Hello Roger
I took down all of my receiving wires in anticipation of getting my
property logged of some large trees, both white pine and hardwoods. The
logging required that I take out all of my nailed on insulators plus the
beverage wire etc. So I am QRT on 160. I have about 50 acres of land
of which most is woods. I am hoping that I can open up the woods a bit
and reduce my wire maintenance as a result. The bad news is that I am
off 160 for this winter.
I am not getting any younger. I will celebrate(?) my 79th birthday in
about a month, but have plans to re install all the beverage wires along
with a new 8 Circle array. The loggers will clear an opening for
processing the logs that is the right size to hold my 8 Circle array.
The ground is pretty flat and I plan to combine the 8 Circle and my
beverages with another NCC-1 phasing system for diversity reception.
The two systems will be fairly far apart and I can pair up the 8 Circle
with my two 1200 ft long EU beverage wires that I have been using the
past two years or so. That array hears very well. Possibly the
diversity will make it better? So next spring and summer I have my
work cut out for me to get it all back up and running. I really do like
160 meters. It is quite a bit of fun and very similar to VHF dxing on
144, 222, and 432!
Dave K1WHS
On 1/5/2024 12:01 PM, Roger Kennedy wrote:
Well I've said it before . . . and no doubt I will say it again . . .
But it's a real shame that there is so little CW activity on Top Band at the
moment.
Sure, conditions aren't always that good at the moment on 160m . . . but
often the band IS open (as shown by RBN reports) . . . but there is nobody
on the band to work !
I know some of you only come on Top Band when there is a Contest, or when
there is some DX-pedition to work . . . but given the resources many have
put into a decent 160m Antenna System, it amazes me that's the only time
many people come on the band.
Some of us complain about FT8 reducing the amount of CW activity these days
. . . but if you don't make the effort to come on the band, then all CW
activity will completely disappear . . .
Inactivity breeds Inactivity !
There are several of us Europeans on Top Band most nights, calling CQ DX and
getting no replies. . . I really hope more people will make the effort to
come on Top Band, or else this side of the hobby (that I remain passionate
about) will gradually die.
73 Roger G3YRO
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