Topband: H40GC

[Wes Stewart]

Congrats Gary!

I've worked H40GC twice now and he's good copy this morning an hour before local 
SR. The antenna is a still-in-work inverted-L with a too sparse radial field and 
no separate RX antenna.  Look at https://www.qrz.com/db/N7WS to see what I'm up 
against re: radials.

Since early August I've been plagued with power line noise. The coop's sleuth 
found the pole a month ago but getting a crew to come out while he was there was 
difficult.  I was on the phone with him yesterday when they deengerized the line 
to the water coop's booster pump and it went quiet!  They reworked everything on 
the pole (three phase xfmrs) and turned it back on, again while I was on the 
phone.  I can hear again.

Yesterday before my local SS I could copy 3C0L and heard him almost continually 
until what must have been his SR.  The panadapter display looked like a 20-meter 
contest.  But there are too many EUs and the whole USA between he and I, so no 
joy.  On an empty band I could have worked him.

I heard they have a broken K3.   I just got my factory-built K3S back from 
Elecraft for the fourth time and I fixed it once in between, so I know the drill.

Wes N7WS


  On 10/17/2017 4:56 AM, Gary Smith wrote:
> I've been getting up to try for them but
> they've been showing up later than I
> expected, after sunrise and as things
> worked out, I kept missing them.
>
> Heard them this morning and clearly, but
> they sounded like they went to KA1O & I'm
> KA1J. So I called again and QSB, couldn't
> hear a thing. Some helpful guy sent J
> which I think was a help to me but I can't
> log it unless I'm 100% sure I hear my call
> confirmed, so pass. I tried a few minutes
> later & I believe they came back again but
> AMTRAK nailed me with a passing High speed
> train right exactly as they came back,
> nothing to hear but arcing in the receiver
> for another 30 seconds, then less than a
> minute later another train went by and
> arcing again.
>
> I hate to keep calling and have them think
> I'm not capable of hearing them but one
> more try and this time no QSB & no AMTRAK
> & I made it. 3C0L last night and H40GC
> this morning, two ATNO on Top Band.
>
> I hate to go through the hassle of moving
> and I'm in a beautiful place, right on the
> ocean, but each Gray line comes right at
> the commuter rush hour and trains pass by
> every 5 minutes or so. Kills me with DX
> and costs me points in every contest with
> 160 & 80 in it. Connecticut's too
> expensive to live in anyway, especially
> right here in a Tourist Trap location, so
> I need to better my QTH...
>
> But for the moment, two new ones on TB in
> the log. :)
>
> 73,
>
> Gary
> KA1J
>