Topband: TB SEASON, PJ7PT etc

[wa3mej at comcast.net]

I have a problem with saying TB season is over.  It is just this.. if we as DXers say it is over then others will stay away and it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. In past years I have worked 160 all year long with the only thing limiting me was the noise floor and qrn during summer season.  With the addition of low noise antennas such as the Beverage and a rotatable K9AY or equivelent there is no reason to stop TB operations. I have personally seen some on this reflector working DX from south FL  during summer months. No small feat with summertime noise. EXAMPLE: it is summer in the southern hemisphere yet I worked many SA stations this year suring their summer.  If they vacated the band during their summer I would not have worked them. 



Also with reference to PJ7PT,  I managed to get into 7 of his 5 or so slots, including TB.  This took a bit of time but I am very happy to have worked them so many time.  



Approaching my Jubilee year in Ham Radio I have started reflecting on what it has taught me.  Of course there is always the normal things like electronics etc but above all the most thing I have learned is patience, IMHO this is something that many of our youth lack.  A good reason to get them into Ham Radio classes 



Jim WA3MEJ 


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Message: 7 
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:01:25 -0400 
From: Jon Zaimes AA1K <jz73 at verizon.net> 
Subject: Re: Topband: TB season 
To: K4OWR <k2owr at comcast.net> 
Cc: topband at contesting.com 
Message-ID: <4F6282D5.5090502 at verizon.net> 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed 

Bill, 

I've worked JA's in April and August. Europe and the Mideast can be 
worked all summer long, as well as VK/ZL and much of the southern 
hemisphere -- where it's their winter. So the "season" can be what you 
make of it. 

Keep working on the Inverted L -- it should be a better antenna for DX 
most of the time. 

73/Jon AA1K 


Message: 10 
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:06:25 -0400 
From: Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: Topband: TB season 
To: topband at contesting.com 
Message-ID: <1331899585.1925.15.camel at lancelot> 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" 

Hi, 

I sent a private email to one of the first hams to post about this. 
Apparently there is a lot of interest on the list about this. I am new 
to 160 meters and struggling to get my radios and antennas up to par. I 
was dismayed to see that there is a "season". I surely expect 
propagation to change but I expected to be more or less able to find 
some QSOs most of the time. I was pleased to see hams respond favorably 
about staying on the air. I do participate in some of the contests but I 
am more interested in rag chewing. As I make improvements in my station 
equipment I hope I'll be working more and more Top Band hams. 

73, 

Bill  KU8H