pointed away he sounded just fine. I'm guessing some sort of multipath. It's more than just the ghostly sound of a local when the the band is being long, my guess is something is actually happening to dynamically shift phase so much that it sounded like the reflections are an audibly different different tone. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: solarwind and 160 prop
I have a hard time differentiating between low activity and poor DX conditions sometimes. From the east coast of the US in the past week or two, I have not heard much EU at all, but domestic conditions are just fine as evidenced by two NAQP's past two weekends and there have been several Central American/South American stations on 160 with truly excellent (very very impressively loud) signals. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: 160 vert puzzle
Is this all being done with the portable antenna analyzers? Those can be surprisingly susceptible to nearby BCB stations that are out of ham bands, but detected by the analyzer and influencing the measured numbers/curves. These little analyzers are completely useless at my QTH (100V Pk-Pk levels at high impedance points. I can light a neon light bulb on modulation peaks of the local 630 kHz BCB station.) With it being influenced by hand capacitance at the bottom I would wonder if it was FM band BCB pickup. At my location it's AM band BCB pickup and I would be surprised if hand capacitance could do that. On my bench scope, I can see the FM stations quite clearly changing level depending on hand capacitance. Tim N3QE _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Needed: Rule of Thumb
If it is 5 feet high and 50 feet away... I would consider the fence to be a minor enhancement in ground conductivity 50 feet out :-). I don't think it's at all obvious that you need to move it. Tim N3QE. -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Wayne Willenberg Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 9:56 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Needed: Rule of Thumb I have a 5' high chain link fence located 50' from where I would like to put up an 80M vertical. Obviously, I need to move the fence and have plenty of room to move it. On the other hand, I want to minimize the distance I move the fence due to the expense. Is there a rule of thumb about how far away objects should be located to prevent interference with the radiation pattern of a vertical? Thanks for your help. Wayne, KK6BT ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th. ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th.
Re: Topband: condx last night
Just to show how good it was... I called CQ on 160M circa 0120Z, and IMMEDIATELY was spotted by many (most? All?) reversebeacon skimmers in Europe. That is unusual for a pipsqueak like me, sometimes I will EVENTUALLY get spotted by a few reversebeacon EU skimmers. e.g. In ARRL 160 I CQ'ed a bazillion times and was only spotted in EU just a half dozen times. And of course I had a large number of good QSO's on 160 last night too :-). 80M the night before, in RAEM contest, was very nice as well. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Braco OE1EMS Sent: Monday, December 24, 2012 6:16 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: condx last night Hello Topbanders, what a X-mas present from TB last night! I had one of my best openings on TB to NA ever! Unfortunatly there was not to much acitvity :( I started around 01:00 and finished around 05:00 and in those 4 hours worked well over 200 Ws and VEs! (i made few short QSY to 80m to work some DX but in general i spend most of the time on TB) Not to much stations from WCjust to name fews of them, K7VIC peaked more as S5 on bev when he worked me N9RV was around S4, WB6RSE was only CA i worked and he was around S3 etc etc Generaly signals from east cost and midwest were amazing for long long time! Some stations from mid west i never heard so loud ever...they moved my meter well over S9 on beverage ?! It was even easy to work stations with 100W! Band was so quite here and i had feeling i was hearing better with my 450m long 305 deg bev as some station heard me with my 4SQ! Intersting i worked many many new callsigns and allready got bunch of emails from them, thanking for QSO etc etc. This was one of the moments we all waiting or looking for :) I hope condx gonna stay like this for TBDC...another wish to Santa ;) CU next weekend in best TB contest ever! 73s Braco E77DX * EMS SOLUTIONS Emir Memic Abelegasse 13-15/7 A-1160 Wien Tel./Fax: +43-1-9227041 Mobil: +43-699 1 9227041 ** ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th. ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th.
Re: Topband: Lab style comparison results on 160m small lot antenna changes.
Trust but verify. As with SPICE or any other simulation program... garbage in, garbage out. An experienced antenna modeler knows what assumptions are good to make because of past verifications of results. Modeling of ground conductivity and losses involves more assumptions than most of the wires/poles in the air (and you will note, is where most of the arguments are about!). And of course we can always argue about how many helicopters it takes to do the verification step :-) Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of DAVID CUTHBERT Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 9:21 AM To: Guy Olinger K2AV Cc: TopBand List Subject: Re: Topband: Lab style comparison results on 160m small lot antenna changes. Guy, why must we continually test NEC against measurements? The work by N6LF has shown great correlation between simulation and the real world. Those of us who design electronic circuits (including EM) in the world of computer simulation have great faith in the various programs and NEC-4 (and possibly NEC-2) should give us an adequate A-B comparison. Dave WX7G ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th. ___ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th.
