_____ We're not quite to the answer yet... Yes, ferrites like 31 material maintain resistive characteristics down to lower frequencies than most ferrites. This is extremely valuable for general purp
Fellow hams, Jerry Sevick, W2FMI, one of ham radio's great technical contributors, has passed away. I received word from his family that Jerry died peacefully this past Sunday at the age of 90. I hav
-- My opinion is that the writing style (and perhaps editing) created the wrong impression of Al's work -- all he showed was that losses occur in the ground system area. If there is any revelation,
Hi, I'm looking for interesting stories for the writeup of the ARRL 160M contest. I'll bet the stories are as good as the conditions! All interesting stories are welcome. I will definitely include a
KV4FZ noted: _________ If the moderator will allow a commercial (I only make one product, so it's hardly a real business), I'd like to tell Top Banders that I have resumed making the RAS-8x2 receive
N4ZR -- N6RK -- K8RYU -- -- Actually, you need to study as much of the data on N6LF's web site as you can -- www.antennasbyn6lf.com -- there is a lot of material on measurement techniques and other e
_____ I have a nearly identical situation to Gary -- 72' tapered self-supporter, but currently there are no antennas installed, and very little re-radiation. However, this tower will approach resona
In my opinion, the ideal top loading wire is stainless steel wire rope. The smallest common size is 3/32" (or metric equivalent), which has a rated breaking strength around 900 lb. A good local hardw
I find most of these too long -- my installations at 30" high over flat midwest farmland would have excessive rear lobes if I followed those recommendations. 310-330 ft. and 520-550 ft. work well. F/
-- This will work fine. I've done it often and detect no change in performance. Modeling also shows very little effect, even with a fairly long slope up and down on each side. 13 ft. will allow a br
Season's Greeting, TopBand Contesters! Once again, I will be doing the QST story and ARRL Web writeup for the ARRL 160 Meter Contest. I'd like to have a lot of stories to choose from, so go ahead and
Martin, Over the past 13-14 years of hearing comments from K9AY Loop users, plus my own experience, here is what I've learned... 1. If the loop works well with only a ground rod, don't install radial
John W2GD has it exactly right, in my opinion. There is no longer a useful purpose for the DX Window in contests. 160M has become such a popular band that 5 kHz just isn't enough to make a difference
My $0.02... Soldering radials -- for many years, dating from my first career in broadcasting, I have used silver-bearing plumbing solder commonly available in hardware stores and home centers. This i
Mike, The loops of the K9AY system do not need to be placed at right angles. With the unused loop disconnected there is minimal interaction with the operating loop. 73, Gary K9AY ____________________
Charlie, The short answer -- You'll rarely experience any problems if the resistor value is not optimum. The most important function of the resistor is to limit the loss to 6 dB and limit the maximum
Topbanders, Re: the recent discussion of antenna switches and the AY Technologies RAS-8x2 -- yes, production has been suspended while I work on my "real job" which now involves starting a new company
Bob, Not sure if Yaesu means the same thing, but the old meaning of "Delayed AGC" is that it kicks in at a higher threshold, which generally makes weak signals easier to hear. It also reduces the AGC
Hi Eddy, Trees are OK! The first loop I built was hung from a tree limb. Also, a tree will help hide the antenna from your neighbors (if that is a problem). If you optimize the resistor for 160M (typ
Hi Topbanders! Once again, I will be writing the report on the ARRL 160 Meter contest for QST and ARRL website. Send me your stories! Personal experiences, antenna and equipment notes, observations o