Topband: Oregon High Desert report

[LEE STRAHAN]

    Thanks Bill for the low horizontal suggestion. As it turns out I was 
thinking something more with
a considerably higher RDF. I realized after I had sent the first message 
that I had said I was looking for something with higher gain I really meant 
RDF which sometimes runs parallel with gain. Having been fairly successful 
with shortened vertical arrays producing higher RDF figures I have turned my 
thoughts to some shortened low horizontal arrays. I have a few Eznec files 
already of possible candidates. The farmers as we speak are putting the 
finishing touches on 100 plus acres around me and I can go out and put up my 
normal RX antennas soon, then the new projects. I hope a new array can take 
me one step further in DX to the Pacific than the seemingly norm of a single 
low horizontal or totally vertical solution. I am of the opinion that we on 
the West coast may well have an advantage no one has thoroughly explored yet 
similar to the advantage the East coasters have toward Europe. Hint: I can 
quite often now hear the low power Russian navigation system pinging away on 
a good morning. If any one was on the air there I am sure I could work them. 
I also work in excess of 120 JA stations during contests without having 
tried as hard as I do with Europe. Of course I hope to share my findings 
especially if it equalizes some of the East coast advantage hi hi. As I said 
before, Ahh another top-band challenge.  Lee K7TJR Oregon