TopBand: Hill vs. Ocean QTH

[Ve3bmv@aol.com]

I am posting this note also on Top Band Reflector  in case you Topbanders do
not read Contest Reflector:

Milt, N5IA
Thanks for the N5IA/7 story: CQ WW Field Day Style, too bad about your WX and
icing problems. I was looking forward to your in depth experiences and answer
to my 30 year old question: "Is the super radio hill, or super radio ocean
QTH better for low band operation?" As I was almost getting satisfied with
believing that ocean is it, you resurected the Radio Hill bug and I think it
deserves further exploration until the answer is found.

Yes, ICE can be deadly. I had my share of ice problems during the contests
while QRV back in Toronto. Makes antennas useless. Only solution could be to
have some option of heating the elements, using loops or folded dipoles with
provision to supply some heating via low voltage, high current supply.

First let me brush off dust of my ducting/refractive propagation theory. See
CQ and RadioSporting article (RS Dec. 1986) on the subject. I firmly believe
that we are ducting and refracting rather than reflecting as all the books
say (at least 90% of propagating RF). From that point of view, being at the
high mountain peak, besides having good low horizon, it should be
advantageous to be closer to the propagating (ducting) layer, less refractive
loss in "getting into the layer". My "Conductive" theory also explains lot of
skewed path propagation. Yes, there is skewed path from 160 to 10 m,
following the trail of "hot" patch closer to the Sun's footprint on Earth.
With ocean QTH I can see the benefit of salt water GP and unobstructed path.

Why I have this "bug" about mountain being good for low bands? Back in OK
land when I was in search for that ultimate QTH, I used to work in Sabinov,
just N of Presov. There was a hill with a TV repeater on it (called Homolka =
Peak). One day I went to the top of it with little transistor AM radio. It
was around the noon time, when normally you could hear only one or two local
AM stations on the band. When I got close to the TV repeater tower (abt 100
ft tall) I started to hear whole Europe, with stations QRMing each other.
That bugged me ever since. Unfortunately (or fortunately to avoid the prison
for supporting Dubcek with my OK3BU station) I was fortunate to QSY to the
West and never finished my research on this phenomena. Another interesting
thing about the terain there was that this hill was sitting like in the
crater of hillls with about 7 km radius of almost flat land. Was it remnants
of the meteor? Donno, wasn't around then. Hi

I talked to few 160'ers like K1ZM, most recommend ocean front. So I went to
VE1ZZ's place for WW phone (signed CG1ZZ) and WOW!!! Wish I could work what I
heard. Sure beats my in-land experiences so far. This was like being in the
receive-the-world-QTH. No POWER LINE NOISE!!! Condx that weekend were lousy,
plus very high 20 over 9 static crashes second night, but I could HEAR Eu at
4 pm! (Had my share of problems with beverage switching, blew my 930S). But
considering the circumstances it was a real eye opener for me, plus just
about doubled my old NA 160 record.

I think the HILL vs. OCEAN question can be answered only by having two nearly
identical and GOOD setups operated one at the high hill, one at the ocean,
not too far apart. I am gearing for that. Trying to assemble portable baloon
supported vertical array with complement of beverages. Hoping to fire up some
nights. Any help with operating and reporting will be appreciated. I will
announce few days ahead when the tests will run. I will compile the results
and make them available to Top Band crowd.

I would also appreciate any experiences, notes and comments on this subject.
Please send the info to my email addr: VE3BMV@AOL.COM

73 de Yuri, VE3BMV, AB2BO, P40A, ex OK3BU, soon ...
"We are not reflecting RF!!! We are refracting and ducting!!!!
dit dit

P.S. Does anyone know what IG9/IV3TAN was running on 160? He was consistently
the loudest station out of that part of the world!


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