Tom W8JI pointed out....
snip...
On 160, the problem is very different. Local signals are very strong
compared to DX signals, and worse yet the radios we buy are really all
pretty poor.
End of snip...
I have enjoyed contesting in the past, and Top Band is the only band I
really operate. So, coffee maker was ready (in the garage shack, heat is
not too good, creature comforts at a minimum), TR configured, beverages all
walked and terminations not eaten by rabbits/mice/foxes, balloon kite
inflated and the 3/8 wave transmit antenna up at 200 feet. About an hour
before the contest I tuned the band, just to see what was happening
pre-contest. I could not believe it, more than 70% of the European stations
heard had clicks more than 300 Hz up and down from the carrier frequency
(Yaesu must be the rig of choice), another 20% were obviously over driving
the amp as phase noise and crud were up and down 400 Hz at least. The 10%
with good signals were definitely in the minority.
OK, maybe the new receive antennas just make it sound worse as before the
noise could have masked the problem. Started at the stroke of midnight GMT,
and hit the ground running....a few items were noted that in previous years
were not too apparent:
1. Beverages make it harder to find stations if you are running as it
involves several button pushes to hear the areas of interest.
2. The F/B on the beverages took care of the usual European mess when trying
to work the US and VE, almost.
3. The FT1000D almost coped with the multitude of adjacent key clicks, the
R4C did better, the 75A4 was about the same....but the TS830S did the best,
and it never has required a key click mod.
4. A hundred watts will NOT keep a run frequency in Europe, or anywhere I
suspect.
5. I am getting too old for SO Low power, and I guess it is time to cherry
pick the good DX and let the castanets, crickets, broadband noise generators
have at it.
6. The log this year goes in as a check log, as I gave up after eight hours
of the clickity-clack wall to wall mess. I think I'll give the SSB test a
miss also, that will probably be MURDER!
In many countries of the world there are regulations regarding spectral
purity, certainly EEC harmonised EMC regulations require it if they are read
and interpreted correctly. Other European legislation requires
manufacturers to fix problems to ensure that their equipment is "adequate
for purpose", i.e., they do what they are supposed to and one thing they are
NOT supposed to do is fill the spectrum with clicks, noise and
God-knows-what-else.
Doesn't the FCC require pure emissions? Remembering the old days in
hometown broadcast and proof of performance night being the highlight of the
small town engineering year, they used to make sure everything was working
to spec. Can't regulators be forced to act to clean up this mess? Can't
manufacturers make radios that only send what they are supposed to and not a
bonus of extra pops, clicks, growls, or whatever? Maybe a ten percent bonus
can be awarded to contest stations that don't click, or a ten percent
penalty for those that do?
In the meantime, back to old transmitters that can be CW wave-shaped (the
Johnson Ranger) or that don't need any help in the first place (the TS 830S)
and the state-of-the-art stuff will sit on the shelf looking pretty and
gathering dust.
73
Bob G4VGO
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