Topband: Boring Update - 30-Dec

[Tree]

I must admit to be recovering some from the Stew and haven't been able to 
get up out of bed as early this morning.  However, I noticed SM5EDX was
working some guys this morning and K7TJR was acting as a beacon from Oregon.

Last night - I finally heard 4O3A for the first time - near his sunrise.  
However, I wasn't able to raise him for a QSO before he QSY'd to 20 meters.
I am hoping to put that one in the log soon.

And I must confess - I feel like I have "cheated" getting a new country
last night.  I had noticed the activity patterns of JD1BMM on 160 meter
had been rather erratic.  I used to have a feature in TR Log where I could
put a list of countries I needed into a file - and if a packet spot for
that country was made - it would sound an alarm and wake me up.  Except, 
TR Log really isn't able to hook up to packet anymore without a lot of
extra work.

After some searching on the internet, I downloaded the VE7CC program - which
was pretty easy to setup.  A nice female voice will announce "Here is the DX
you are looking for".  So - last night at 0916z, JA1DUH spotted JD1BMM on 
160 meters.  I tuned into the frequency to hear - nothing...  but after a
bit - I started hearing someone sending 579 rising up out of the noise.  

It turns out that was a JA station sending his report to JD1BMM - who then
came back and sounded like a KH6 - very loud.  He was easy to put into the
log and I went back to bed a few minutes later...  wondering if it all was
too easy.  This is almost the last country in the Pacific that I need.  I 
think Chesterfield and that funny one that you have to operate from with 
platforms are the last two.  

I received several nice notes from stations I worked during the Stew.  I 
already shared the audio RA4LW sent me - but I just got one from Zdenek,
OK1DSZ, who was operating as OL0W during the Stew.  This recording really
demonstrates the "charm" of topband - where patience is rewarded.  Not only
did he have to deal with QSB, a burst of loud QRN that would have pushed 
most people to just give up - but he also had OM5ZW very close to my 
frequency. 

Just before we made our QSO - you can hear me tune up briefly.  This is a 
very rewarding part of the recording for me - as the reason I am tuning up 
is that I switched on my parasitic reflector for Europe and repeaked the 
amp since the match changes pretty significantly.  I think it is clear
that the extra few db that added made the QSO much more possible.  

http://www.kkn.net/~tree/160/k7rat_at_ol0w_stew2008.wav

You can sort of see this reflector in this recent photo.  It is a wire tee
element coming off of a 105 foot tower.  It is being pulled tight by the 
rope that comes over the upper left corner of the photo.

http://www.kkn.net/~tree/gallery/album26/Snow_December_2008_018

I use a relay to switch this element in and out.  It is about 90 feet 
south of the driven element.

It should be noted that had OL0W not called me a few times, the QSO might
never had happened.  I have 5 different directions I can receive and I 
often have band openings to 4 of them - and sometimes all 5.  If you just
send you call once and don't get my attention, you do need to perhaps send
it a couple of times if I am CQing in your face.  This allows me to have
enough time to cycle through my antennas to find you.  Add the QSB variable
and the possibility that a louder local station is calling - and it adds 
up to a difficult challenge.  The better operators will hear you calling
even when a strong station is there - and work extra hard to pull you
through.

For me - the fact that putting up extra wires and a mile of radials - and
using good operating technique - which makes the "impossible" QSOs happen
are part of the charm of this band we call Topband.  I have been doing 
this for some 23 years now - and I am as fired up about it as I ever have
been.  I look forward to doing it for another 23 years.

73 Tree N6TR
Boring, OR