Topband: N2XE Beacon Tribune - January 1, 2005

[John C Ceccherelli]

Celebrating our second calendar year of continuous publication...

If you copied DURABLE...  you lost!  The correct code word was DURHAM.
Durham will be the last North Carolina theme code word--too many people are
starting to figure out my diabolical code scheme.

The new year was good to the 20mW beacon--26 reports from 13 states and one
Canadian province.  The beacon was transmitting from the off-center fed
dipole until 2030Z.  After that, the Fly Rod Vertical took over.  I've
included multiple reports from stations that copied both antennas.
The more distant reception to the west and south-west came on like someone
flipped a switch around 2330Z.  It's uncanny the way all the Wisconsin and
Illinois reports are clustered from 2330 to 0030Z.

The DX Award goes to K5BG, Bob in Texas.  At 1443.6 miles from here, he's
about twice the distance of the second place station, N4CC, Greg in
Florida.

I received a note from Peter Zenker, DL2FI, informing me of a Czech beacon
on 80 meters, 3600 KHz.  It runs continuously at 100mW with a corner
dipole.  If anyone hears it, post on QRP-L and let us know!

Here's the skinny for last night:

Reports flooded in from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North
Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia,
Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The antenna breakdown was: 7-dipoles and vees, 7-beams, 4-Beverages,
2-verticals and 1 loop.  By the way, one of those verticals was a Hamstick
feeding an IC703!

Here's the log:

Transmitting on the OCD
W4ZV, BILL    NC    EM95    549    ORION/BEV
K3UL, BOB    PA    FN11    569    746PRO/DIP
K2ZN, AL    NY    FN13    559
VE3OSZ, STEVE(VE3SMA)  ON  FN25   569   TR7/VARIOUS
K3NG, GOODY    PA    FN20    MUD    TS850/DIP
WA2UUK, HARV    NY    FN12    569    1000D/BEAM
K3ESE, LLOYD    MD    FM19    ---    ATS3/LOOP
AA4XX, SIR PAUL    NC    FM05    579    SIERRA/WIRE BEAM
W2RBA, JOE    NY    FN23    539
WB2VUO, KEITH    NY    FN13    ---    TS520/INV V [KEITH RUNS THE 10M
BEACON ON 28.2873 MHz]
K3JT, TERRY    WV    EM99    559    706/160M DIP
W1ZN, DICK    NH    FN42    349    TS850/DIP
KM1Z, FRAN    VT    FN34    229
WB4X, BRENT    NC    FM06    429    K2/ATTIC DIP

Transmitting on the Fly Rod Vertical
WB4X, BRENT    NC    FM06    429    703/HAMSTICK
N4ZR    PETE    WV    FM19    539    MARK V/BEAM
W4ZV, BILL    NC    EM95     559    ORION/BEV
VA3NR, CHRIS    ON    EN82    419    MARK V/BUTTERNUT HF6V
K4CIA, BILL    NC    FM05    569    746/DIP
N4CC, GREG    FL    EM80    339    1000D/BEAM
K4XL, KEN    VA    FM07    ---    756PRO/BEAM
K9RS, RAY    IL    EN52    439
W9XT, GARY    WI    EN53    429    1000MP/BEAM
K5BG, BOB    TX    EM12    529    1000D/880' BEV
N9NE, TODD    WI    EN54    229    K2/BEAM
W6IZT/4, GREGG    GA    EM74    Q5    1000D/BEV

73,
N2XE

John Ceccherelli