Topband: HS72B first contest night

[wb6tza at socal.rr.com]

results can be summed up (in polite company) in one word.  N O T H I N G.

got another beverage out, a properly terminated BOG aimed south.    Spent a
few hours recovering from a balloon VS tree encounter, (Winit got us another
$100 bottle of Helium at 5 PM on Saturday of a 3 day holiday weekend....
Loud cheers) then sat down and called and listened to nothing but noise.
With the band so full of signals, we should have heard something.  Called on
1815.5 QSX 1867 ( for lack of a better idea) & heard nothing.  Gave up
calling about 1230, just tuned the band.  Around 13+, K1TTT posted a number
of spots for the louder signals.  I wrote down a list and went hunting for
them..  Nothing.  Heard JAs working folks, some matched up with spots,
listened carefully to those frequencies.  Nothing.  (those spots are really
helpful..  at least then I have the appearance of listening for something
specific!)

Gave up early 14, Dietmar began regular CQ up 3.. apparently that was heard,
but we heard nothing.  Later, in between the loud noise blasts, Dietmar was
able to eek out a couple dozen EU including GI3OQR just before 20, and NL7Z
just before 19.  There was some evidence of a sunrise peak around 2330Z,
first we have observed, noted on both 160 and 80.  previously, the bands
just slowly faded out about an hour before sunrise.

We are installing another BOG, this time a bidirectional unit, in a new
area.  will be VERY interesting as it  will run parallel and within about
150ft of the 120KV steel tower lines.  It is in the direction we THINK is
away from the worst noise.

We are suffering from two different noise issues,  one is a loud rough edged
noise that lasts anything from a few seconds to an hour.  It generally is
S9+10.  When that is not present, the "background" noise runs S7 to S9
depending on how you measure it.  This is as Noon.  in the overnite, the
background can drop some, but, even when it appears to be down, we don't
seem to hear.


Robin