Re: Topband: Delta loops antennas
On the doublet vs dipole: at various times in history, the word dipole was taken by some to mean quarter wave dipole, and doublet was a more general term for a balanced antenna. I will look in my older handbooks and see if there was a singlet (vertical? End fed?) in there. Sometimes I go looking in the 30's handbooks for vertical/Marconi style antennas and find nothing that I recognize at all, maybe I should be looking for singlets. There are some complications... for decades the ARRL handbooks showed charts for doublets with strictly prescribed feedline lengths - I think they were intended to be optimizations while avoiding resonances in feedline but the reasoning behind the chart was never well explained, turning it into a gospel for many. What has thrown me for a loop many times is the GP Antenna. In my gut I feel that GP=General Purpose but sometimes I can eventually figure out that it means Ground Plane. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Bruce [k...@myfairpoint.net] Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 8:07 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Delta loops antennas I became aware of an antenna called the KAZ a few years ago. A broadcast band SWL wanted a transformer for one. He furnished the basic antenna drawing that was a Delta Loop. Delta Loop antennas have been around for very many years. Anyway someone had published ,a Delta Loop, naming it a KAZ antenna. Seems to be mostly Broadcast band DX listeners. From years ago: Was there an antenna called a doublet that was a basic dipole ? If someone is looking for a 160 meter DX delta loop antenna, I recommend the K6SE loop. Earl, K6SE (sk) is one of our 160 meter heroes. 73 Bruce-K1FZ www.qsl.net/k1fz/ The KAZ receiving loop is related to the flag and pennant loops, and the K9AY loop. ___ It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true. - Bertrand Russell ___ It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true. - Bertrand Russell
Re: Topband: Why the DX doesn't always work split? Especially low bands.
Thanks for the insight guys. I know the DX is far more experienced than me, and I think I gained some insight into what they must be hearing on their end on the low bands. Earlier this fall (first week of October) I worked several stations in middle east on 80M, and conditions were marginal then, but the condx on 80M the past several nights seemed very very nice and I know a lot of NA stations were having no problem copying Murtada and others. And talking about good conditions... RI1ANF's signal on 160M was wonderfully loud and copyable. Previously he had just barely been peaking up above my local noise for me. But last night he was continuously solid easy copy at my location. Tim N3QE ___ It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true. #8212; Bertrand Russell
Re: Topband: Ground mounted 1/2 and 1/4 wave verticals (was GAP)
Dave... would it be a fair extrapolation to take your last sentence, and draw the conclusion that if adding radials changes feed impedance, then there was actual ground loss in the near field? Or that if we add more radials and feed impedance change is not seen, then we are at a minimum for ground loss? The above statements certainly align with my gut feeling, but my gut feeling is different than a mathematical proof :-) Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of DAVID CUTHBERT [telegraph...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, December 17, 2012 5:23 PM To: ZR Cc: Donald Chester; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Ground mounted 1/2 and 1/4 wave verticals (was GAP) Carl, What we do in the near-field to control ground loss affects the far-field signal equally at all elevations. Therefore there is no need to measure far-field field strength at more than one elevation. We have control of the near-field and anything we do in that region shows up as a change in input impedance. ___ It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true. #8212; Bertrand Russell
Topband: Why the DX doesn't always work split? Especially low bands.
Last night and tonight there were several 80M stations, and one 160M station, that were in big demand in North America and I guess worldwide, given who they were coming back to. The callers were all exactly (or plus minus 200 Hz) on the DX's frequency. It wasn't a complete disaster... conditions were good enough that most or all the callers, could hear the DX, and when he started coming most (but not all) the callers would stop. But it was far from optimal. Of course it's the DX's decision to split or not. But... in a not crowded band... why don't they just go split the instant they get more than a few callers? I guess one reason is they don't want to litter the whole band with callers spoiling it for other DX. Lord knows on the high bands, when there's two DXpeditions spaced a kHz from each other, it's a complete disaster. But with some clear direction (e.g. UP2, keeping away from the DX window) from the DX it can be kept confined. And while I'm on the subject... when RI1ANF *did* go split tonight on 160M, I got him right away. Amazing. A few months ago I didn't have a receive antenna and couldn't even hear him. And tonight, he's clear as a bell. I feel like I'm on top of the world! Just a little brag from a 160M newbie :-). Tim N3QE ___ It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatsoever for supposing it is true. #8212; Bertrand Russell
Re: Topband: Not so Boring report
Tree, We are at a sunspot maximum? 10M sure as heck didn't get the memo. There was a whole bunch more DX on 160 last nite than on 10 today! And that's fine by me! Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Tree [mailto:t...@kkn.net] Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2012 02:52 PM To: 160 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: DX Window-Redux
