TopBand: xz1n 160 report (long)
wb6tza@compuall.net
wb6tza@compuall.net
Sun, 15 Dec 1996 22:21:53 -0800
XZ1N 160M North America and some miscellaneous QSOs during the November,
1996 Myanmar operation.
OPERATOR: WA6CDR, except where noted.
NOV TIME QSO # CALL
17 1604 1 SM3CXS First QSO
18 2213 138 ZS4TX
19 2116 203 OY2H
21 0000 396 K1ZM
21 1515 432 N7UA Op N6BT
22 1450 610 NI6T
22 1451 611 W6RJ
22 1455 612 KG6I
22 1458 613 KA6W
22 1514 614 K7IDX
22 1515 615 N6NF(N6FF)
(Too many stations continued to call through this exchange)
22 1517 616 W6AJJ
22 1521 617 N6TR
22 1620 626 KH6CC
22 1634 627 KL7Y
(Took 30 minutes to complete!)
23 1524 791 KH0DQ
24 1315 974 KH6AT
24 1332 979 KV0Q
24 1333 980 W7KW
24 1335 981 K6SSS
24 1336 982 AD6C
24 1339 983 WH6R
24 1340 984 N6ND
24 1409 990 3W5FM
25 1357 1131 W6OSP
25 1433 1132 N6DX
25 1435 1133 K6TQC(K6TQ)
(It is likely other stations were calling inside this QSO. Tried to confirm
the "C" but someone else must have kept on sending a C!)
25 1437 1134 W7JW
25 1512 1139 W7DT
25 1520 1140 W6RR
25 1523 1141 N7UA
25 1530 1142 KH6CC
25 1734 1147 R1FJZ
(Another really tuff one!)
25 2317 1204 VE1ZZ
25 2357 1221 DK2PR LAST QSO
SUMMARY
QSOS DUPES CALLSIGNS
1221 239 982
NA EU ASIA AF OC
24 873 300 7 17
US VEs KL7s CTRYS ZONES
21 1 1 70 25
With 1 NA Dupe = 24 NA stations
COUNTRIES/QSOS
3W-2 4J-5 4X-7 9A-7 9K-1
9M2-2 A4-2 A7-2 CT-1 DL-136
EA-6 EA6-1 EA8-1 EI-1 ES-10
EU-2 EX-2 EY-4 F-12 G-53
GI-5 GM-2 GW-6 HA-17 HB-6
HS-2 I-28 IT9-9 JA-177 JY-2
K-22 KH0-1 KH6-4 KL-1 LA-8
LX-1 LY-13 LZ-9 OE-6 OH-113
OK-40 OM-30 ON-19 OY-6 OZ-21
PA-10 R1FJ-1 S5-10 SM-72 SP-40
SV-7 T9-1 TA-1 TK-1 UA-77
UA2-3 UA9-82 UN-7 UR-56 V8-2
VE-1 VK-8 VQ9-5 XX9-2 YL-14
YO-2 YU-9 ZL-2 ZS-1
XZ1N 160-meter Equipment & Antennas:
Yaesu FT1000-MP, OH2BH 600W suitcase amp, Alpha 89 amp. @ 2.3 KW, custom Mil
Rad bandpass filter, MFJ preamp.
Logging: CT, version 9
Tx Ants.:Force-12 Vertical &
1/4-wave sloper.
Rx Ants.: Low dipole, two 600-foot beverages placed after Nov. 22nd.
On the Myanmar side of the top band pile-up things were quite a struggle.
Weak signals, horrible local noise and many technical difficulties made this
a real challenge! For those who gave it their all to work us, below is a
brief summary of each evening's activities and some basic insights into what
we were doing in zone 26.
NORTH AMERICA QSOs: Our original report listed 25 north American contacts.
CT credited one QSO with a VE portable in G as a NA contact. One dupe, KL7Y,
VE1ZZ and 21 stateside contacts equals a total of 24 QSOs.
INITIAL DIFFICULTIES: A recap of the sequence of events and general
difficulties may be of some interest. The first night November 17th, we had
only a sloper which WA6CDR was able to put up in the dark. The PA was the
famous OH2BH 1 KW solid state "suitcase" amplifier which we used through
November 19th, until repairs to the Alpha 89 could be completed. N6BT and
the antenna crew were parboiled and sleep deprived after 2 days of frying on
the roof in 95 degree temperatures with 95% humidity (and this is the cool,
dry season, the local Yangon residents told us!), so the 160 vertical did
not go up until November 19th. The initial contacts made by WA6CDR
immediately showed that this was not going to be easy! The EU signals were
weak and most contacts required 2 to 5 minutes to complete.
