Hi Bob, Things have certainly changed in the last decade or so (in many ways as you have mentioned).
I live on a 11,000 sq foot lot in San Jose, CA and managed to put up a 60’ top loaded vertical with elevated gull wing radials running in all kinds of crazy directions on the roof. Managed to work about 140 some odd countries on 160 SJ won’t let me put up a tower so I mounted my SteppIR on a 31’ push up Mast. Having an absolute blast on HF but 160 has been so difficult in the past few years I took down the antenna. It got fairly discouraging, but I had a great time for about 15 years, plus or minus. 73, Bob/AA6VB Robert L. Chortek > On May 31, 2026, at 4:14 PM, Bob Kile via Topband <[email protected]> > wrote: > > ALERT: This email is from an external source. > > As I pass well into my so called golden years I reflect that the > "Golden years of 160m" were from about 1985 until 2009. It's been 40 > years since PRB-1 was passed and we as a organization have been unable > to expand rights for usable antennas on private property here in the US. > Yet at the same time can budget $1.7 million dollars for a highly > restricted Dx-pedition on a deserted frozen rock in the south Atlantic. > Instead we are deep into a litigious Nany States of HOA Karens, CC&R, > Property management organizations and over regulation by municipalities. > All have their hands in the cookie jar and none of which can't mind > their own Fu*king business. Long gone are antennas on residential roof > tops here in the US but seem to proliferate in many other developed > countries. > > As I've said before finding locations back east is not extremely > difficult. Out west however where in many states the land is controlled > either by the state of federal government with less than 10 percent > privately owned leaves few options. Meanwhile the invention of FT8 has > devastated operations of the HF bands. CW and SSB contacts in > DX-peditions have become meaningless as they are not part of the > economic stream. Myself whilst in the over 200 country confirmed range > working an average of less than one or two new CW entities a year has > myself asking Why? Scaling down to even HF on a 4000sqft lot with all > the QRN is nearly impossible to achieve even modest goals. Rent a remote > operations are limited as there a just a few stations with enough real > estate to share antenna space. > > The costs have gotten out of control. W2RE says a 200ft or so rotating > tower with decent HF stacks casts of $140,000. Income levels have not > kept up with inflation in the equipment market. Comprehensive brain > power has declined with the increased number of sub-menus and switches > on modern radios. Just listen to the number of Dx-pedition police and > those who don't know how to operate split frequency. Perhaps SDR radios > running shareware might be one of the few exceptions. I ask what good is > a $10K radio package without a decent antenna? The drifting birdies and > hash generated by hundreds of Wall Wart power supplies are deafening. It > seems for every step forward we have taken two or more backwards. > > Fortunately I can say I operated during the "Golden Years" on 160. Most > of my stuff has been home built on a budget and not just purchased. It > was done the hard way and it was fun. Kudos to those who still believe > in the hard way and those on the DX end that still take the time to > carry at least some extra wire and low noise RX antennas. > > To those readers out there post bright spots as I could go on and on in > what I can perceive the dim future. > > -- > W7RH DM35OJ > If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say > the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. George Carlin > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > “It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.” > ― Albert Einstein > > > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
