Roger, I think that storm you had has circled around and will be
coming through Ohio later this week! :)
Overall, I saw the 2022 contest rate here in the US was below normal
for even the beginning of the contest, and it dropped way off on Night
2. Signals were weaker, and it was hard to find new fresh meat
stations as the contest wore on.
My score was 4th best out of 7 logs submitted since 2016 but I had to
work my tail off. And 90% of the DX stations heard were on the weak
side.
-----------------------------------------From:
topband-request@contesting.com
To: topband@contesting.com
Cc:
Sent: Tuesday February 1 2022 12:04:13PM
Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 230, Issue 1
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: CQWW160MDX-CW Contest summary for W3HKK (OH)
(W3HKK@roadrunner.com)
2. Antenna check for V31XX (cqtestk4xs@aol.com)
3. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Wes)
4. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Mike Smith VE9AA)
5. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Don Kirk)
6. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Don Kirk)
7. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Jim Brown)
8. Re: K9AY RX antenna (HP)
9. Really Frustrating (Roger Kennedy)
10. Antenna check for V31XX (Roger Kennedy)
11. Square "loop" antenna for 160 (Radio KH6O)
12. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (FZ Bruce)
13. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Jan Erik Holm)
14. New 9 circle PCB with CMCs (VE6WZ_Steve)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 18:50:36 +0000
From: W3HKK@roadrunner.com
To: "'topband@contesting.com'"
Subject: Re: Topband: CQWW160MDX-CW Contest summary for W3HKK (OH)
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Fri night rates in Ohio were below average but open to EU. Sat night
was slow with few signals as the night progressed, and 51 dupes. :<
My 3830 summary:
W3HKK: 18:45 hrs OTA 694 Q's ( plus another 51 dupes (6.9%) that dont
count of course) =57 Sections + 36 DX entities - Score: 186,744 pts.
(
the 4th highest score out of my seven CQWW160CW log submissions.)
Struggled to achieve a contest rate of 35 Q's/hr, with a high rated
of
108/HR early on Friday night.
===================================================================
STATION: IC7610 - Acom 1000 amp - N1MM+ Logging software - cw buddy
memory keyer/memory/real time keyboard supplementing the 8 cw
memories
in the 7610.
TX ANTENNA: No radials! This year I failed to lay out my 26 x 100 ft
radial system before the wx turned too cold to do so. So I was
running
700w into a 1/4 wave 160m INV-L with a vertical leg of 52 ft, and the
78 ft of wire sloping down to the E, ending about 15 ft above ground.
The only RF ground for the INV-L was a single 8 ft copper clad steel
ground rod dating to 2009, plus of course the earth beneath it. A 50
ft black walnut tree was my antenna support. Ohio loam conductivity
must be pretty good!
That means the L puts out a slightly stronger signal to the W. And as
usual, I have very good results towards the US West Coast, working
many CA (19) & AZ(8) stations in particular. .
RX ANTENNA: SAL 30 ( four short delta loops 30 ft tall,
electronically rotatable in 8 directions.)
CONTEST CATEGORY: Single Op - High Power ( 700w) - Assisted
CONDITIONS: FRIDAY night was about average, with some decent openings
into EU. And many strong US sigs, but not as many of them. ie My best
actual hourly rate in 2022 was about 65% of my Personal Record Year
of
2020; and my score was also about 65% of my Personal Best Year of
2020
- which happened to be at the solar minimum. My 2022 average contest
rate ( total Q's divided by total hours OTA) was a humbling 35/hour
due eto the very slow 2nd night. It was hard work to say the least.
SATURDAY night had MUCH slower rates, and far fewer - and weaker -
sigs. Required a lot of searching and pouncing to separate fresh meat
from stations already in the log. But still, I was called 51 times by
stations who had already worked me. Since its always faster to just
work the dupes than try to explain that theyre a dupe, you just work
them and move on. At one stretch Sun morning, almost 50% of my CQ
replies were dupes. So I switched to S&P.