There is a person down here always complaining about contest life being unfair, and wanting distance based multipliers in other contests. He wanted support for that idea. [...] The end result of distance based scoring or score by distance, power, and number of QSO's is certainly very different, but it is far from level. It simply tilts things in a different way. [...] It winds up effectively being a northern polar path or southern polar path, and unpopulated one-hop radial area penalty. The concept of a completely level playing field contest is an interesting one. There were several contests in the 1960's that attempted to level the playing field for all participants worldwide. These contests very often ended up with tables of multipliers based on CQ zones that attempted to give bonus points/mults for the most difficult contacts, e.g. over the pole. Check out for example page 57 of QST September 1967 issue for a very large table of QSO scoring based on CQ zone matrix of correspondents. What should be a lesson, is that these contests invariably ended up with bigger lookup tables for correcting QSO's for difficulty, than they had entrants It will be a stretch for anyone to remember the names of these contests although old issues of QST are a start. That's how successful the universal correction was. This was before gridsquares of course. I think the TBDC hits a nice middle ground and best of all nobody has to compute their own score. In fact it is by definition impossible to compute your own score (not knowing whether the other guy is HP, LP, or QRP.) Even with these factors there are still some locations and styles and stations that have advantages over others. I would hazard a guess that few of us enter it with an eye purely on score. If folks only entered contests they would win there would only ever be one entrant in each contest, a great loss for us all. I enjoy contest activity even though I've never won any :-) Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: DX window
Don't mean to leapfrog you guys technologically. But you don't need to interface your radio to your computer, because lots of other hams have already done this. CQ'ing stations are logged in the Reverse Beacon Network automatically. http://reversebeacon.net/ The reversebeacon data clearly show all the US and VE CQ'ing stations I heard in the DX window. There were several consistently CQ'ing in the DX window the first night of the contest. It even shows that I (briefly, like a minute or two) CQ'ed in the window! While I like to complain too, there was a marked reduction in US/VE CQ'ing in DX window the second night of the contest and many DX stations were clearly audible to me on fairly clear frequencies both inside and outside the window. I was a little surprised that there wasn't a line of callers for the stronger DX stations. I strongly suspect comments made on this mailing list and forwarded/read by those stations, helped rectify the situation. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bill Cromwell Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 9:07 AM To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: DX window Hi Darrell, I have started wading into computer logging and I usually use paper. After the contest I enter the info into the computer but I plan to just have the computer running and do it one QSO at a time. None of my radios have any kind of CAT feature. I do NOT want my radio to be smarter than me so they have to stay pretty dern stooopid. The logging programs let me enter the frequency I am using in whatever format I want AND just keep using the same info for each QSO until I change it. I would enter something like 160M or 1.8 (as in mc) but I could as easily put in 1.835001. Radios smarter than me can tell the computer where they are operating (maybe to the nearest 50 or 100 cycles. Checking for W/VE QSOs in the DX window would work for at least those stations with Baccalaureate radios. Any kind of policing of that nature would be encumbered with challenges and appeals processes and final results could take years. If CAT and computer logging become a requirement those of us without CAT or computer logging will be banned - de facto. Come to think of it my contest operation is already pretty low key. There are always the WARC bands and the expected new allocation at 600 meters. I can't imagine contests in THAT band. Or...we could all just play by the contest rules and agreements. 73, Bill KU8H On Wed, 2012-12-05 at 18:22 -0800, Darrell Bellerive wrote: Being unencumbered by knowledge of contest log reporting and checking perhaps I am missing something. Since virtually all contest stations use automated logging programs and these programs could get the actual transmit frequency directly from the transceiver as the contact is logged, then why couldn't a log check computer program simply check for non DX contacts within a DX window? I guess that would mean requiring an exact frequency rather than a generic frequency to be submitted in the Cabrillo format, but certainly that doesn't seem to hard to code into the logging program. I suppose this could even be crosschecked in the other station's log to rule out computer errors. Apply penalties for a certain number of violations to allow for true mistakes, but once above a certain limit, disqualification. I will crawl back under my rock now. 73, Darrell VA7TO Darrell Bellerive ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Phone contests on 160?
On 12/5/2012 4:29 PM, Steve HA0DU wrote: Why can't the mazochists contesting on 160 SSB have the whole band for 6 days in a year? *Well they can **and they do*! It doesn't seem to bother many. My problem is I have to re-peak my ATU at the tower for much over 1855 and there are are stations up to and beyond 1950Khz. I have a 2 RPM gearmotor but have not put in the jog switch yet. I know of CQ 160 phone for 2 days a year... what other phone contests come into 160? ARRL DX phone, CQ WPX phone, CQ WW phone? Doesn't that bring us to 8 days? In my days as a novice I learned how to take strong SW broadcasters in the 40M novice band and just tune them out mentally. As a result I rarely recognize phone activity as anything except a noise source to be ignored! Tim. ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Patience in ARRL 160 Contest
I think it depends on how much you think you own the run frequency. If you really feel you own it worldwide, no need to send your call as part of the exchange while running. Or his call after its been established. (Obvious exception is sprints, SS, other exchanges that require it. But also as obviously N6RK's post is inapplicable in detail except for overall urging stick to good form.) If you feel doubtful you own the run frequency but don't want the competition to know it, again no need to send your own call in the exchange. Don't show any weakness. You may get some busted QSO's but if you are running most of the time, you will get the caller again later if he didn't think he worked you. At which point you just work him again, and DO NOT DO THIS DUPE THING. Unless it is an hour of fresh meat in SS, it faster to just work him again. One sign that there's another runner on your freq, maybe you can't hear, is dupes or callers being strangely out of phase. Of course clueless callers may be out of phase just because they are clueless, too. If he's not in supercheck partial, he's probably new to contesting. A big string of dupes? You just got spotted with a busted call! Be 100% about ID'ing after every QSO and don't be surprised if this takes many minutes to clear. Tim N3QE - Original Message - From: Joe Wilkowski [mailto:k...@k8fc.com] Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 07:09 PM To: 'Tree' t...