It was still not a real xmas present, but at least I've made my
first 20 QSO's again on Top-band yesterday. Was calling CQ from 21:15 on and got
the first reply from JA2XW at 21:19. Wkd 19x JA until they faded
out at 21:50. At local sunrise only YO4CAH/MM from near 4S7
worked. No Eu heard, but Peter, DJ8WL informed me already,
he's heard me vy weekly also abt. 21:30Z.
Today I was late, JA already gone. Heard only a few Eu's calling in a pile-up
on 1833.5 after sunrise (maybe for A92GD?). Couldn't copy them well so didn't
try
calling myself.
I'll try to be qrv the next couple of days for Europe between
20:30 .. 21:00 (first opening, 3:30..04:00 local) and 22:00 .. 22:30
(local sunrise), probably around 1824. In between I'll call for Japan,
listening
like last nights on 1911, but still also on my TX frequency.
Have problems to find a good frequency. Between 1818..1822 is bad in Eu,
on the other hand I'm still fighting very bad BC-qrm here in the range between
1822 .. 1838 kHz (still need highpass filters).
For the US it will be very difficult - didn't hear even one of you - neither on
80 nor
on 160 this season. Between 12:00 and 16:00Z the band sound always 'zzzzz..'.
Nevertheless I'll keep listening also during this times, if there is any sign
of some
'useful' signals I'll try calling.
Currently I'm running 400W into a Inv-Vee (60ft), but yesterday I've received
the first shipping from Press, 'The Wireman' with the material for the current
baluns, will try to set up my elevated Inv-L a.s.a.p. I'm still waiting for the
Dunestar Filters and the ZJ-Boxes for the RX-EWE/Beverage-antennas.
Other results:
Sofar I've burned / short circuit'd the feeding coax of my 20m-Quad (used the
Quad as receiving antenna - exept once when I forgot to switch back to the
Inv-Vee :-) and burned the pot in the rotor for my Quad (to much HF on the
control cable), now my control-display shows the antenna always directed
to Heard Island :-).
Hopefully I don't destroy my whole antenna set-up with my topband experiments,
it's still raining season until at least April and difficult to do some
maintenance
work on the tower.
BTW, last night I've heard again about 50 different fishing/drift net buoys
between
1820 .. 1915 kHz. As Bob Parkes stated - it keeps you awake, but drives you
crazy
if you're looking for the week 'real' signals. None of them was matching the
list
Bob has delivered in the last couple of days, so there are lots of them....
And - they're definitely no NDB-harmonics (I know them well from VK9XY - the
beacon
there was 300ft away from our shack)!
BTW, anyone out there has a good idea, how to modify the IC-736 to use the
second ANT-input as RX-input and the first one for TX? I'm not sure if I've
missed
something, IMHO it should be a standard feature but I don't know how to set it
up.
Want to avoid more 'burned' coax cables here.
Season's greetings,
73, Joerg YB1AQS, locator: OI33PL (look forward next weekend)
dl8wpx@server.indo.net.id
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