Topband: RX epiphany?

[Tom W8JI]

Hi well I've only been QRV since June here but the QRN level seems 
noticeably worse than my previous QTH in the W6 desert even though my 
current QTH is also quiet, limited by only propagated QRN. >>>>

Doesn't 90 days seem a little short to get a feel for propagated noise and 
system performance?

<<
Many times I cannot copy stations answering my CQ on 80 so it either means 
they are running less than my 99W (unlikely) or else they have a lower RX 
noise floor than I do, either due to lower ambient levels or a more 
directive RX antenna (although one of the local big guns claims that 
observations on the high bands going back 20 years show HS consistently 
getting out better than we can hear, and has even mapped out a region where 
this one-way propagation seems to occur. I happen to think that 
electromagnetic waves should behave the same way in antennas, the ionosphere 
and the ground regardless of whether they are being transmitted or received 
but we all have our pet theories...) I just read a USN study that monitored 
noise levels throughout the year at 20, 35
 and 65 degrees latitude and at times the noise was up to 12 dB stronger at 
20 (my latitude) than 35, where most of our QSOs are with. >>

With the current bad weather and increasing thunderstorms around here, this 
is the first year ever I have simply abandoned maintaining my antennas. For 
me, this has been by far the worse season ever. I have antennas that just 
disappear from lightning, I've replaced them, and a week or two later they 
are gone again. I don't have exact statistics of the number of storms or 
intensity, but I've never had multiple problems of wires just vaporizing 
until this summer.

<<<
Anyway to the point of this post I have decided to take down my 
half-completed 160m 4 square and use the available land to put up a RX 
8-circle array. I can shunt feed a 21m top-loaded tower for Xmit that could 
be located about 5/8 wave from the nearest RX element and around which I 
could put a somewhat better ground system than I could around each 4sq Xmit 
element as well. It seems to me I could easily make up the 3-5 dB loss on 
Xmit with an amp if desired. Since the 80m yagi up 3/4 wave has a strong 
high angle secondary lobe I think our 80m RX would improve as well.>>>

Receiving is everything, so long as the other end can hear you. The only 
reason I installed a four square was because of USA QRM where people would 
call right over top of me and cover me up, although it has also been handy 
in contests to get through European QRM.

Truthfully, if it wasn't for QRM, I would not need one.

Still, I don't think I would make major deceisions based on 90 days of 
summer evaluation. If someone who can't hear the DX answer him keeps calling 
on top of you, a little transmit gain might come in handy. If you are not in 
top layer battles with who-knows-what,  500 watts and an inverted L would 
work. If you are, even 6dB of ***real*** TX gain will not be enough.

<<<I have a couple months to think about it before it dries enough to do any 
work so would appreciate any comments on this rather radical change in plan, 
especially by you guys at tropical latitudes.>>>

>From my observations in middle-GA, this has been the worse season by far for 
local lightning.

73 Tom