INTERMITTENT *@?#! BROADBAND NOISE: There was a S9+ periodic noise blast
variously reported as static, carriers etc. The noise had the general
characteristics of wideband modulation. There is some detectable carrier in
the signal, but it mostly is a blast of buzzing "grunge" which is spread all
over the band from below 1.5 to well above 2.0 MHz. We guess that it is
some form of data or telemetry possibly carried on the hotel power wiring,
possibly cooling demand information, or a security system of some sort. This
blast of noise would last from 10 to 30 seconds and re-appear every 30
seconds to 5 minutes in an unpredictable pattern. Needless to say, this
raised havoc with our ability to hear a complete callsign or exchange and
produced severe operator fatigue! This is the noise referred to when
"NOISE" was sent over and over in an attempt to hold off the exchange of
the other station until the blast ceased. Some similar noise was heard on
the 80 Meter station, but had relatively little impact there. Fortunately,
the noise appeared less and less often in the early morning. Later checks
as we installed other antennas and beverages showed that this noise was
almost completely confined to the hotel proper and was essentially gone on
the final two beverage configurations. There does appear to be a level of
general power line noise, but this was about equal to the propagated general
background noise as heard on the final beverages.
BEGINNING GOALS: Our intended sequence of operations was to work W/VE from
sunset through about 1600Z, and then JA up until about 2000Z, and EU & the
East coast of NA on through sunrise at 0000Z. The lack of propagation to
W/VE allowed periods to work JA before 1600Z, along with some EU stations
who could make it through before EU sunset. After the first few days, we
often called CQ for up to 30 minutes toward the West coast before the first
recorded QSO. We also noted quite a lack of JAs to contact after 1700Z or
1800Z on some nights. After the first few days, a pileup of JAs was only 3!
FIRST NIGHT ON: Beginning November 17th, 101 QSOs were completed in
approximately 6 hours of operation. A dismal rate! The first at 1604Z, the
last at 2400Z. 21 countries, (each day below lists "new" country count) 7
zones, and only 16 JAs, whose signals were not very strong, surprisingly enough.
STRUGGLES DURING NIGHTS TWO & THREE: On November 18th and 19th, WA6CDR,
N6BT, K7WX, WA7LNW rotated operations. Attempts were made to hear calls from
the West coast, but the noise problems made that impossible. On November
18th, our first QSO was at 1303Z, and the last at 2333Z, for a total of only
45 QSOs and 5 more countries. On November 19th, the first QSO was not made
until 1833Z, last at 2400Z, with a total of 85 QSOs and 8 countries. The
running tally showed 10% dupes, a really terrible number of insurance
contacts considering that each QSO took 2 to 5 minutes to complete fighting
the noise! After the possibility of an opening to W/VE passed on the 19th
WA6CDR did some PA maintenance and then ran a 250 foot terminated beverage
along the edge of the lake, almost straight North. The beverage feeder ran
down the face of the hotel and across the lawn, so had to be rolled up each
morning. This beverage did not help signals much in the direction of JA and
NA, but did not hear as much of the noise bursts. It also seemed to hear EU
signals somewhat better. N6BT and the antenna crew fried themselves some
more and completed the 53 foot vertical. The vertical also heard less of
the noise than the sloper, but still heard enough to obliterate ALL signals.
NIGHT FOUR, THE FIRST NA: The first QSO on November 20th was at 1411Z and
the last at 2400Z (K1ZM!!!) for a total of 166 QSOs and 8 new countries. The
Alpha 89 amplifier was now on line and running FB at 2.3KW out. The ability
to select between the sloper, vertical and beverage provided a little relief
from the noise blasts. Some blocking of the beverage preamp was evident from
the 80M station. K1ZM was clearly readable (after most EU stations stood
by) on the beverage at 2400Z, about 15 minutes after sunrise. No other NA
signals were detected. The EU "DX Police" slowed things down at the NA end,
but a solid contact was completed.
NIGHT FIVE, NEW ANTENNA: On November 21st, N6BT and the antenna crew slogged
through the roof tar again and added a low, but full length dipole for
receive. First QSO was at 1210Z and the last was at 2400Z for a total of 205
QSOs and 7 new countries. N6BT worked N7UA at 1515Z for the first West coast
QSO, using the dipole for receive. The dipole heard fairly well in general,
but the intermittent noise blasts were loudest on the dipole. No NA signals
were heard at our local sunrise.
