[SECC] CQ160 CW WF4W Single Op HP

Sun Feb 7 16:12:45 EST 2021

I haven't put up a receive antenna for 160 yet but I should. Here is a 
simple antenna call a BOG (or beverage on ground) that I hear works 
pretty good. https://ve7sl.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-amazing-bog.html   
It only needs to be 200 feet long.  The matching transformer is pretty 
cheap at around $33 from DX Engineering. 
https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/svp-sv-bog

BTW it would be nice if everyone would start posting messages on 
secc at groups.io and stop using secc at contesting.com.

Thanks, Jeff

On 2/7/2021 03:18 PM, Bill Coleman wrote:
> Oh, and a PS - 160m DX may not be very audible on a vertical. The vertical should be efficient for transmitting, but there may be a lot of noise that covers up the DX.
>
> You might have to invest in some receiving antennas, like beverages (if you have the space), or K9AY loops (if you don’t).
>
> Naturally, if you feel like an alligator, improving the TX antenna is the first priority.
>
>> On Feb 7, 2021, at 3:13 PM, Bill Coleman <aa4lr at arrl.net> wrote:
>>
>> Are those three ground-mounted, or elevated radials?
>>
>> Three elevated radials might be enough, if they are 6-10 feet off the ground, and tuned properly.
>>
>> Radials on, or buried slightly under the ground requires a lot more wire. Length isn’t critical. The theory is, for a given amount of wire, you are better off with many short radials than a few long ones. This is because most of the RF currents are close to the radiating element.
>>
>> When I put up the Inverted-L in Floyd county, I started with 500’ of THHN wire, cut into four equal 125’ lengths. This worked OK. Later I bought another 500’ of wire, and then had eight 125’ radials. This was better.
>>
>> Then I bought 1000’ feet of wire, and cut it into 16 equal lengths (62.5’) This brought the total up to 24 radials, just laid on the leaf litter in the woods. This was tremendously better than just the eight radials alone.
>>
>> This matches my experience in Gwinnett county, laying down radials for the shunt-fed tower. The tower is on the corner of the house, so I can only lay down radials over 270 degrees of arc. Four or eight radials weren’t enough, but when I got to about 20-25 radials, it was much more effective. I think I currently have 29, but some of them were cut by the cable company when they re-buried their coax. (I repaired several of those) These radials are just laid on the ground, and the grass has grown over them.
>>
>> These radials vary in length. Basically I put in 60-65 foot lengths, or as much as would fit in my yard. I think I have four or six which are around 100-120 feet.
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Feb 7, 2021, at 11:27 AM, RJ Hubbard <rj.wf4w at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> thanks, Bill. I finished a build of a 160m inverted L yesterday. I only put down 3x 135' radials so I definitely need to add more. The antenna works - but I wasnt on the air last night to see how it did. I had it monitoring FT8 and it didnt receive any DX - but I also didnt see anyone else working DX so perhaps conditions were poor...
>>>
>>> I'll keep fiddling with it - definitely add more radials as tht made a world of difference on my 6BTV vertical. Just need to get creative on their placement - 135' is loooong  :)
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Feb 7, 2021 at 10:11 AM Bill Coleman <aa4lr at arrl.net> wrote:
>>> Inverted L’s work great on 160m, provided you put down enough radials.
>>>
>>> I had a trapped 160, 80 and 40m inverted L up in Floyd county with 24 radials. Worked very well up there. I’ve put up that antenna in Walton and Fulton counties. In Walton, I used a top fence rail as a radial, in Fulton, I have two elevated radials. It doesn’t work nearly as well as it did in Floyd county.
>>>
>>>> On Feb 1, 2021, at 7:40 AM, RJ Hubbard <rj.wf4w at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>>>> From: <webform at b4h.net>
>>>> Date: Mon, Feb 1, 2021 at 7:34 AM
>>>> Subject: CQ160 CW WF4W Single Op HP
>>>> To: <3830 at contesting.com>, <rj.wf4w at gmail.com>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>                     CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW - 2021
>>>>
>>>> Call: WF4W
>>>> Operator(s): WF4W
>>>> Station: WF4W
>>>>
>>>> Class: Single Op HP
>>>> QTH:
>>>> Operating Time (hrs): 6
>>>>
>>>> Summary:
>>>> Total:  QSOs = 427  State/Prov = 52  Countries = 4  Total Score = 52,696
>>>>
>>>> Club: South East Contest Club
>>>>
>>>> Comments:
>>>>
>>>> My 160m game is WEAK! My 80/160m OCF is prettyt much an NVIS antenna - it's
>>>> worthless. So I stuck a 19' lenght of wire into the 80m resonator of my 6btv and
>>>> turned it into an invered L :) -- works pretty well domestically - DX isnt
>>>> happening on this thing though.
>>>>
>>>> Still a lot of fun - what CW contest ISNT fun? I was able to get some pretty
>>>> decent runs and rates and I'm beginning to like S&P more and more as I find
>>>> the balance between runs and S&P.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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>>> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
>>> Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
>>> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>>>             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
>> Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
>> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>>             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
>>
> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
> Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>              -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
>
> _______________________________________________
> SECC mailing list
> SECC at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/secc