Topband: Early 160 at WA4DUS/N4DJ

[Don N4DJ]

Enjoying the old 160 memories!
Getting on 160 meters in the early 60s was not real easy as most equipment
did not cover the Top Band. My NC 109 did cover 160 but my DX 60 did not.  I
liked to listen to 160.  In 1963 I upgraded my station to a new Viking
Ranger II which did cover 160 but at the same time traded my NC 109 for a
modern Drake 2B which did not cover 160. I still had the desire for 160 and
got on with the Ranger and my old SWL receiver, a S38. In those days
everyone on the east coast operated from 1800 to 1825. I cranked my 75 watt
RangerII down to 50 watts to comply with the power restrictions. My antenna
was a 300 foot long end fed wire. My first QSO was K1LMO in Norwalk, Conn.
That first night on 160 made me feel like DX. Most of the stations I worked
said I was the first Virginia station they had worked on 160.  I found that
hard to believe, but I enjoyed the popularity!  After several months on the
band I finally heard another Virginia station, WA4CBP.
I soon got a converter for my Drake 2B and started listening for DX. That
first year I received my treasured W1BB QSL.  My first DX was FP8 followed
by VP9BO,ON4UQ, GW3SSK, EI9J, G3PU to name a few.
I later modified my 2B to cover 160 without a converter. I built a mixer to
beat 80 meter SSB from my Viking Invader to 160, plugged it into the crystal
socket on my RangerII and had 50 watts of SSB on 160.
After finishing Virginia Tech, I got a Drake C-line and along with my friend
Tim, K3RUQ, started working multi-op in all the 160 contests.  At first I
went to Maryland, then in 1973 Tim came to my QTH(WA4DUS) where I had a 108
foot vertical tuned for 160. W4PRO, W4GSM,and W4HBK joined us. The next year
we all went to W4RO and used a balloon to hold up a 135 foot vertical.
My most memorable DX was working KH6IJ on SSB in 1976. W4HBK thought I was
making a joke. According to him, In the old days saying you worked a KH6 on
160 SSB was so absurd it was used as a joke! He finally believed me when I
showed him the QSL. I also have a tape recording of that QSO which also
contains W4QCW working KH6IJ right afterwards.
I also have many of the W1BB newsletters and have fond memories of many
ragchews with K1PBW, K3RUQ, K8BBI and working my friend Terry W4GSM (sk) on
his many Dxpeditions (VP2E, VP2M, FP8, FS7, PJ, CE0) where he always tried
to work the guys on 160.
By the way I am still using the Drake C-line, it was good for 20 countires
this weekend on 160, and I still get the Ranger II and 2B out for a session
on 160 every now and then!
73,
Don
N4DJ
n4dj at arrl.net