[CQ-Contest] ARRL-DX SSB : How were condx ?

[Yannick DEVOS (XV4Y)]

Hi Tom,

Yes I agree with you that condx can vary greatly with only hundred of miles, especially when condx are tricky. That's why I needed several opinions because it only has a statistical value. I was not asking for a definitive judgement over my antenna choice but more to know if I had to worry or not...

Ground here in the delta is not bad (sandy but always wet) and my vertical is 15m over the ground on my roof top so efficiency and takeoff angle are not bad.
Yes 2-3S point are in line with what I expected. Because of the lack of precision of the S-meter and the QSB, what I was looking was more a trend than a real measurement.
On 12m and 10m my beam is acting more like an "improved dipole" (8dBi gain calculated) and in practice I only see 1 S-point difference with the GP. Again that's coherent.

Thanks for your help.
73,
Yan.
---
Yannick DEVOS - XV4Y
http://xv4y.radioclub.asia/
http://varc.radioclub.asia/

Le 7 mars 2012 à 19:32, Tom W8JI a écrit :

> <<<I am not surprise you have a lot of YBs in your log. The path between you both should be easier.
> I have received private e-mail from several people confirming condx were tricky and other stations having a good setup did hear no one from my area.>>>>>>
> 
> We all tend to think a path is to a general region of the world, but it often is not. Even a few hundred miles can make a large difference in propagation, depending on path.
> 
> <<<<<<
> More objectively, I found a way to install both my GP and Moxon beam together.
> I did some comparison with EU stations and the beam is 2 to 3 S point better on most of the stations.
> So my beam is working as expected, but I don't know if it is good for the path to the US. Takeoff angle is quite wide with -3dB from max Gain between 6° and 20°...>>>>
> 
> Unless you are sitting on saltwater in the direction you want to work, any horizontally polarized antenna  at upper HF should be several dB better than a vertical, when they have about the same efficiency. Add that ground reflection gain difference to the few dB gain of the Moxon, and the fact **most** S meters are only 3 to 5dB per S unit (not 6 dB), and your results make perfect sense.
> 
> An A-B test over time is the smart way to compare things. Too many reach conclusions based on bad methods, like how one does in different contests months apart from using a previous system. You have the right way to do it, now.
> 
> 73 Tom