Topband: re: conditions on 160 during contest

VR2BrettGraham vr2bg at harts.org.hk
Mon Jan 31 19:41:58 EST 2005


K7TJR posted:

>Finally after acres of radials and eleven receiving antenna positions, I 
>feel better about living on the west coast for 160.. You guys that can 
>work europe with your dipoles at 30 feet from the East coast have always 
>made me feel jealous.. I worked my first EU station a while back during 
>the very rare auroral cap low. For you on the East coast that are still 
>looking for your first Ja contact I feel bad. We at K7TJR (K7ZUM and 
>myself) made 117 JA contacts during the contest. We had no idea there were 
>that many JA stations on 160. With 8 elements in one unique design RX 
>antenna I can truly say it is ALL about phasing and or lack of for 
>performance on 160.  Just when you think your antenna array may be phased 
>correctly, it may not be. Thanks to all for helping us to break 1000 
>contacts from the west coast.. Highlight was VR2BG sending and sending 
>until the light finally went on in my head to listen in the right 
>direction for his signal. Thanks Brett..

K7TJR was my first NA QSO, the first NA station heard & for most of
the time was the loudest NA signal on the band here at VR2BG on the
second night (I took a nap & slept through NA sunrise the first night).

I think working N6RO shortly afterwards was more difficult & then
things got better as I was able to get a bit of a run going.

For this contest, I switched to series feeding my roof tower.  Thanks
to N6TR & WX7G for giving me some ideas that have resulted in my
best CQ 160 CW yet.  I had bursts of runs of JAs the first night of
nearly 120/hour.  I don't think I've ever had a 160m pile of JAs more
than two deep, so hopefully it was the improvements to the antenna
& not conditions.

This all changed going towards EU.  I see at least one bloke who I
called for a long time as he was one of the loudest on the band &
therefore I thought I had a chance to be heard, but according to
3830 he was barefoot & just CQed in my face... Part of the fun &
frustration of working topband - whether or not the guy CQing can
even hear the folks replying... let alone me! ;^)

73 & HLNY, VR2BrettGraham



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