Topband: How do we get more people on Topband?HI Aloan -
Don W5FKX
w5fkx at cox.net
Sat Oct 17 18:16:07 PDT 2009
Hi Alan -
While I certainly can't argue with your underlying premise that it is
advantageous to have as much available real estate as possible for erecting
really effective antennas (especially receiving!) for 160m, I hope that you
will forgive me for saying that you are posing an unduly pessimistic view
that isn't conducive to encouraging others to try Topband.
For many years since I began in 1954, I was told the same thing as I pursued
my ham radio experience as a dedicated DXer. It was not until the late 1990s
that, on a fluke, I discovered I could actually hear EU on Topband using an
80m inverted-V (apex at 40 ft), fed with ladder-line through a transmatch.
It did not take long to find that I could even make some contacts with
stations in central America & the Caribbean - with no more than a 500w amp.
That was both an exhilarating - as well as eye-opening - experience that led
to what I consider to be a re-birth of the excitement of ham radio that I
had felt during my early years. The new millennium and the DXCC Challenge
spurred me to learn some new tuning techniques for improving SNR in a high
noise environment and to begin looking into low-band antennas, leading to a
reasonably effective 160m antenna (inverted-L) that "fit" on my 50x100ft
suburban lot. A few years later, achieving Topband DXCC (a goal that I had
LONG believed to be impossible) led to an article in QST: "Topband? No
Way!... But Never say Never" (February, 2007). Was it easy? No indeed - it
required many hours of patient tuning with ear-splitting noise, followed by
as many hours of calling, while learning the vagaries of Topband DXing.
Today, it is still my favorite band.
I have no doubt that, in your new spacious environment, you'll easily
surpass my current cfmd total of 136, but I wanted to take up your challenge
for " ...others [to] say something more encouraging." I'd like to invite all
the other city folks out there who may be hesitant about trying 160m, to
ignore the nay-sayers and give it a try! Indeed, a great article by
John/K6MM in the June QST ("The No Excuses 160 Meter Vertical") is yet
another example of "city-folks" actually having the audacity to get on 160m.
:-)
73,
Don W5FKX
Delta DX Association Magnolia DX Association
http://www.deltadx.net/ http://www.mdxa.org/
----- Original Message -----
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:29:17 -0700 (PDT)
> From: alan eshleman <oakame at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: Topband: How do we get more people on Topband?
> To: topband at lists.contesting.com, Brian Moran <brianmo at yahoo.com>
> Message-ID: <241498.99908.qm at web32907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Top Band DXing requires real estate. It's possible to get on 160 with a
> compromise antenna and 100 watts and work DX every now and then, but the
> full Top Band experience requires space for antennas and an amplifier.
>
> I did not get serious about 160 until I moved from my postage-stamp-sized
> lot in Berkeley to my new QTH in semi-rural Sonoma County. I have a
> little over an acre, surrounded by vineyards and pasture land.
>
>>From Berkeley, I worked KH6, JA, and a few other Pacific islands, but
>>never even heard EU above the city noise. Since moving, I have 111 DXCC
>>entities worked on Top Band (though some operators, who shall be nameless,
>>are slow to send the cards).
>
> I think we're dinosaurs, albeit happy dinosaurs. Perhaps others can say
> something more encouraging.
>
> 73,
>
> Alan/K6SRZ
>
> --- On Fri, 10/16/09, Brian Moran <brianmo at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Brian Moran <brianmo at yahoo.com>
>> Subject: Topband: How do we get more people on Topband?
>> To: topband at lists.contesting.com
>> Date: Friday, October 16, 2009, 9:26 PM
>> As the daylight shortens and it gets
>> colder here in the northern hemisphere, I anticipate those
>> nice evening openings on 160m.? Tuning across the band,
>> most nights I hear many of the same calls that I've grown
>> familiar with after a few seasons.?
>>
>> It's great to say hi to Vlad, Kent, Kees, Tree, Carl,
>> Roberts, Bob, and Bobby... and many other 160m folks with
>> great signals, names I don't know because of the nature of
>> 160m exchanges.? I've worked some DX folks over a dozen
>> times. Do they really want to work me for the 16th time?
>> Sometimes I listen for a while before actually responding to
>> a CQ from a familiar call, to make sure they don't have
>> anyone else to work.
