Re: Topband: My first VK on 160M!

Hi Mark Glad you were able to work VK3IO and VK3HJ. I pulled out of that opening in deference to others here due to spurious products on my transmission. Best 73 Adrian VK2WF -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Mark K3MSB Sent: Sunday, 1 A

Re: Topband: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change is Upon us!

For those who have not yet seen how the future of 160m band harvesting - not DX'ing - will be done, check this video out http://ae5x.blogspot.se/2018/01/video-fully-automated-ft8-qsos.html Apparently SV5DKL made 13.000 QSO

Re: Topband: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change is Upon us!

Good morning all As it probably can not be stopped. The ONLY way seems that ARRL acts, and NOT accept these modes ( unhearing modes) for todays dxcc. If they make a separate dxcc for these modes, anyone that prefer these kind of QSO can use these for that NEW dxcc. And it will not impact ,,,

Re: Topband: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change is Upon us!

Happy Easter all, and what abt WAZ 160m ? 73 Pat on7pq . -Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] Namens Hans Hjelmström Verzonden: zondag 1 april 2018 09:36 Aan: Peter Sundberg CC: k...@aol.com; topband@contesting.com Onderwerp: Re: Topband: Straws i

Topband: wonderful digital world

Hi Peter, Hans and all dinosaurs, recently, after 55 years on 160, I worked my entity #300.  I had planned to apply for a new sticker on my 160 DXCC #70 but looking at ARRL's  "non-activities" I'm much in doubt. Nevertheless, CW remains the ultimate challenge and satisfaction and we'll keep

Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

Hello fellow DX'ers, I have been following the discussion of FT8 and how it relates to the future of ham radio in general, and in DX'ing, in particular. I am a 66 year-old retired industrial electrician, who has been licensed sine 1981, having first received my Novice Class ticket, then upgradin

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

Some questions in my mind. How important is RF in the evolution of amateur radio? Would those who operate using FT8 be a lot less interested if it were just computers linking them with others without transmitted RF? How about operator involvement or skill? How important is it that hams retain

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

I fully agree with You.I can tell You, that lot of old timers in my country never will go to FT8.I am 68 years old and i promise You that You will find me on cw till I die.The same ok1tn, ok1au and lot of others.That madness of ft8 is really the end of radioamateuring. By the way You will find me

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

There is good and bad with the FT8. The good is that it is bringing guys into the HF DX realm who never got active in DX because for whatever reason they felt they did not have a good DX station.  The bad is that the focus on RTTY (my favorite mode) has become less especially for DXpeditions i

Re: Topband: 7Q7EI on 160

Thanks for that link. I think that this will be a recurring theme going forward. 160M is hard. That what makes it fun for many of us. Is it still fun if FT8 is used? Is it more fun to use FT8 than wait for "the next one" and hope it comes? I think we are all making these decisions. How does

Topband: Soil conductivity maps

So I'm looking to purchase a new QTH. I'm not particular about location, but would like to optimize for soil conductivity and any other parameters that would increase near and far field propagation and minimize ground losses. I've seen the US Gov M3 maps, but they are very coarse. They also only de

Re: Topband: 160m polarization and elevation angles

Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2018 00:23:15 -0400 (EDT) From: donov...@starpower.net To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 160m polarization and elevation angles www.arrl.org/news/storm-takes-down-amateur-radio-contest-club-towers-in-northern-europe ## Per the OH8X current website, they still hav

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

In my experience (sine 1957) casual CW DX contacts have nearly always been RST, QTH, Name, and for a long QSO maybe Rig.  A memory keyer can do most of TX, and nowadays there are fairly good CW decoders.  Not much different from other digital modes. It seems to me that most of the thrill of DX i

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

Look for deep rich moist farm soil.  Recent chemical fertilizer use should make it even more conductive On 4/1/2018 10:45 AM, Jeff Kinzli N6GQ wrote: So I'm looking to purchase a new QTH. I'm not particular about location, but would like to optimize for soil conductivity and any other parameter

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

On 4/1/2018 7:45 AM, Jeff Kinzli N6GQ wrote: So I'm looking to purchase a new QTH. I'm not particular about location, but would like to optimize for soil conductivity and any other parameters that would increase near and far field propagation and minimize ground losses. I've seen the US Gov M3 ma

Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System Reported by Woody K3YV Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Florida recently announced their development of a revolutionary new 160 meter antenna system based on their proprietary laser communications system. Dr. Benjamin Dover, Laser Com’s c