NIGHT SIX, MORE NA OPENINGS: On November 22nd, WA6CDR installed a 600 foot
beverage toward the SSE across the edge of the lake and off into the jungle.
This was unterminated in order to be the EU beverage. 250 feet of feedline
draped down the face of the hotel and across more lawn. First QSO 1213Z -
last 2408Z , 175 QSOs 7 countries AND 8 West coast QSOs plus KL7 & KH6!
The west coast openings were only 8 minutes long in two batches. For a
while before these QSOs were made, it was noted that there was a detectable
"mound" of "colored noise" around 1827.5, presumably the pileup calling!.
This mound was so weak that it sounded like a DSP artifact. Finally real
signals resolved out of this mound. When these signals peaked, they were
sufficiently out of the noise that in most cases it only took two passes,
sometimes only one, to get the full callsign - but still in-between the
noise blasts. We were later asked if the pileup continuing to call was a
problem. The stations inside the "searchlight" area who continued to call
were a problem, but the other signals simply were not heard. The openings
appeared to be so localized so as to separate Southern and Northern
California into two distinctly separate openings. This effect appeared to
continue throughout all the West coast openings on this trip. After the
West coast opening closed, WA6CDR re-worked the original beverage, moving it
about 30 degrees east, and adding 350 feet of wire in an arc following the
palm trees on the lake perimeter. This caused the original 250 feet of the
beverage to be completely over water, hardly a "classic" arrangement. Even
so, much to our relief, this change almost completely eliminated hearing the
noise blasts. The preamp was moved inside, and a Mil Rad bandpass filter
added. This allowed 4 receive antennas to be selected easily, and
eliminated the BCI and 80 meter overload problems. The day finished with 3
QSOs made in the contest period just after 0000Z with OY9JD at 0008Z, about
25 minutes after sunrise.
NIGHT SEVEN, CQ WW CW: On November 23rd, the first contact was at 1317Z and
the last was at 2400Z for 196 QSOs with 6 new countries. No opening to
either the West or East coast. One zone 5 exchange was overheard around
2355Z, but no callsign was heard. Quite a few contest contacts were stations
worked before the contest, but surprisingly, re-working these stations did
not add unreasonably to the overall duplicate QSO rate. The dupe rate
outside the contest was about 11%, and inside only 2%, and the merged rate
was only 15%. Truly way too many insurance contacts. Some EU stations were
told "you are in the log" and still continued to call for insurance
contacts. Fortunately, almost all of this nonsense occurred outside the
contest period.
NIGHT EIGHT, MORE NA: On November 24th, the first QSO was at 1315Z and the
last 2400Z with 5 West coast stations plus 2 KH6. 155 QSOs with 2 new
countries. KV0Q made it through (all in one shot!) for the only zone 4 QSO
of the trip. No East coast at sunrise; the band seemed to quit early. Began
sending message: "will be on tomorrow," in hopes of stirring up activity for
the last day of the trip.
NIGHT NINE, ADDITIONAL NA ON THE LAST DAY: For November 25th the first QSO
was at 1341Z and the last was at 2400Z for 93 QSOs with 3 new countries.
There were 7 West coast stations in 2 batches, plus VE1ZZ at 2317Z. We were
beginning to worry! We found out later, Jack was worrying too, having
thought he completed a QSO to find "not in log" on the internet! This
happened to N6DX also. Both of these gentlemen did NOT pursue an insurance
contact as did so many of our EU brethren, leaving the time open for others
to complete QSOs. They only began calling again after the discovery that
they were not in the log. We appreciate their courteous restraint!
All in all these 1,222 QSOs were a lot of hard work. All of which we would
gladly do again!
This report may be forwarded as desired, but please send requests for QSL or
confirmations as follows:
If you had a solid contact, please do not make an "am I in the log" request,
just send us your card. All of your contacts with XZ1N, every band and each
mode, will be listed on the QSL card you receive from us. This log check
should only for ops who may have had the XZ1N side of their one and only QSO
with us lost in QRM/QRN and just want to be sure. With over 23,000 QSOs we
hope that we're not opening a Pandora's box with such an offer.
If you want to check and see if you're in the XZ1N log for a specific QSO,
you can send e-mail to: xz1n@qrz.com
The SUBJECT line should read: XZ1N LOG CHECK
The BODY of the message should have the following information for each QSO:
Your call sign
Band
Mode
Date
Time in GMT
Regular QSL route:
Bob Myers, W1XT
P.O. Box 17108
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269-7108
USA
73 de Robin Critchell, WA6CDR (for the XZ1N crew)
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