Topband: Fw: 160m from 9M4SLL

[Bob W4DR]

I thought this might be of general interest to our group.
Bob W4DR   (used with John's permission)

-----Original Message----- 
From: 9m6xro at amsat.org 
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 3:21 AM 
To: Bob W4DR 
Subject: 160m from 9M4SLL 

Hello Bob

Don/G3BJ forwarded your email to me as I was on the key on March 14th
when we made the QSO on Top Band. I can confirm you were the first Zone
5 station into our 160m log on Spratly. Here are some notes on the 160m
operation :

Despite working under a very hot sun, with the team's cooperation, we
made a big effort to get the Titanex V160E up and the radials run out on
the first day. From past experience, I realised if we missed a night's
operation that could be the one when propagation was at its best! As a
result of our labours the first QSO made by the DXpedition was on Top
Band when I worked DU7ET on March 10th at 1020z. Next up was JH2FXK, a
call well known to me as we made the first C9/JA QSO on 160m back in
2008 when I was operating as C91XO. Right from the start it was obvious
that heavy static (QRN) was going to be a major problem for us on Layang
Layang. Don had brought along a receiving Pennant he'd made up but we'd
not had time to rig it up to use on the first night. At 1309z/10th, the
first U.S. station was worked, K7ZV followed by W7VS and W7UT. Another
dozen or so followed all in the 6/7 or BC call areas. The last was N7NG
WY at 1419z. K9FD was worked I discovered later he is in KH6! After that
it was JA, then it got a bit slow until UA9's then Eastern EU began to
appear. One thing I noticed, and it was to become a pattern, was that
the QRN seemed at its most severe after our sunset, very slowly
diminishing as the night wore on. Unfortunately that meant we were
facing the worst static for the most difficult path - the East Coast.

On the second night Mar/12 we drew a complete blank on 160. Not only was
the static at extreme levels but there was no propagation at all. We
struggled with the QRN on 80m CW for a while then went on the higher
bands to push up the QSO rate. Later in the night, around 4am local we
returned to 80m and had a good run to EU until well after our sunrise.
By now we had done some more work on the Pennant and Don definitely felt
there was an improvement to EU on 80m.

Mar/13 just after our sunset we worked NH2T at 1040z on 160m followed by
KK7UV, N7DD then some 5's in TX and NM. It was really spotlight
propagation and after working W5UN at 1120z no other NA stations were
heard. We were getting many requests for 80m so once more we went to
3523 returning to 160m at 4am local time for the opening to EU/AF. The
Titanex was our main TX antenna for 160/80m so it was a question of one
band or the other. We had a Butternut HF2V which was set up for SSB on
80m but throughout the operation I can only recall one night when the
OTHR was not running and wiping out the top end of 80m. It was always on
when the band was open to NA - up to 40db over S9.

On Mar/14, the day I worked you, the first QSO on 160m was with W6QUV at
1044z. The sequence after that was K6KLY, N6KYV, W0FLS (IA), W4DR, W3UR,
N6TR, W2LK then a lull until K5DN (TX) at 1231z. I then went on to work
about 50 other NA stations but no 8's, very few 9's and no 0's. This was
a pattern - a virtual "hole" in those call areas.

Mar/15 sunset session was almost a wipe-out due to static. With a
struggle K7MY, NN6L and K5KC (OK) were worked just after our sunset.
After midnite the static eased considerably and we had a long run into
EU until after sunrise.

Mar/16 I had another superb run into NA. In sequence W7DR (1043z), W7CB,
N7NG, AA6VB, K5GN (TX), W4ZV, N4IS, VE3ZI, VE3EJ, VA3EF, K4SV, N4NN,
W6IZT, K4PI, W2YC, K9RX, K9CT at 1159z. Then there was the familiar NA
"lull" with some JA/HL before WD5COV at 1301z followed by around 45 more
NA Q's from 5/6/7 two 0's, and WL7E. W7XR was the last QSO logged at
1411z. A good opening indeed!

On the last night of operation Mar/17 I did a meal break just after
sunset and worked AD6W at 1114z, N5MOA, W5TCX, N5ET and K5KLA (LA)
through heavy static. Later on we had a great run into EU and I even
made our only SSB QSO on Top Band with S51V who was really S9! Amazing.

Don and I were pretty happy with the 160m QSO count, a final tally of
1311. We did more than the 9M0C DXpedition with fewer ops and in a
shorter time frame. On our best night we made close to 300 Q's. 

We had several suggestions for receiving ants including a BOG, Beverage
on the Ground, but to get the right direction we would have had to lay
it across the runway! Space is pretty restricted and although the 1.5 km
runway stretches the length of the island, the island itself quite
narrow. Also access to large areas is restricted as there is a naval
base at the northeastern end of the island. There are red "do not cross"
markers around the diving resort which is the only accommodation for
visitors. Our HF vertical ants were all set up close to the sea on the
north facing sea wall. Likewise the Titanex was as close as we could
make it allowing for guying and laying out the radial field. I have
attached a couple of photos of the V160E and my homebrew 80/160 ATU
using B&W Coil Stock which is manually switched.

I hope this is of some interest to you! Unfortunately, I live in an
apartment in Kota Kinabalu so my Titanex is in storage behind the shack
door until the next escapade. I would like to go back to East Timor
where we operated as 4W6A a couple of years ago but would have to find a
quieter location next time.

73 - John - 9M6XRO  

   


Mar/15 was almost a wipe-out due to static and we struggled to work
K7MY, NN6L and K5KC (OK).