Topband: topband report from 4V1JR

[DALE LONG]

Jim:

Perhaps you somehow misread things.  We were prepared with multiple RX antennas, preamplifiers, multiple transmit antennas tribanders. flooded RG6 , remote switching and lots of coax...but because of Haiti difficulties (of which there are many) our tower was not in place and our container did not arrive.  This caused a last minute change and HH2JR was very kind and offered us the use of his nice station.  We are all indebted to him (again since he was the hero in the Haitian earthquake)

I would note that in the past year I have on several occasions invited folks on this reflector to join me for a dedicated topband dxpedition to Haiti.  Noone was available.  Traveling alone I carried radio, amplifier and supplies for both ham radio and our work project. Without doubt I could have used help.  But the RX problem was not due to lack of planning. It was due to the change to a city lot QTH. Without the kindness of HH2JR there would have been zero topband QSOs and very few contacts on high bands.  I know the need is great and people were disappointed but we worked many of our contest friends on 6 bands. Its OK to note that we failed to meet the need. We know that and we know we had serious QRN issues.  The alternative was not to operate at all

I was aware before the contest that we would be unable to work EU. I expected 10-12 stations in the Caribbean. In the end we worked more than that, we worked 180 stations through the noise.  During the CQ contest we prioritized 160 over other bands.

We again invite interested topbanders to help plan a future 160m dxpedition to Haiti that is not part of a contest.

The purpose for my earlier Email (which I now wish I had not sent)  was to ask if our friends in EU if they heard us and how was our signal. That is all I wanted to know.

And I apologize for busting our callsign, and other mistakes that I may have made.  I am still recovering from an extremely difficult and very stressful trip. My apologies to all.

Vy 73

Dale - N3BNA

P.S. I appreciate your offer of assistance and will let you know if we need anything.  At this time we need operators to go in a non-contest dxpedition sometime in the future.  With lots of planning.



________________________________
 From: Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: topband at contesting.com 
Sent: Saturday, December 6, 2014 4:11 AM
Subject: Re: Topband: topband report from 4V1JB
 

On Sat,12/6/2014 12:56 AM, Jan Erik Holm wrote:
> Wow 20 over 9 noise floor, if I had known I never
> would have called you, waist of power and time. 

Any team that goes to a location, whatever it, is, unprepared to address 
local noise issues is incompetent and ill prepared. I'm willing to help, 
but that's part of planning for any such effort. It's at least as 
important as what radios you bring and what antennas you plan to use.

73, Jim K9YC
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