Topband: topband season

[W7lr at aol.com]

Another story.  My receiving arrays are out in a front horse pasture,  with 
a 300 foot driveway dividing that.
 
It is almost time to take down those antennas.  The farmer across the  road 
and we have a tradeoff.
 
For the topband season I put up the antennas.  When it is springtime  they 
come down and the farmers horses arrive to eat the grass.  In winter  when 
the snow is several feet deep to clog up our driveway and my old 1946 Jeep  
and snowplow does't do the job, the farmer plows us out to the outside world  
with his big farm tractor.  Then in following seasons the cycle  repeats.  
 
I have a young guy (35) to help me (91) to help with this so it gets done  
in time for dxing or horses. I have metal mushrooms to cover the antenna 
support  pipes, which hold the vertical antenna fiberglass support rods. The 
covers  are made of farm harrow disks with a metal rod welded on to go down 
into the  antenna support pipes. The pipes stick up a bit and so the cover 
keeps the  horses from tripping on the pipes, and are sturdy enough if they 
walk on them.  And the pipes are ready in the pasture for the next TB season.  

As many have said dxing hasn't been so hot.  It was ok early in the  season 
to Europe, but not much after that. In earlier seasons there would  be 
logpages full almost every evening, with another array that way, and usually  
quite a few new ones.   The arrays did pick up Africa like locals, but  
couldn't hear them this season.  Only 3 new ones.
Big 11,000 foot mountain chain in the path to PJ7, but did finally qso them 
 on 160, using a K7TJR
70x320 foot rectangle array, even with A of 28
 
Well there are many more stories but enough for tonight.  73 Bob W7LR  in 
MT.  .