@kkn.net Cc: topband@contesting.com topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Patience in ARRL 160 Contest IMHO, this depends on what mode you are in. If you are searching and pouncing he already knows your call as he came back and gave you a report. So 5nn and section is perfectly fine here. If you are running, then sending his call and the report is pretty much sop. -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tree Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 6:55 PM To: Jim F. Cc: top Band; Richard (Rick) Karlquist Subject: Re: Topband: Patience in ARRL 160 Contest 3. Send only 5NN section. Do not send my call, BK, etc I'll actually disagree with this. Sending my call eliminates any confusion about who is being worked. In many situations on 160 - it is very handy. I once got called by W8JI after 10 minutes of CQing with no answers. I wasn't really sure he was working me or not since there were lots of people on the band that I couldn't hear (like all of Europe). Tree N6TR ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Rationalizing my radial field through measurement
My 160 TX antenna is also my 130-foot-doublet. It's up about 80 feet and fed with ladder line. To use on 160, I tie the feedline together at the bottom and feed against ground as something like a Marconi T using a L-network match right at the base. The rest of this post is about our favorite subject, ground. The base of the T is the corner of the house. At this corner... one quadrant is the house. Another quadrant is the garage. The third quadrant is the driveway. And the fourth quadrant is the back patio. Everything is covered by building, concrete, or asphalt except for like a 45 degree wedge towards the back patio. So the radial system is at best haphazard. On contest weekends I make an effort to go out and unreel about 1500 feet of wire over the backyard, across the driveway to the yard, and across the garage floor and out the garage windows and over the lawn, and across the basement ceiling to the far side of the house. In all there ends up being about 24 radial wires of lengths ranging from 30 feet to 120 feet (the corner of the house is in no way, in the center of the yard, which is rectangular but also with some odd triangle corners too!). I might take a picture and post it just so you guys can laugh at it. If I were to measure RF current in each radial when TX at the 100 watt level, with the antenna system impedance of 30+100j (from modeling and in good agreement with actual L match), I would expect that antenna RF current equals ground current equals about one amp. So if one amp is evenly spread amongst 24 radials, an average AC current of maybe 40mA. There's probably some net RF current back through feedline too even though I've got a #31 ferrite core with coax round through it to serve as a choke there. If I wanted to measure the radial and feedline AC current, not having any RF ammeters, I might just take a #47 lamp or other small pilot lamp and stick it in series with the radial and transmit into it. 40 mA will make a #47 lamp glow very dimly. Is this a good thing to check on? If I find that some radials don't carry enough current to light up the lamp... is that a sign that the low current radial is not needed? If other radials are carrying way more than average current... is this a sign I need more radials in that direction? Or is it the other way around? Or is this all academic and I just need another few thousand feet of copper wire? :-) Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: ARRL 160 contest
W4TV points out: For historical reasons the ARRL 16 Meter contest is essentially a 160M Sweepstakes. [...] For many years before activity in the middle part of the US expanded, it was impossible to win ARRL 160 from anywhere other than W1. It looks to me that at least in the LP category, the midwest is consistently having most all the top scores in ARRL 160. Shouldn't be too surprising - last night I was listening to many running midwest stations who last year were top 20 LP category, and they were working run of the mill stations on both east and west coast by the hundreds. Speaking of which... how do running stations monitor/switch between receive antennas on 160? Some may have them fed to diversity reception (left ear and right ear) but my primitive setup just has a foot pedal that lets me pick K9AY loop direction. For these guys who have twelve beverages, wow, I don't have that many feet! Tim. ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: November 30-December 2 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest
After the Thurs night NCCC NS sprint I called CQ on 160 and worked two guys who were on 160 for their first time ever. One was there to see what it's like before the ARRL 160 and the other was there because he noticed the swarm of NS'ers just a few minutes before. Both were loading up into whatever wire they had for other bands. I myself am a 160 newbie. Ham for 36 years but my first 160 QSO was just over a year ago. The contests, even little events like NS, be they fair or not, help draw folks in. I think perhaps more promotion of TBDC would be appropriate. QST will always pay more attention to the ARRL 160 but we have many other channels to push TBDC, I found out about it through WA7BNM's contest calendar. Tim N3QE. - Original Message - From: Tree [mailto:t...@kkn.net] Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 09:32 AM To: Eddy Swynar deswy...@xplornet.ca Cc: TopBand List topband@contesting.com; he...@vitelcom.net he...@vitelcom.net Subject: Re: Topband: November 30-December 2 -- ARRL 160 Meter Contest On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 6:07 AM, Eddy Swynar deswy...@xplornet.ca wrote: At that time, I established a dialogue with one of the committee members who was situated in western Canada: as I recall, Frank had success in expressing his concerns to him, but I don't recall the outcome of your efforts. Did you, in fact, make a connection to the CAC through that particular window of opportunity...? CAC members have a fairly limited role in situations like this. They are only called in to advise on specific questions that are handed down from HQ. They then go off and collect data on those questions. Think of them as survey coordinators who collect data from members of their division and roll that up into a report that goes back to HQ. The ARRL160 isn't everyone's cup of tea. It does however have a fairly long history as being an event that gets people in the USA and Canada fired up and on topband.. It is sort of like the ARRL Sweepstakes - but only on 160 meters. DX QSOs are allowed - but it isn't an international contest really. It is a very boring contest from Zone 21 for example. If we engineered all contests to be perfect from one perspective - all contest would end up being the same. I don't think it is that bad of a deal that we have three different 160 meter contests that are all different - and you can decide which ones are the ones you want to participate in. If you feel there is something missing from this equation - I invite you to sponsor a 4th one and then see if people vote with their feet and participate in the event. 73 Tree N6TR ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: 5T0SP
