TopBand: A61AD next week on top band

wb2dnd@aurumtel.com wb2dnd@aurumtel.com
Mon, 28 Oct 1996 13:39:38 -0500


I leave Friday for Dubai again.  I have spent a great deal of money and effort 
trying to reach the US on top band.  Past efforts were a disaster.  This time I 
hope to be more successful.

Prior to 1994 I was not a top band enthusiast and had no experience.  In the 
past two years I have built an inverted L, beverages, etc. for my home station 
and now understand what needs to be done equipment wise.  In two years on a 
small lot with only an antenna at 28 feet I worked all continents and dxcc.

In 1993 I bought a GAP vertical for A6 in hopes of taking the the easy path to 
top band.  Needless to say...it was not a well thought out strategy.

I have shipped over 2000 feet of wire to Dubai (thanks to K1VR) and am hand 
carrying a beverage/preamp kit and variable capacitor (this is on loan from the 
Battle Creek Special boys--thanks, Geo and Charlie).  We will have an inverted L 
and 580 foot beverage plus as many radials as I can get from the remaining wire.

Saeed has bought a 60 foot PVC mast and it is already up.  I intend to have an 
inverted L with the horizontal section running from the mast to the Southeast so 
it has the best shot to the Northwest (EU and North America are between 320 and 
355 degrees).  If my information is wrong and your experience is different now 
is the time to let me know (to me not the list).

In any case, I intend to get up the antenna on day one (3 Nov.) and plan on 
activity each day at 20:00 for a few hours to catch the JA/VK sunrises, and then 
sleep for a few hours and get up again for a few hours with EU and then catch 
the grayline to North America.  My sunrise is at 02:30 and I plan on working 
North America only from 02:00 until the band dies.  I trust EU will cooperate 
after they have had two hours of activity.  To date I know of only 1 North 
America qso with A6 (VE1ZZ, who else) and hundreds of EUs are in my log from 
past years.

QRG:  1828-1830 split up 2.  CW (of course). 

I will not put up any antennas for 40/80.  I believe the tribander is in need of 
major repair and will concentrate on getting the KT34XA fixed so I can make good 
on promises for RTTY.  To date I have been the only A6 op on rtty so while on HF 
I will concentrate on that mode.  I am also bringing sat. gear and will make an 
effort for AO 10.  There are some good EU/A6 windows (unfortunately some are at 
Grayline and others are when I am working.....).

In between all this I need to work Monday thru Thursday and leave Friday night. 
 Should be a busy week.

CU on TOP BAND!

73
Don

____________________________________________________________
-                                                          -
-                     Don Greenbaum                        -
-   don@aurumtel.com                  wb2dnd@aurumtel.com  -
-                Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA               -
____________________________________________________________


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