As sigs thinned out, many were just above the noise, requiring agile
fingers on the eight direction SAL30 RX antenna, switching from W to
E, N to S, and directions in between. The 20 db F/B often made all
the
difference.
SS CYCLE: : With the bottom of the SS cycle now history, Ole Sol was
again throwing out particles that tended to mask Top Band signals
passing through the ionosphere, by adding 20 dB or more attenuation.
DX: Hams in the northern latitudes complained about poor to
nonexistant conditions this year. I heard no Scandanavian stations,
and few German stations among the central, eastern and southern
European stations coming through.
I saw a few JA spots but heard nothing. And it took two days of
trying to work KL7SB, the Alaska contest station, and even then they
were barely above the noise floor when I worked them Sun morning
around 6 am. Only two KH6 stations got in the log, also with very
weak
signals. And the ZL and VK spots were few and far between - again
with
none heard in Ohio.
COVID 19: continued to quite adversely affect the number of
DXpeditions OTA from places like Africa, the Pacific, S.A., and C. A.
etc.
PS EARLY RETURNS: W3HKK LOG PLACEMENT IN 3830 - AS OF 9:30AM TODAY
(MONDAY):
164th in World among ALL logs submitted
64TH PLACE IN THE US: AMONG ALL LOGS SUBMITTED IN EVERY CATEGORY.
35TH PLACE IN THE US IN MY CATEGORY: AMONG ALL LOGS SUBMITTED (
US-HP-ASSISTED).
6TH PLACE AMONG ALL 8 LAND LOGS.
de Bob W3HKK
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:13:00 +0000 (UTC)
From: cqtestk4xs@aol.com
To: "topband@contesting.com"
Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
After? putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
for my 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160
test.? For RX I used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in
KH6.
The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
close to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
it was hard to compare on the RBN.? I'm curious how the antenna
performed as i finished the radials right before the contest and
really didn't have a chance to check it out on the air.? I had quite a
few EU and many JAs that were there but I couldn't copy them as they
were in the mud.
Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
73? Bill K4XS/V31XX
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:57:07 -0700
From: Wes
To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
I worked you before and during the contest.? You were 5NN :-)
Don't ask what you really were, but I have a really modest station,
so you were
doing something right.? TS-890, KPA500 and an inverted-L, 55 ft
vertical, the
rest horizontal (only 18 on ground radials).? I receive on the TX
antenna and
still hear better than I get out.? I just did a low-key S&P
operation.? 107 Qs,
six JA, one UA0, one BY, two XE, two HI, one ZF and you.
I spent most of my time playing Band/Slot Bingo with TO6S.? If the
stats don't
change, I was No. 1 in Zone 3 and No. 3 in the world from my S. AZ
sandbox.
Wes? N7WS
On 1/31/2022 1:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
> After? putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
for my 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160
test.? For RX I used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in
KH6.
> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
close to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
it was hard to compare on the RBN.? I'm curious how the antenna
performed as i finished the radials right before the contest and
really didn't have a chance to check it out on the air.? I had quite a
few EU and many JAs that were there but I couldn't copy them as they
were in the mud.
> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
> 73? Bill K4XS/V31XX
>
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [1] -
Topband Reflector
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:18:03 -0400
From: "Mike Smith VE9AA"
To:
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Bill,
I was not QRV this w/e.dealing with high winds, snow, and life.
Any reports you get will be anecdotal, but...if you go to this link:
http://beta.reversebeacon.net/analysis/
/>
punch in the date you are interested in (I used Jan 31rst) and then
punch in
V31XX, then add V31MA
you can see in graphical gory detail how they did at individual
skimmers all
around the world, spot by spot.
I'd cut and paste some graphs here, but the reflector won't allow
graphics
or attachments.
I selected 4 or 5 different skimmers (one at a time..and only one
date at a
time)
Seems they very much held their own with operating at a 12dB or
whatever
deficit against you.
Let us know what you think is going on.