They were clear as a bell last night on 80M CW, a very very good sign. I would like to know what sort of low band transmit antennas that 5T0SP and/or C5A are using. Whatever it is, wow it works to NA. I'm guessing that it looks out onto ocean to their NW, but don't know geography that well! Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Andrzej Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 9:55 AM To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: 5T0SP Hi All, This night 5T0SP will be active 160/cw, 80/ssb News from Wlodek SP6EQZ, he will be on TB cw. Andy SP6AEG ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: PT0S joy
Was listening to 160M last night. PT0S going up and down in my local noise. On a peak up, I drop my call in, he comes back to me with my partial call, I fill it in again, have the QSO, and he goes down below the noise. It'll be slow... but if I lather, rinse, repeat, I could imagine getting DXCC 160M this way with 100W and small lot receive antennas. Will probably take me a few decades! Was using my K9AY pointed southwest. That's not exactly PT0S's direction, but it's best for nulling my local noise. Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Is PT0S still on 160M?
I just looked at the clublog leaderboard for PT0S, http://www.clublog.org/charts/?c=PT0S#r And was surprised how evenly distributed QSO's per band are distributed from my zone (CQ Zone 5), with more on 160M than on 12M, 20M, 30M, 80M. With your success as encouragement, Bob, I will continue trying on 80M and 160M tonight :-) I did get HK0NA earlier this year on 160M. They had an absolutely killer signal. 10M: 550 QSO's 12M: 407 QSO's 15M: 570 QSO's 17M: 580 QSO's 20M: 459 QSO's 30M: 450 QSO's 40M: 526 QSO's 80M: 497 QSO's 160M: 515 QSO's Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of rfoxw...@tampabay.rr.com Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 12:33 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Is PT0S still on 160M? They had been up on 80 cw earlier tonight but QSY to 160 at 10 pm local time, 0300z Wed, on 1825, listening up 2 and with best signal I have hrd them so far (in FL), wkd with 200 w out and 70 foot longwire, after I had thrown down a sketchy radial field. Best around 04 z and was working a mix of EU and NA. Still going at 0520z. Reporters on a MW DX list are reporting good skip to the south tonight. 73 Bob k2euh Jorge Diez CX6VM cx6vm.jo...@gmail.com wrote: They had a lot of WX problems, rebuilding antennas destroyed by the sea waves but they are doing the best, they really are heroes in this small place, just four ops to do all the work Will be there till next weekend, cqww cw included ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: antenna wire
I doubt the wire broke at corner because RF is too high. Mechanical dressing at any corner is far more relevant. The stranded Polystealth is good stuff, will survive bends without good mechanical stress relief much better than solid copper, but it too will break at a corner after enough flexing if not dressed appropriately. Also note that polystealth is copper clad steel, with a rather thin coat of copper, and will show some rust of the steel core wherever the copper is nicked. Nothing against polystealth I've had 130 feet of it over my house for many years now. It is so much easier to deal with than solid copperweld. I would still be entwined in a snake of wire if I had tried to put up 130 feet of similar gauge solid copperweld over my house. I advocate the way to build a long lasting corner, involves two separate antenna wires dressed appropriately (large radius loop through insulator and no tight corners) through the insulator, with the two wires connected by a flexible electrical jumper that has no mechanical stress applied. I learned the above dealing with both solid copperweld and solid copper ladder line at corners. At any corner or support where the wind would whip the ladder line, the wire was guaranteed to break. But stress relieve the corners with large radius loops, good mechanical dressing and a flexible electrical jumper that has no stress on it, and it'll last forever. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jorge Diez - CX6VM Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 8:58 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: antenna wire Hello Wich antenna wire do you use for large delta loops for 160 and 80 mts, or other wire antennas? I did something with Polys-13 from DavisRF, but not sure if I need a thicker wire to run high power My 80 mts delta loop wire is very dark over 5 years, and was broken at one of the corner where I have insulator and RF is to high 73, Jorge CX6VM/CW5W ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: TX/ RX Antenna Switching
Getting away from what we are discussing now (limiters) and back to the original question... it really is just a few bucks for a relay for a rig (without separate T and R jacks) at the 100W level, to add separate T and R based on the amp key line. It's ironic that for most of half a century, the ARRL handbook showed designs for T/R switches, and now those with entry level radios have to build the opposite of the T/R switch to have seperate T/R antennas :-). Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Tom W8JI [w...@w8ji.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 4:25 PM To: ZR; Buck wh7dx; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: TX/ RX Antenna Switching How do we know what it has with no schematic available? It could be $1-2 worth of parts. I recommend that nobody buy anything from DXE that does not support an at home repair. I certainly agree everyone should give out schematics. Not providing a schematic does not stop anyone from copying something, because anyone can buy one and trace it out. Not providing a schematic only makes things rough for someone trying to repair something, or trouble shoot a system. I see more and more a tendency to not provide schematics, and this is an alarming trend. This goes from my consumer gear (like my home security system) to my Ham gear. Unfortunately, this is very common these days. However, we also should not shoot from the hip and/or present things as fact or present things as something we know when we are just guessing, assuming, or making things up. This goes across the board to all topics. Tom ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Outing The Scofflaws...
