80M and Contest Antenna Farm Construction

[RFPWR at aol.com]

Greetings:

I thought some of you might find this interesting. For the past month or so
the Parish government has been deepening the coulee (also known as creek,
stream, or drainage ditch in other parts of the world) which runs parallel to
my property line. While this work is underway I have been removing trees to
put up another 100' + tower.  All this work necessitated rolling up  the
radials on my 80M quarter wave vertical from north to southeast. 

Installed in 1992, the simple  vertical has always exceeded  my performance
expectations, but I have been amazed at how well it works without radials in
the key direction toward Eu. Cutting down the surrounding trees, so the
vertical is totally in the clear, seems to have improved performance. I have
always been able to work anything hearable (no special rx antennas yet) but
have never experienced a situation like last night. 

I got up at 0600Z (couldn't sleep) and called a few Eu stns on 80 CW. None of
them were abnormally  loud. After noticing Eu stations calling me after each
QSO (very unusual) I slid up freq after a Q at 0605Z and worked ON8RD who
called me. Between 0605Z  and 0730Z I worked 60 Eu stns in a continuous run
(big pileup) without calling CQ. Got back on at 0825Z and worked 15 more Eu,
plus 5 JA's and a PY, again without calling a CQ. 

Worked last EU at 0900Z (F5RAB). What conditions!!  I felt like the only USA
stn on the band. Why can't this happen during a CONTEST? Had there been a
contest on, I could have worked 200/300 Q's.  Radials? Who needs them? (said
jokingly) 

I have come to believe that you don't need radials on a vertical in Louisiana
( at least in this part). But I will replace them after the heavy equipment
moves out. And I can't wait to put up a 4 square array of these antennas.
With these ground conditions, it should make a superb contest/dx array. 

Happy new year to all. 

73, Chas N8RR