TopBand: JT1X - Topband experiences

[HA1AG - Zoli Pitman]

Dear fellow DXers,

This is the story of our Topband activities as JU1HA/JT1X. I have received many emails asking about the experiences and the reasons why such a few QSOs have been made. 

Although due to the time of the expedition (May 18-June 2) we didn't expect to work hundreds of DXs on low bands but we hoped that with a properly sized  and installed antenna we would be able to work at least EU successfully. 

Our QTH was at the Hungarian embassy in Ulan-Baatar (UB), right on the main street, 150m from the building of the Mongolian Parliament. UB is 1350m ASL,  located in a deep valley surrounded by 2500-2800m hills. The soil is extremely dry rocky sand. The power lines are not properly maintained air-wires - on windy nights we could see many insulators and wire connections arcing in the neighborhood. 

We were allowed to install the 26m tall Titanex vertical in the embassy garden. I can still recall the face of the gardener when he saw the erected antenna for the first time... 4  40m long and 8 20m long radials were added. The whole garden was full of wires laying on the ground. We expected to have  better ground there deep in the valley. Seeing that we had very dark thoughts about the take-off angle of the vertical antenna, but high take-off angle was needed to get over the ridge surrounding the city. In the main directions angles  below 14-19 degrees were blocked by the mountains.

The antenna was erected on the Tuesday (May 19), the 160m radials were added  on Wednesday. I made the first QSOs with the antenna on the first evening on 80m. Good sigs but terrible noise at sunset. As JU1HA I worked some JA's and a KH2 but finally gave it up.

20-May: Wednesday 
SFI=92, A=9, K=2 

The noise level is unbearable on 160, S9+ constantly - not crashes or bursts but solid continuous noise. We had a thunderstorm (quite rare there) during the evening, all the verticals were disconnected between 1800-2100.

21-May, Thursday:
SFI=89, A=14, K=3

With HA4XG we built a EWE as described by K2WI but it didn't work at all - same noise and the distant beacons I heard on 1827 and 1832.1 were much less audible. Anyway I CQed between 2030 and 2115 on 1824.5 and heard a couple of   stations calling me (DJ7/8 and an SP2) but the QSB brought them over the noise only for seconds.

22-May, Friday:
SFI=87, A=7, K=2

Due to some misunderstandings we were busy with political negotiations with the locals. As a result we agreed to change our call to JT1X. (As some  people say: Soldiers give their blood, diplomats give their liver...) We were not QRV on Topband that day. 

23-May, Saturday:
SFI=90, A=11, K=3

With HA4XG we doubled the EWE. There was a marginal improvement but still S7-S9 noise. I confiscated the Timewave DSP of the second station hoping that it had a different noise reduction digital filter pattern than the FT1000MP's EDSP, but it didn't help to improve the S/N. CQed between 2030 and 2110 again, got some fractals around 2050, that's all. Later I was told that HA8BE could copy us but we couldn't hear him and he had to disconnect due to thunderstorm.

24-May, Sunday:
SFI=96, A=15, K=3

That day we put up a very low dipole across the garden with both ends being hung up to small trees on the street. It was much better than the EWEs but still S7 noise all evening. CQed between 2020 and 2115 but the no chance to pull out anything from the noise. Antenna had to be disconnected at 2110 (at sunrise due to static charge)

It was the day when I almost gave up but due to the encouragement of HA4XG and HA0HW we decided to try something else: after some investigation and some negotiations with the gardener we made up our mind and together with HA4XG and HA0HW installed a 160m long Beverage. Except its shorty length it  was a good bev: sloping ends, constant height (2.5m) and a good transformer. The far end of the Beverage was on the street and it had to be rolled up when the day started. Luckily we could use the Bev bot for EU and JA. When the JA condx was gone someone had to go out and terminate it at the far end. In UB there's a policeman standing in front of the embassies all day long. Our  "guard" was watching us very suspiciously (don't forget: downtown UB, next to the central post office, close to the Parliament...hi) but after a couple of days they got used to our activities. 

25-May, Monday:
SFI=92, A=15, K=3

We finished the Bev at 1100 GMT, 1 hour before sunset. After connecting the Bev to the radio we wanted to cry: almost the same noise on the Bev as on the vertical. However with the darkness  the most of the noise disappeared! 30 min after sunset the noise was only S2-S4. It was a strange phenomenon, which we couldn't explain. At sunrise the noise built up again. It was not only on that particular day but all the other days. Any idea, why ? 

I started CQ at 1327 on 1821 and suddenly at 1341 was called by many JA's with good sigs and for the first time - over the noise. Between 1341 and 1346 8 JA's were logged followed by two UA0's then nothing again. I stopped CQing at 1427. 

For EU we started to call at 1900 (Sunset in Ukraine) on 1824.5 and nothing happened until 2019 when RA4HT called in and he was a good 559. RW3PZ called 10 mins later with a much better signal and this morning I could copy some of the stations calling me. in 12 minutes other 6 EU were logged from North Germany  and Central EU. The strongest sig was HA8BE with a true 599 at 2041 followed by OM3KAG.  The EU-window was open for us between 2034 and 2048.


26-May, Tuesday:
SFI=93, A=8, K=2

Started at 1250 GMT at 1821 and in two hours worked 11 stations (9 in the first 2 in the second) from JA and UA9/0. Stopped at 1500. No EU heard this morning. (2020 - 2110 GMT)

27-May, Wednesday:
SFI=94, A=6, K=2

Decided to start earlier that day - QSYed to 160 at 1945 CQed until 2100 when FR5DX called in with a nice sig. After the QSO I heard a 5K (ZS5K?) but couldn't complete the QSO. No EU again.

28-May, Thursday:
SFI=98, A=7, K=2

We were on between 1300 and 1400 working JAs the opening took place between 1306 and 1312. JA4LXY was 599+ at 1310. 

We decided to give a last chance to EU and started at 1830 on 1824.5. Between 2045 and 2100 worked 4 other EU. This morning 9M6AAT was on calling 1kHz over my frequency and QSXing almost to the same freq. I heard many stations  calling 9M6AAT as far as from England. Later we discussed it on 12m with the 9M6 op - next day we were better seperated but no condx for me.. huhh
 
29-May,Friday:
SFI=95, A=25, K=5

Started at 1300 and was being continuously called by JAs. As I learned this evening we could copy some 100W/Inv.vee stations from JA. At 1418 the band closed and nothing heard or worked until 1500. No EU this morning. Best DX was 4K9C at 2000. 4 other UA9s were logged until 2100. I was listening to the QSX of the 9M6 but didn't hear a dit of the EU's he worked.  

During the weekend we took par in the WPX-CW contest and spent only a 10m period there when 2 JAs were logged.

So, actually it's a too long story for the 67 QSOs we made. With HA0HW we were trying to do our best to complete the QSOs with those who wsa calling us  everyday but  this is what we could achieve then from there. We could learn a lot from which hopefully we can benefit on our next expedition. 

Zoli HA1AG


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