I think we have to be careful, that innocent regular users of 160M for non-DX and non-PT0S-DX, don't get swept up as calling PT0S. Especially with the DX sometimes listening UP through a broad swath of the band... and other times listening DOWN through a different swath... we don't know who they're listening too. (Then there's the DX that says they're listening up when really listening down!) There are other stations in the world, we all can remember :-) Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Jim Brown [j...@audiosystemsgroup.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 2:29 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Outing The Scofflaws... On 11/12/2012 8:36 AM, N1BUG wrote: I question how many good operators would have the... [ahem] courage to out the offenders. I am sufficiently disgusted with behavior in the pileups tonight and last night to observe that some using VE3XB repeatedly called PT0S when PT0S was repeatedly calling NN6L. Since VE3 is about 2,000 miles closer to PT0S than I am, and because he was calling over, and over, and over, I'd say it's likely that he would have been copying PT0S at least as well as I was, and I had no trouble telling that PT0S was calling NN6L. Only one example. 73, Jim K9YC ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Yippee...!
DL6FBL is easily the strongest, an honest S7-S8, of all the OK/OM contest stations bleeding over here to the states shortly before sunset. Wow, that's great. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of Eddy Swynar [deswy...@xplornet.ca] Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 4:49 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Yippee...! Hi Guys, Well, I'm DELIGHTED to say that I've heard my first European DX of this season on Topband, in the form of DL6FBL calling CQ Contest...and this, a good half hour before my local sunset here. HEARING some DX is certainly believing---that the band may NOT be a total wash-out after all this season, that is...! Now, actually WORKING some DX is another question! Hi Hi. ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: RSGB 160 contest Friday Nov 17 evening
I note that there's a RSGB 160M contest 2100Z Nov 17 to 0100Z Nov 18. http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2012/r2nd-160m-2012.shtml Unlike past RSGB/UK contest timings, this one seems to have some overlap with Eastern US darkness. Looks like US stations can work not just UK but also any Euro station. Any thoughts/experience? I'm a new-to-160 guy just looking to pick up some more Euro DXCC confirmations (long way to go to 100, I'm only at 17!). Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Antenna analysers in close proximity to BC station.
At my QTH, many of the local (just a few miles away) AM BC stations cut back power a lot at sunset. The cleanup is remarkable on my transmit Marconi. Before sunset and without any reject filters, I literally have 50V RMS between antenna and ground. It can light up a neon light on modulation peaks of the nearest stations (OK I cheated and built a tuned circuit for 630 WMAL to make that happen! But it does happen.) At night it clears up dramatically and is closer to 10V RMS. It may be as easy as waiting for sunset to do the antenna analyzer thing. (Not sure if this helps the original poster in the UK... don't know if UK/Euro stations have the same day/night switcheroo that NA stations coordinate. And I think clear channel stations do not cut back power at night... do clear channel stations actually still exist?). Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of ZR [z...@jeremy.mv.com] Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 8:11 PM To: Tom Boucher; 160 reflector; Chris G3SVL Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna analysers in close proximity to BC station. MFJ sells a filter for that but I dont know how well it works around serious BCB RF; 10KW at the high end of the band in 2 directions in about 7-8 miles doesnt bother my unfiltered 259B nor do the FM and UHF TV sites about 2 miles away. Carl KM1H - Original Message - From: Chris G3SVL ch...@g3svl.com To: Tom Boucher t...@telemetry.demon.co.uk; 160 reflector topband@contesting.com Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 6:42 PM Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna analysers in close proximity to BC station. At 21:21 02/11/2012, Tom Boucher wrote: .. but how to use the antenna analyser in the presence of a high BC station field. Anyone any ideas? Hi Tom, I have 2.4KW of MW BC transmitter 300m from the base of my 160m antenna, so I know the problem. I've found an ICE BC filter to be pretty good - but I've only ever used it to tweak a matching system, not to take absolute readings. I've used a loaned N8LP LP100A and that worked fine - but of course that's an entirely different measurement system. 73 Chris, G3SVL ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1427 / Virus Database: 2441/5369 - Release Date: 11/02/12 ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Radials across a driveway and garage floor
The bottom of my 160M transmit vertical (actually more of a Marconi T) is roughly centered in the center of the lot... nestled right between house/garage/driveway. With the house in the center of the lot, and the T supported from the end by two fixed trees, there's not a lot of choice I have. So about 1/2 of the radial field that I lay out in the winter, is currently just wire draped along garage floor and across the driveway. (I do a little better with radials on the ceiling of the basement of the house, coming out the sillplate on the other side to go back underground). My wife and kids and I trip over the wires even if I tape them down. I'm trying to come up with a better solution than copper wire draped over garage and driveway. I'm thinking: Metallic aluminum tape, or copper foil strips, on cement garage floor, painted over? Garage needs a paint job anyway. Slit the asphalt driveway with a masonary saw for each radial, lay down copper radial in slit, seal the top? Driveway needs some attention too. Any thoughts? I'm guessing here others try to align their ham radio projects so they look to the XYL like home improvements? :-) Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Re: Topband: Monopole Elev Pattern w.r.t. Earth Conductivity
