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Topband: Re-Working 'long' distances on 160m

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Re-Working 'long' distances on 160m
From: Phil Hartwell via Topband <topband@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Phil Hartwell <vk6gx@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2022 14:52:58 +0800
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Hi fellow Top Banders,

I agree with Steve's (VK6VZ) and others observations, regarding what one might consider long distances on 160m, depending on their location and antennas. As Steve says, Perth is a long way from everywhere, (great for the Stew)!

At certain times of year, working east coast USA is relatively easy from Perth, at and after our SS. East coast VK stations have a more consistent path. Similarly EU is relatively easy at our SR and at certain times of the year, LP VE1, W1 and even W2 after EU has faded out, around 20 to 30 minutes past our SR. Trouble is, our SR is very early mid summer, not long after 0400 local time and the likes of Steve and I, as we age, are finding it increasingly hard to crawl out of bed before SR. Our greatest 160m challenge is working anywhere in S. America, the south pole is an enormous obstacle. It's only possible mid winter, requires excellent propagation and extremely low noise at both ends of the path, due to the extremely weak signals, a very rare combination.

Let me relate a couple of stories to encourage those with meagre antennas to attempt working DX stations, providing their local man-made QRM permits hearing them....

In August1988 we were selling our previous house in the outer northern suburbs of Perth, where we had underground power and the only man-made QRM in those days was TV time-bases, every 15.625kHz across 160m. I had taken all my antennas down for the sale, but after a couple of weeks of no CW activity, I was getting a bit agitated. So I clamped a wire on to the upper storey tiled roof metal gutter and on 160m tuned it against a Cu cold water pipe. With my trusty TS-830, running 100W, the first station I worked was Bob, VE7BS (SK), followed by three W's over a couple of days at my SS. I was VK6ABL in those days.

In December 2016/January 2017, I was visiting the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of the UK, luckily a very quiet QTH due to aerial bundled low voltage mains power and a semi rural location. I had persuaded Ofcom to issue me, my late Uncle Ernest's callsign, G3YC, due to frequent visits there in those days, as M/VK6GX was a bit cumbersome, although I got many more replies to CQ's using the VK call. The best 160m antenna I could manage, due to lack of supports, was a 1/4 wave horizontal wire up a maximum of 5m, probably averaging 4m, due to sag, the far end terminated at a hedge about 2m above ground. I ran three 1/4 wave radials and also utilised the house Cu pipe central heating. The rig was a FT-450D but using an external HB ATU. With that antenna and 100W, I worked all around EU, UA9, the middle east, a couple of African DX-peditions in pile-ups, the USA east coast and mid-west and also the Caribbean, many during the Big Stew, but also on other occasions. Encouraged by that crummy antennas performance, in early January, I made a sked with Steve, VK6VZ at his SR. We worked on three successive days, then the rest of EU found out about Steve's presence and I was swamped by the big guns. Whilst there, I would listen to the UK big guns working Greg, ZL3IX (SK) at UK SR, almost every day. I only ever heard him once, peaking at a genuine 579, I gave it a go, after the big guns had finished, but the path was fading fast, Greg heard me, but couldn't get my call correct, before the path closed. I'm certain I would have made it at the SR peak.

The top band achievement I am most proud of was working JD, (John) K1GUN in Maine, on 7 consecutive SR/SS, LP and SP in October 2008, just after I changed my call to VK6GX, using my TS-830 running 100W to an Inv V at 27m. We may have been able to prolong the series, had I not had to go on an outback trip for work.

I have also worked Tom W8JI on 160m, from my mobile rig, a couple of times, using an IC-706, 100W to a 2m long helically wound whip, with a top hat, mounted on the roo bar. Given the likely 1% efficiency of that antenna, Tom's great receiving ability heard my 1W ERP signal. He was 599 on both occasions.

So, given favourable conditions, low noise,a good operator with a well equipped station at the other end, perseveranceand a fair bit of luck, it's amazing what can be worked on 160m, even with less than optimum antennas. Give it a go, we need more signals on the band!

Sorry for the long post, but there's not much DX to report these days.

73, Phil VK6GX, G3YC and formerly VK6ABL, prior to 2008.



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