TopBand: Update from 9M0C

[Bill Tippett]

At 18:22 2/17/98 -0500, you wrote:

The location itself is very quiet electrically. The static, however, is
continuous, not crashes, and comes from all round the compass. We continue
to work on various rx antennas, but most suggestions seem to assume we have
local noise, and that's not actually the case.  Has anyone out there solved
this kind of problem? 

Mike and Don,

        Looking at the weather map over the past 36 hours leads me to
conclude that you are wrong about the noise.  It is primarily concentrated
to your South.  There are some fronts over BY and JA but they do not
have the intensity, and therefore probably lightning, of the storms over
YB, etc.

        I believe an EWE oriented to the north would work very well.
Multiple EWE's at NE, N and NW would be even better since that would 
allow you to choose the EWE that rejected the most noise to the South.
Since the front is very broad, the main objective is to place the null
where it will do the most good.  I also think that the success of the
guys on 80 indicates that directivity in the antenna will solve much of
the QRN problem.

        If you got the message from WW2Y about thier EWE dimensions, I
would highly suggest giving it a try.  If you are lacking EWE dimensions,
please let me know.  If you have all the materials (wire, 9:1 XFMR,
terminating resistors, preamp, supports) for a Beverage, the same will
work for an EWE.  Also, W8JI's latest post suggests that a Beverage will
work over salt water if it is >3 meters high.  I don't know about that
but I would put my money on the EWE since it has a much better null on
the backside (essentially a cardiod pattern like phased verticals).  BTW,
phasing the BC Special and Titanex is another idea which would give you
good rejection to the South.

        Good luck!  I had my own problems yesterday with QRN (visible 
lightning) and could barely hear you through the crashes.  Several guys
further up the East Coast (who presumably did not have the same local
QRN) were calling so hang in there!

                                                73,  Bill  W4ZV





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