OK I'm confused. All the AM radio stations registered with FCC publish curves showing 2.5, 0.5, and 0.15 mV/m contours. I'm assuming these are field strengths on the ground e.g. low angles. http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WGNservice=AMstatus=Lhours=U I always thought that these were based on models of local terrain/ground conductivity and antenna patterns with some cross-checking against real measurements (E.g. selective voltmeters). Many of the AM stations have very interesting coverage patterns due to local and distant variations in ground conductivity as well as beam patterns formed by phasing multiple towers so these patterns on not done just by seat-of-the-pants. Is 160M so bizarre that the same electromagnetic principles (used for half a century to carve up AM frequency allocations across the US and Canada) are not applicable to finding field strength on the ground for 160M ham stuff? Tim N3QE ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: K9AY success!
Last winter I had struggled some with a pennant. Over the past weekend I strung up half of a K9AY in the treeline on the edge of my property (trees as supports). It's half in the sense that it's a diamond in the NE/SW plane but I don't have a NW/SW plane. It works wonderfully... I can remotely point it NE or SW, and get circa 15 to 20 dB rejection off the back as verified with real 160M listening over the weekend. Didn't hear much DX - maybe I could convince myself I could hear RI1ANF last night on 160M by ESP! But I heard G's and EA's and DL's in Europe calling for RI1ANF and verified that they come in from the NE but not the SW. Locations to my NW (e.g. Michigan), I didn't hear much difference between the two directions. That's a great start, but if I wanted to set up the other half of the K9AY on a different property edge treeline, and get the perpendicular directions (NW and SE), can I use the same coax and switchbox? Maybe twisted pair to the perpendicular loops (maybe 50 feet away) Or should I use a second piece of coax to handle this other half-K9AY? Is there a huge payoff in getting the perpendicular directions too, or is half a K9AY good enough for a 160M receive antenna newbie like me? Tim N3QE ___ Remember the PreStew coming on October 20th. http://www.kkn.net/stew for more info.
Re: Topband: Fishing beacons redux
If we are the primary allocation, we have a responsibility to use that frequency as it was allocated. Use it or lose it works on every level here. Using the frequency is not jamming it. Nothing wrong with tracking it with ARRL intruderwatch but their pull with Chinese fishing beacon manufacturers will have to be careful. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of mstang...@comcast.net Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 1:21 PM To: topband Subject: Re: Topband: Fishing beacons redux Is this the correct thing to do? How do you know that the beacon user is breaking the law in his jurisdiction? In any case jamming should not be proposed as a solution. Amateur radio operators should not cause malicious interference. If word got out that hams were jamming commercial fishermen it would give us a blabk eye. Remember, the public would perceive the fishermen using the beacons for their livelihood, and hams using these frequencies for a hobby. The best thing to do is to provide the information to the ARRL Intruderwatch and maybe they can make a case to have the manufacturers delete channels in the 160 meter band. Mike N2MS snip The most effective way to get rid of one is to operate on, or very close to, the beacon frequency. It takes some period of time, but if the owner can't hear the beacon reliably he will program a new frequency. Several nights of heavy activity near a beacon often results in a channel switch. ... UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: 1.810 signal
Right outside of Washington DC... about S8 to S9 tonight. 1810.3. Only goes down a little during the day. I always mentally thought of it as the buzzsaw. Tim N3QE From: Topband [topband-boun...@contesting.com] on behalf of wa3...@comcast.net [wa3...@comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 8:14 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 1.810 signal Well, Chalk it up to senility I guess ... not sure if I put the correct link in my last post or not but here it is here: http://www.qsl.net/wa3mej/Interference/Interference.htm Look on the second entry down and you will find a picture of the spectrum, clicking on the picture will enlarge it.. and in the entry next to it there is a link to the audio file. Comments please Jim - Original Message - ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: Inv-L wire in contact with tree branches
Copperclad would probably be more durable but the contact with the tree branches on exposed wire would be no good. Enamelled copperclad would soon have the enamel worn off there would be direct metal contact to the branches. I can't find any of the old copperclad two element telephone wiring around here with UV proof durable insulation as the phone company won't give it or sell it privately when they take it down. I looked at the wire Home Depot has and the stranded wire doesn't seem to have a tough insulation. The RF Connection (therfc.com) sells stuff they call polystealth that is stranded copper clad steel with a pretty decent plastic insulation. I think Wireman sells similar stuff but with a different moniker. It isn't real copperweld but it does seem pretty durable (admittedly I've never used it where extended tree branch abrasion was an issue but I've had it in trees for 4 years with no problems.) The stranded stuff is a zillion times easier to handle than solid copperclad steel (does not encase you like a snake!!!) Tim. ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: Short radials?