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/m3-ground-conductivity-map#block-menu-block- 4 The link on the page to the download version has reasonable detail... Having performed many field strength surveys for broadcasting ( using a Nems-Clarke and later an Potomac FIM ), I can tell you that the real world v

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

Is Dr Dover’s first name April, and middle name Fools. :) 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Sunday, April 1, 2018, wrote: > > > > Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System > > > > > Reported by Woody K3YV > > > Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Florida recently announced their > development of a revolution

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

And today is?? On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 12:01 PM, wrote: > > > > Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System > > > > > Reported by Woody K3YV > > > Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Florida recently announced their > development of a revolutionary new 160 meter antenna system > based on their prop

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

Nice opening to VK this morning from Atlanta after SR. Luke was equally strong on Hi Z 8 and Waller Flag at 95 ft. 73, John, W4NU Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 1, 2018, at 11:21 AM, Brian Pease wrote: > > In my experience (sine 1957) casual CW DX contacts have nearly always been > RST, QTH,

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

Hey, the great minds that financed the Solyndra Solar debacle might go for it! On 4/1/2018 12:09 PM, Allan Culbert wrote: And today is?? On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 12:01 PM, wrote: Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System Reported by Woody K3YV Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Flori

Topband: Subject: Re: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change

This is just the same type of comment that was made back when SSB took over for AM Phone operations. SSB was considered “Not Real Ham Radio” and now is not even a pause in anyone’s mind about it being a “development” mode. FT8 is the same... a development that allows us to hear deeper into

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

April 1 Regards, Mark, K1RX > On Apr 1, 2018, at 12:01 PM, donov...@starpower.net wrote: > > > > > Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System > > > > > Reported by Woody K3YV > > > Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Florida recently announced their > development of a revolutionary n

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

And in a related story…..Laser Comm is teaming up with Auto Comm Ltd. of Palo Alto California to market to the Amateur radio Community the new Auto-Q radio package. This new "radio station in a box" will utilize the best of Laser Comms new antenna system together with a completely stand alone H

Re: Topband: Subject: Re: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change

I assume that the same thing occurred when CW (Continuous Wave) started to replace spark, and tube receivers started replacing crystal sets. "Its to easy, takes away the challenge". Back in the 80s I used a pocket-size 2 Watt 20m kit xcvr to work >100 DX entities in a 1 year period on CW. Try fo

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

This is all s egggciting today ! Bob W5XC -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Steve Babcock Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2018 12:03 PM To: donov...@starpower.net Cc: topBand List Subject: Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakth

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

That's making light out of a difficult problem. ;) 73, Gary KA1J > > > > Laser Com Announces New Topband Antenna System > > > > > Reported by Woody K3YV > > > Laser Com, Inc. of Titusville, Florida recently announced their > development of a revolutionary new 160 meter antenna syst

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

Hello Jeff, All those things you mention are great but times they are changing. You would be well advised if you find an interesting place to do a noise survey on and near the property. And consider what are the chances of urban sprawl to bring with it the latest scourge of a plethora of noi

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

My first priority would be a RF quiet location and best prospects of it staying that way - Been in same house over 40 years - last ten years in particular ambient noise and incredible numbers of ever increasing RFI sources overwhelm my ability to try to resolve . I was on edge of town , pitch bl

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

Another bit of advice is to move as far north as you can stand, because up here the population is steady or declining as folks migrate away from the snow belt. On 4/1/2018 2:31 PM, HP wrote: My first priority would be a RF quiet location and best prospects of it staying that way - Been in same

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

I spent most of my career in the TV broadcast industry - starting when studio cameras were 500# beasts and the recording methods of they day were film and 2" videotape and ending when the industry had transitioned to digital with hard drive/memory card storage and non-linear editing. My wife's g

Re: Topband: My first VK on 160M!

Congrats, Mark! It's good to hear that VKs are active on 160. After VK3ZL became a silent key, it was pretty quiet there for awhile. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Subject: Re: Straws in the Wind ....A 160m Dx'ing Sea Change

On 4/1/2018 9:44 AM, Pete Rimmel N8PR wrote: This is just the same type of comment that was made back when SSB took over for AM Phone operations. SSB was considered “Not Real Ham Radio” and now is not even a pause in anyone’s mind about it being a “development” mode. FT8 is the same... a

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

Happy April Fool's Day folks! 73 Darrell AB2E From: Topband on behalf of Steve Babcock Sent: Sunday, April 1, 2018 1:03 PM To: donov...@starpower.net Cc: topBand List Subject: Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton And

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

What do you mean? This actually works great! I am a bata tester and have worked 297 DXCC Country’s on Topband since February 18th alone! 73, Bob AA6VB Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 1, 2018, at 1:07 PM, AB2E Darrell wrote: > > Happy April Fool's Day folks! > > 73 Darrell AB2E > > > > __

Re: Topband: My first VK on 160M!

