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Re: Topband: 160 meter activity

To: topband <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: 160 meter activity
From: Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:18:57 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
On 08/26/2013 12:26 AM, Mike Waters wrote:
Bill,

The stations on the RBN are automatic, and work even when unattended. They are not like the DX clusters which require a manual post. Call CQ and see. :-)

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com <http://www.w0btu.com>
Hi Mike,

Thanks. Yes..I thought everybody who knows what RBN is also knows that the stations *automatically* post the information on the RBN server. I thought I made an efficient use of words. I did make the call and was not heard. I did see some activity on the RBN and I was able to hear the North American stations that were posted there AND I heard one or two that were NOT posted there. Do they call the receive stations "skimmers"? I'm sure the skimmers are 'plagued' with the same noise problems all of us face. And there is the matter of 'lobes' in the antenna patterns - intentional or not. There are a lot of reasons why skimmers might miss some signals. One of them is low power and another could involve the antenna. It may not radiate well and it may not radiate well in the direction of skimmers that could otherwise hear. Not all of the skimmers are on 160 meters.

I hope to be be doing some more serious antenna work before snow. I do sometimes get heard and pretty much always - on the other bands with that antenna. Meanwhile I will keep trying. Puzzle pieces keep falling into place. I discovered a 'bad' patch cord in the station. It was obvious instantly when I put it in the antenna circuit. As Tim the ToolMan Allen says - Oy?

73,

Bill  KU8H
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