Topband: 160/M---Time for a new topic--- 160mobile?!

[W9UCW at aol.com]

Starting in 1954 I ran 160 mobile off and on for  more than 50 years. Even 
did a lot of hidden transmitter hunts on 160 in the  Chicago area with the 
"Chiburban Radio  Mobileers. Check out their websites  using Google. For me, 
other high points of 160 mobiling include a straight  through drive from 
Minooka, Illinois to Miami to fly onto  Barranquilla and then San Andres Island 
to operate /HK0 with friends. That  was in the mid 70's. My 10 year old 
daughter was with me. I ran a Heathkit  single-bander (tube type) and worked 18 
states and four countries on 160 SSB on  the drive down. It helped me stay 
awake. 
 
Another high point happened 5 years ago when we  moved to our new home. I 
didn't have antennas up but a month or two after the  move, I found my 
home-brewed mobile antennas in the piles of stuff in the  garage. That evening I 
put the 160 setup on the Dodge longbed pickup truck. It  was well before dawn 
when I took my mug full of coffee out to the driveway and  got into the 
truck to listen to 160. The noise was very low and I could hear  some US 
stations working JA's. We had scoped out the area for noise before we  bought the 
home. 
 
Just before dawn I figured I had the best chance  of working something 
good... although a slim chance. I called CQ several times  before I heard 
someone say "Are you saying /M, Barry?" It was 160 stalwart Bob,  VK3XL and we had 
a nice exchange. Bob has good ears, as most of you know, but I  sure felt 
good about my first DX contact from our new place. I was running   CW with an 
IC 706, a Metron amp at about 400 watts to the antenna mounted in the  
middle of the bed cover. It had an 8' mast with my own resonator on top and an  
extensive radial system glued under the bed cover and braid connected to the 
 truck bed walls.
 
These days I don't get much chance at 160 mobile  'cuz my XYL is president 
of MARAC, the international county hunter organization  and when we go 
mobiling, it's on Bands where they regularly operate like 20  & 40. Oh well... 
she sez she's not going to run for a third term. Watch for  W9UCW/M.
73 and best DX, Barry