>>
>> Lately, I've tended to just work calls that I've not worked
>> before. I really look forward to contests and DXpeditions.
>> Besides working on improving antennas, equipment,? and
>> operating techniques, what do others do to keep topband
>> 'fresh' and exciting?
>>
>> Some stalwarts have been at this for years if not
>> decades.? How can we get more people from all parts of
>> the world on Topband?
>>
>> -Brian N9ADG
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Topband mailing list
>> Topband at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:03:58 -0700
> From: "Rick Karlquist" <richard at karlquist.com>
> Subject: Re: Topband: BCB Filter (related to Antenna Analyzer
> question)
> To: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo at comcast.net>
> Cc: Mike & Coreen Smith <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>, topband at contesting.com,
> richard at karlquist.com
> Message-ID:
> <112cabb9c4cd6f3bae814abd31e18ac3.squirrel at webmail.sonic.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Michael St. Angelo wrote:
>> Rick,
>>
>> 900 feet? What type of coax are you using?
>
> Open wire line, 4 AWG aluminum, 450 ohms. A few .1 dB's
> of loss on 160.
>
>>
>> You could probably cancel out the coax by using a VNA like the AIM4170 of
>> N2PKVNA and performing a OSL calibration at the antenna end. You would
>> get
>> lots of exercise walking back forth to to switch between the open, short,
>> 50ohm and actual load!
>
> Yes, the AIM4170 can calibrate out both the 160 meter BCB filter and
> the open wire line, including baluns at each end and residual coax.
> It is tedious and slow and not perfect, but it does work. I have
> 350 feet of RG218 going to my MonstIR, and I tried to calibrate that
> out with the AIM4170. It sort of worked, but there were ripples in
> the response.
>
> And yes, I do get a lot of exercise doing the calibration. I recently
> acquired a lap top so I can locate the AIM4170 out at the antenna.
> I had quite a bit of trouble getting the USB to serial port adapter
> to work with the AIM4170, but eventually got a special driver file
> that worked on my lap top at least.
>
> Rick N6RK
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:22:15 -0400
> From: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: Topband: BCB Filter (related to Antenna Analyzer
> question)
> To: <richard at karlquist.com>
> Cc: Mike & Coreen Smith <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>, topband at contesting.com
> Message-ID: <CD722C344BFD48CC973991FB31C380E0 at MAY>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Rick,
>
> I've used my LP-100 and FT-817 to measure the antenna impedance at the
> base
> of my 160 inverted L. I run both from a 12 volt battery.
>
> I've also used my N2PKVNA and Laptop but the LP-100/FT-817 combination is
> less cumbersome.
>
> My antenna is located about 60 feet from the house so I don't get as much
> exercise as you.
>
> Mike N2MS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rick Karlquist" <richard at karlquist.com>
> To: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo at comcast.net>
> Cc: <richard at karlquist.com>; "Mike & Coreen Smith" <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>;
> <topband at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 4:03 PM
> Subject: Re: Topband: BCB Filter (related to Antenna Analyzer question)
>
>
>> Michael St. Angelo wrote:
>>> Rick,
>>>
>>> 900 feet? What type of coax are you using?
>>
>> Open wire line, 4 AWG aluminum, 450 ohms. A few .1 dB's
>> of loss on 160.
>>
>>>
>>> You could probably cancel out the coax by using a VNA like the AIM4170
>>> of
>>> N2PKVNA and performing a OSL calibration at the antenna end. You would
>>> get
>>> lots of exercise walking back forth to to switch between the open,
>>> short,
>>> 50ohm and actual load!
>>
>> Yes, the AIM4170 can calibrate out both the 160 meter BCB filter and
>> the open wire line, including baluns at each end and residual coax.
>> It is tedious and slow and not perfect, but it does work. I have
>> 350 feet of RG218 going to my MonstIR, and I tried to calibrate that
>> out with the AIM4170. It sort of worked, but there were ripples in
>> the response.
>>
>> And yes, I do get a lot of exercise doing the calibration. I recently
>> acquired a lap top so I can locate the AIM4170 out at the antenna.
>> I had quite a bit of trouble getting the USB to serial port adapter
>> to work with the AIM4170, but eventually got a special driver file
>> that worked on my lap top at least.
>>
>> Rick N6RK
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
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> Topband mailing list
> Topband at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband
>
>
> End of Topband Digest, Vol 82, Issue 28
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