73 Mike VE9AA
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:30:10 -0500
From: Don Kirk
To: cqtestk4xs@aol.com
Cc: "topband@contesting.com"
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hi Bill,
You should still be able to compare yourself to V31MA using the RBN
data.
Just find out how much power V31MA was running and compare it with
your
power level in units of dB. Then you can use the RBN data to compare
your
signal to V31MA as long as you subtract the dB difference in power
from the
V31MA data.
Hope that makes sense.
73,
Don (wd8dsb)
On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM cqtestk4xs--- via Topband <
topband@contesting.com> wrote:
> After putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
for my
> 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160 test.
For RX I
> used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in KH6.
> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
close to
> the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so it
was hard
> to compare on the RBN. I'm curious how the antenna performed as i
finished
> the radials right before the contest and really didn't have a
chance to
> check it out on the air. I had quite a few EU and many JAs that
were there
> but I couldn't copy them as they were in the mud.
> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
> 73 Bill K4XS/V31XX
>
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [2] -
Topband
> Reflector
>
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:37:00 -0500
From: Don Kirk
To: cqtestk4xs@aol.com
Cc: "topband@contesting.com"
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hi Bill,
I misunderstood, it looks like V31MA was running low power, so you
would
have to subtract off the difference in dB from your RBN data to see
how it
compares with V31MA.
Don (wd8dsb)
On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 4:30 PM Don Kirk wrote:
> Hi Bill,
>
> You should still be able to compare yourself to V31MA using the RBN
data.
> Just find out how much power V31MA was running and compare it with
your
> power level in units of dB. Then you can use the RBN data to
compare your
> signal to V31MA as long as you subtract the dB difference in power
from the
> V31MA data.
>
> Hope that makes sense.
>
> 73,
> Don (wd8dsb)
>
> On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM cqtestk4xs--- via Topband <
> topband@contesting.com> wrote:
>
>> After putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
for my
>> 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160 test.
For RX I
>> used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in KH6.
>> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
close
>> to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
it was
>> hard to compare on the RBN. I'm curious how the antenna performed
as i
>> finished the radials right before the contest and really didn't
have a
>> chance to check it out on the air. I had quite a few EU and many
JAs that
>> were there but I couldn't copy them as they were in the mud.
>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>> 73 Bill K4XS/V31XX
>>
>> _________________
>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [3] -
Topband
>> Reflector
>>
>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:38:50 -0800
From: Jim Brown
To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
On 1/31/2022 12:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
I had no problem hearing you, Bill, never heard V31MA.
And LU8DPM is either seriously deaf or doesn't want to work US.
73, Jim K9YC
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:03:12 -0500 (EST)
From: HP
To: Pete Smith N4ZR
Cc: topband reflector
Subject: Re: Topband: K9AY RX antenna
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
While listening on your RX ant try opening and shorting the feedline
to your TX antenna -I bet there is a big change in RX signal and F/B
on a given station will change .
My model of a 2 el active rx array pattern when I change the
impedance presented to the center of my inv vee shows that if that
impedance at center of the inv vee is not above 500 ohms -it will
seriously destroy the two el pattern. ( For quick look I did it for
real part -have not looked at pattern degradation vs reactive loads
since my feedline to the inv vee happens to be a half wave long .)
Hank K7HP
----- On Jan 31, 2022, at 7:10 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
My K9AY loop (the commercial version from Array Solutions) seems to
be
kind of an indifferent performer. I believe it is set up properly.
and
I've laid down a radial under each side of the loops, but while it
shows
some directivity on high-end broadcast stations, 160M directivity is
limited to nil, signal strengths are rarely better than my
inverted-L,
and the adjusting the termination seems to make very little
difference.
Any hints?
--
73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
web server at.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [5] - Topband
Reflector
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:05:37 -0000
From: "Roger Kennedy"
To:
Subject: Topband: Really Frustrating
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well we had another bad storm this weekend here in the NE of England
(80mph
winds) . . .
Just 10 minutes before the start of the CQ160 my Topband Aerial came
down !
I don't ever come on to enter these contests, but do see what DX I
can work
. . .
