Topband: Stew Perry, Summer Edition, now!

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi,

There is a little time left but I hear *no* signals at all now
(daylight). I got skunked. In between thunderstorms I tried to contact
other stations. I heard a lot of regional activity but I couldn't
actually exchange grid numbers with anybody even though I used all 35
watts. Even when the thunderstorms were not overhead the NWS radars and
other web pages showed them just at the horizon. I had to "duck and
cover" several times. Even so, I should have been able to work some
QSOs. I was using the same radios and antenna that I used to work 160
meters before when I did make some QSOs.

In the next few weeks I will be reworking my antenna system so that I
have an inverted L with FCP as my 160 transmit antenna and I will use
receiving loop antennas. The antennas and grounds that I am using work
pretty well on 80 up through 10 meters (even though I am not really a
ten meter ham). I'll put up something different for those bands and just
reconfigure the present wire for 160.

Getting the DX-100 finished might help, too <grin>.

73,

Bill  KU8H