On Sat, 31 Mar 2018 18:10:08 -0400, Mark K3MSB wrote: "Huge day for me this morning After several years of trying, I worked my first VK on Top Band! Well, actually my first 2 Vks!!" >> First, congrats Mark, for your first VK on 160! We all know the feeling of stalking a station or country fo

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

I hope it's not Ben Lee KX4TT -- Original message--From: Don KirkDate: Sun, Apr 1, 2018 12:35To: donov...@starpower.net;Cc: topBand List;Subject:Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton Is Dr Dover’s first name April, and middle name Fools. :)73

Topband: EU opening-G3YRO

Last night just before going to bed, I checked RBN and noticed that my VE6WZ skimmer spotted G3YRO on 1827 at 0513z. I thought it may have been a “rouge” spot (sometimes RBN spots get through when domestic callers reply using the DX call), so I didn't bother to check the radio. Just before turni

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

If anyone can find a good detailed map of the Hawaiian Islands soil conductivity I would appreciate a link. So far all I have found is a grainy gif of the Islands with very little detail...and a data sheet that has some longitude and latitude data. Soil here grows anything instantly, is fou

Re: Topband: Laser Com introducing a breakthrough Top Band antenna at Dayton

I almost believed it but then I looked at the date.73Adrian VK2WF Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy S7 on the Telstra Mobile Network Original message From: kx4tt--- via Topband Date: 2/4/18 6:33 am (GMT+10:00) To: Don Kirk , donov...@starpower.net Cc: topBand List Subject: Re: T

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

My two cents... I've got no problem with advances in technology, but I chose to use what I want to use...and it ain't FT-8. Every mode other than FT-8 requires a person to tune in a station and to take part in the contact. The idea of being able to take a nap and make QSOs while my computer

Topband: 160m inv vee questions

Hi all, For many years I’ve had a trapped 80m/160m inverted vee with the apex at about 94’ on a tower that’s loaded with various yagis. The vee is oriented so that it’s broadside to the NE and SW (wires running SE to NW). The tower is on a steep hill, so the wire that runs to the uphill side is

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

My 2 cents (& my 2 cents are surely worth more to me than anyone else). this is a licensed sport, I see it in some ways like fishing which is also a licensed sport; some catch and keep, some catch and release, some pay big bucks to fly to way out of the way places that most can't afford to d

Re: Topband: 160m inv vee questions

I modeled an inverted-V last week.  If the feed is balanced, the total radiation pattern (Hor + Ver) is omni-azimuthal with a lot of upward radiation.  Directly broadside, the radiation is horizontal but off the ends it is entirely vertical.  For 160 to EU I would orient NE-SW. On 4/1/2018 6:4

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

On 4/1/2018 6:01 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote: Every mode other than FT-8 requires a person to tune in a station and to take part in the contact. 1) FT8 also requires a person to tune in the station and take part in the contact *UNLESS* one has programmed additional software to a

Re: Topband: 160m inv vee questions

Meaning run the wires NE-SW? The article I read did mention the polarity being vertical in the direction of the wires, consistent with your model. Would the same apply to the 80m portion? Thanks & 73, Dick -Original Message- From: Brian Pease Sent: Sunday, April 1, 2018 7:41 PM To: t

Re: Topband: 160m inv vee questions

Yes run the wires NE-SW for 160.  This might not help (or hurt) 80m. Even a flat (low) dipole has vertical radiation off the ends.  I have a full-size NE-SW 630m dipole only 2m off the ground that has been heard in EU many times on WSPR. On 4/1/2018 8:19 PM, Dick Green WC1M wrote: Meaning run

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

If you are interested in topband propagation. . .being located in the north, or at least the north central part, is not the optimum place to be. Being on topband here in Iowa for the past three decades, I can attest that those to the south of me (even Missouri) enjoy consistently better prop to

Re: Topband: Straws in the wind, continued or, "Where's the DX?"

Disagreed! A mode is matter of person, not software. 73, Martin, OK1RR Dne 2.4.2018 v 01:42 Joe Subich, W4TV napsal(a): On 4/1/2018 6:01 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote: Every mode other than FT-8 requires a person to tune in a station and to take part in the contact. 1) FT8 also requ