Although I gather conditions weren't that great?
Anyway, got the Aerial back up today, so see some of you on the band
again
soon !
73 Roger G3YRO
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:15:40 -0000
From: "Roger Kennedy"
To:
Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well you were S4 on the meter on 21st Jan over here Bill . . . and
most NA
stations were only S5 that night, so conditions were poor.
Were you using the same aerial then?
Roger G3YRO
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 18:22:23 -0800
From: Radio KH6O
To: topband
Subject: Topband: Square "loop" antenna for 160
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Colleagues,
I have to live with CC&R homeowner restrictions. I plan to erect a
disguise
wire antenna around the perimeter of my roof; total length will be
about
190 feet. Elevation will be about 20 feet above ground and will be
fed with
150 ohm twin lead.*
My question is: Should this be a continuous loop or should the point
opposed the feedline be terminated with an insulator, thus giving two
95-foot legs?
73,
Jeff KH6O
Naval Air Staiton Point Mugu, CA
* 150 ohm twin lead: It consists of two parallel lengths of 75 ohm TV
coax
with the copper braids soldered together at each end; the inner
conductors
act as a parallel feedline. See the ARRL Antenna Book, August 2000
edition,
for details.
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2022 02:21:03 +0000
From: "FZ Bruce"
To: "'topband@contesting.com'"
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Hi Roger,
On this last day on January you are the only European that had signal
enough to hear and work.Propagation very poor but we had a good QSO.
Thanks73Bruce-K1fz
-----------------------------------------From: "Roger Kennedy"
To: topband@contesting.com
Cc:
Sent: Monday January 31 2022 6:15:45PM
Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Well you were S4 on the meter on 21st Jan over here Bill . . . and
most NA
stations were only S5 that night, so conditions were poor.
Were you using the same aerial then?
Roger G3YRO
_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [6] [1] -
Topband
Reflector
Links:
------
[1] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
/>
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 08:18:10 +0100
From: Jan Erik Holm
To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
LU8DPM have had a receiving problem for years. Seems
like he is unable to do something about it so the rest
of us just have to run more power to work him.
/ Jim SM2EKM
Den 2022-01-31 kl. 22:38, skrev Jim Brown:
> On 1/31/2022 12:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>
> I had no problem hearing you, Bill, never heard V31MA.
>
> And LU8DPM is either seriously deaf or doesn't want to work US.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [7] -
Topband Reflector
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 09:00:39 -0700
From: VE6WZ_Steve
To: topband reflector
Subject: Topband: New 9 circle PCB with CMCs
Message-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Hello fellow DXers,
Today I uploaded a YouTube video describing my new 9 circle combiner
board PCB design that has small Murata SMD CMCs on each RG-6 feedline.
I include PCB file links to download in both KiCad format or a zipped
Gerber folder if you want to build your own. A BOM and an image of the
schematic is included as well.
This is the 9-circle array that was designed by John W1FV.
I review why we need these CMCs, I talk about these small Murata
chokes and some VNA tests I did and how these same units can be used
as Magic-T?s.
The new design also has a pin-out for the vcc and relay control
lines, has the option for gas discharge tubes on the vcc and control
lines, and the board has a slightly larger footprint than my previous
designs so its its easier to access the F-connecters for field
installation.
The evaluation is still on-going at VE6WZ, but the board tested very
well in the shop with the VNA, and I used it this weekend for the CQWW
160m test and it performed well.
I know there are many that ?don?t like? to watch a video, and I may
build a PDF document, but in my ?prior life?, all I did was make
technical/ scientific documents and I?d rather not do that anymore.
It?s much easier to say things quickly in a video. If a picture is
worth a 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million.
https://youtu.be/lVW1CmrzP7c [8]
/>
73, de steve ve6wz
------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
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------------------------------
End of Topband Digest, Vol 230, Issue 1
***************************************
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[2] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
[3] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
[4] http://beta.reversebeacon.net
[5] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
[6] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
[7] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
[8] https://youtu.be/lVW1CmrzP7c
_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
|