Topband: Sealing closures
Being in outside repair with ATT for 40 years, I had plenty of experience with attempting to seal closures. First of all if the closure, splice or what have you is NOT encapsulated it will get wet. Either from condensation or from weather exposer. Taping a splice or connection will only retain moister and get worse, it is better to leave a splice open to the weather than try to tape it, better yet encapsulate it. Temperature changes cause condensation inside closures and it will stay there. The best thing to do is allow the closure to breath. Put a hole (3/8) at the low point of the closure and cover with a piece of screen (to keep bugs out). You connections will be much happier. _ Topband Reflector
Topband: Telephone C wire
Should add one more comment to help clarify. I worked for ATT for 40 years and did repair for 25 of that. "C" wire is extremely durable until the heavy plastic sheath is damaged, generally rodent or lighting and exposed to the elements. Again in an antenna usage it may not be the problem of the constant 52 volts at about 40 ma of telephone voltage causing electrolysis. I didn't think of the electrolysis when mentioned the use of "C". I just remember replacing miles of "C" wired due to the conductors crumbling. Using as an antenna probably will last forever. Telephone C wire is a copper clad steel wire, as long as the hard plastic sheath remains intact it will be fine, however if the sheath is damaged to expose the wire it rusts rapidly and breaks. I spent many years repairing such wire. Water will migrate inside the sheath and the wire will become very brittle. Message: 2 Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:09:31 -0400 From: Herb Schoenbohm To: TopBand List Subject: Topband: Telephone C-wire for radials and Beverages Message-ID: <513b88eb.1090...@vitelcom.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I wonder if regular telephone company C-wire would not make great radials either buried or on ground. I do not know the impedance but it would also be a stronger replacement for WD-1A for directional Beverages as well, although I am not sure what the 40% conductivity comment all means, I would think it would be more suitable to resist corrosion and the dissimilar metal issues than any aluminum product. Just curious, Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ _ Topband Reflector
Topband: Re telephone c wire
Thelpone C wire is a copper clad steel wire, as long as the hard plastic sheath remains intact it will be fine, however if the sheath is damaged to expose the wire it rusts rapidly and breaks. I spent many years repairing such wire. Water will migrate inside the sheath and the wire will become very brittle. Message: 2 Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:09:31 -0400 From: Herb Schoenbohm To: TopBand List Subject: Topband: Telephone C-wire for radials and Beverages Message-ID: <513b88eb.1090...@vitelcom.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I wonder if regular telephone company C-wire would not make great radials either buried or on ground. I do not know the impedance but it would also be a stronger replacement for WD-1A for directional Beverages as well, although I am not sure what the 40% conductivity comment all means, I would think it would be more suitable to resist corrosion and the dissimilar metal issues than any aluminum product. Just curious, Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ _ Topband Reflector
Topband: NH0Z
An email from Joe JA1LZR. NH0Z will be QRV on 160 thru Monday Jan. 28 NA Sunrise. He RX is broadside pennants (KD9SV pennant kits and DXpedition II) directly at NA and says they are working very well. Inverted L TX. Though conditions have not been good. De W8VVG _ Topband Reflector
Topband: PT0S summary
I for one would like to commend entire crew of PT0S, they were not operating from a plush resort. Instead they put in ridiculous hours on a wet rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Eating coffee to stay awake to make Q’s. I was fortunate to work them on 160 and 80, not so lucky on the rest of the bands (not for lack of trying). GREAT JOB GUYS!! Larry W8VVG ___ Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
Topband: Small lot
Carlos: I read you’re comments the Top Band reflector. While I have never operated any digital modes I have enjoyed some great success on 160 with much thanks to the rotatable WF. Much of the credit goes to you, NX4D and KD9SV. Without yours, Doug’s and Gary’s help I would have given up on 160, not to leave out W8UVZ, K8GG and W0CD. Gary has sent me several prototype preamps, each one better than the last. Without Gary’s help I would not have pulled NH8S out of the noise last week and worked them on 160. Or for that matter RI1ANF a few weeks ago. Currently I have 154 worked with 139 confirmed on 160 from a lot of 80’ X 100’. TNX Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: DSL knocks out when on TopBand
> My problem is that when I try to operate on 160 the DSL > crashes. I have tried many Type 31 3 inch ferrite rings > with 20 turns on both the phone line and the Cat 5 cable > from the Zhone modem but even at 200 watts the > DSL looses sync. Herb, The problem usually comes from the wall wart with RF getting into the power supply lead. Most modems us an external PS such as the infamous wall wart. Try wrapping the PS lead around the ferrite core as close to the modem as possible, the same with the Telco wiring . The other alternative is to get a modem with a internal PS. De W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: 1820 BCB
I received a Email from WDOR stating the engineer had found a defective capacitor and it had been corrected. This morning the BCB on 1820 was considerably less than the last few days, but we will see what happens. Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: 1820 BCB
The BCB on 1820 has become considerably louder lately. The interference has been identified as WDOR www.wdor.com out of WI. As the audio is intelligible. I know of a couple of Emails that have been sent to the station. Maybe if more polite Emails are sent to the station corrective actions will be taken. Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: Counterpoise very interresting
http://www.antennex.com/shack/Dec06/cps.html ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: Fence "ground screen" instead of wire radials? (Gary K9GS)
2 years ago I put down chicken wire in the entire dog pen as that is where my feedpoint for the Battle Creek Special wire TX antenna is, 20'X40' then covered it with burlap to protect to dog. Under the chicken wire are several #10 ground wires going outside the fence then terminated to 32 radials of varying length. all the chicken wire is soldered together is several spots and soldered to the # 10 wire where it exits the fence. My yard is not big enough to allow resonance radials or even spacing, they go where I could make them fit and only in a about 150 degrees from the feedpoint. Not ideal but it works. During the winter months I add more radials, that are taken up in the spring. The chicken wire is galvanized and has not deteriorated over the last 2 years (yet). I do notice a slight change in resonance and bandwith with the winter radials. Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: KH2/N2NL Guam Topband Report (Dave Mueller)
Just want to say thanks to Dave for all his efforts. Also Thanks to Ed KH2L. I listened for many months before getting decent opening to Guam on 160. Dave hung with me during some serious QSB, then of course a week later the band had a great opening to both Dave and ED. Go figure! Really liked the Guam Topband report, keep up the great work. Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
Topband: A little help
I just purchased 1600’ of Twinax from a supplier in Lexington,KY. (2 spools 1000’ and 600’) However shipping was going to be as much as what I paid for the Twinax. A friend who lives in Lexington was going to bring it to Dayton for me, but now he can’t make Dayton. I was wondering if anyone may be coming thru Lexington on the way to the Topband Dinner at Dayton or just Dayton and could pick it up for me? It is about 2 miles west of I-75. TNX Larry W8VVG ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