In fact I had my ARRL Antenna book (a mid-90's edition) in front of me at the dinner table last night and I think I saw the exact same table. My feeling based on some less than quantitative tests is that a couple of quarter wave radials, has been more effective on topband than 16 0.1 wave radials for my station at my QTH. Others here have have told us how to measure that quantitatively (and in fact I may try on my antenna preparations in run-up to at least the October Mini-Stew, to some of the things that W8JI has outlined. I'm learning a lot!!! And W8JI's Gotham Vertical review is perhaps the most entertaining thing I've read!!!) My property doesn't extend out far enough for me to really run a permanent radial field out to a quarter wave, but I can sneak out in the dark of night this winter and try it out for sure. Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of lmlangenfeld tds.net Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 11:29 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Topband: Short radials? *A sidebar and table in the ARRL Handbook (22.23 in the 2007 edition) suggests that, for 16 on- or in-ground radials, there is little benefit to cutting them longer than 0.1 wave. Only when the number of radials goes up, they say, do you start to realize improvements from longer lengths. * * * *This seems somewhat counter-intuitive, and differs from info I have seen elsewhere. Because I am about to cut and lay out 16 radials under an inverted L, I could sure use some feedback based on real-world experience.* * * *Tnx es 73,* * * *Mark -- WA9ETW* ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: Mother of all ferrite common-mode coaxial chokes
Figure 5 of W1HIS's writeup. 15 pounds of ferrite beads. http://www.yccc.org/Articles/W1HIS/CommonModeChokesW1HIS2006Apr06.pdf ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: UFOs
There are parts of the third world where ham homebrewing is based around three standard toroids: the one from a TV 75/300 balun, the yellow one from a PC power supply, and the green one from a PC power supply. And here we bm that we don't have u' and u'' curves. Tim N3QE ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Re: Topband: UFOs
I think my point was, we haven't always been so sophisticated either. Wes Hayward's article on toroids in Jan 1968 QST discusses the Indiana General sales policy to hams, then says The remainder of this discussion will show the experimenter how he can fabricate his own toroid cores from familiar components that can be found in most junk boxes.. Then discusses how to start with ferrite loopsticks, a saw, and a drill, and make your own toroids, or how to use tuning slugs or cup cores from IF transformers or TV convergence assemblies as toroids. Now me, in my lab, if it is anything other than 43 mix, I try to write the part number/mix on it with a Sharpie when I get the package from Amidon or other supplier. Some suppliers use plastic stickers on the bag to identify what's inside... but if I wait too long in summer weather, the sticker falls off! So no shortage of UFO's here :-) Tim N3QE -Original Message- From: ZR [mailto:z...@jeremy.mv.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 4:35 PM To: Shoppa, Tim; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: UFOs What do you mean 3rd world? That describes the majority of the USA, present company excepted, but here they throw in a TV or monitor flyback! Carl KM1H - Original Message - From: Shoppa, Tim tsho...@wmata.com To: topband@contesting.com Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 3:11 PM Subject: Re: Topband: UFOs There are parts of the third world where ham homebrewing is based around three standard toroids: the one from a TV 75/300 balun, the yellow one from a PC power supply, and the green one from a PC power supply. And here we bm that we don't have u' and u'' curves. Tim N3QE ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1424 / Virus Database: 2437/5108 - Release Date: 07/03/12 ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: Laird ferrites
Most of the ham stuff references Amidon and Fair-Rite ferrite mix numbers A different company, Laird, sells three main mixes of ferrite toroids/beads/snap-ons: LF, 28 and HF. Graphs in http://www.lairdtech.com/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=idItemID=3363 Laird mix 28 might be comparable to Fair-Rite 43, and Laird mix LF might be good for 160M balun chokes. But maybe I'm comparing apples and oranges. Laird cores are very well stocked at Digi-Key and prices are excellent in low quantities. I've been using them in switch-mode power supplies but not in actual RF applications so far. Thoughts on Laird mix LF? Anyone tried it for choke baluns on 160M? Tim N3QE ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
