My idea of a big gun is a ham in a very advantageous location for
propagation and/or who has a much above average antenna which makes his
signal stand out.
In 1978-80 i worked for Tom Brandon in Charlotte(W4CEN)as a two way radio
tech. He let me hang a 80-40 meter trapped full half wave sloper off the
east side of his 160 ft. tower atwork. At 5:00 p.m. i'd get on 40 and 80
meters and easily work VK's long path, an hour before dark. I'd call CQ DX
and be answered by weak ZS's that many other stations couldn't even hear
yet. How do i know? My operations attracted hecklers who accused me of
working my fantasies, not real stations. I was running a TR-4 and a 75A2
with the 500 hz. mechanical filter, and a pair of 4-400A's in GG. My
feedline was RG-58 and it ran warm and limp!!!!
I ,of course, had the propagation before 8 land, but it used to tickle me
to snatch dx away from Al Hicks W8AH and some of the other eastern Big Guns.
I had a taste of being a big gun myself. In addition to height, the sloper
had gain to the east and north east. Could work asia, europe and africa
easily. California was never over S-5!!!
73 Roy Lincoln WA4DOU
p.s. These days i'm into QRP, lost interest in high power!
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