Topband: Info wanted

[K1FZ-Bruce]

Hi Jeff,

Will pass your email on to the 160 meter topband reflector.  Africa has much noise, & not many noise free areas. Unfortunately your QTH  is not in one of them.
Noise is additive,  so the right directive antenna will help. 

73,
Bruce-k1fz



Hi Bruce:



I had lunch with Laurent Miglioriini TZ4XR yesterday. He's in Gao (northern Mali, no power and hence no powerline or other urban noise) and his QRN level on 160 m (and to a lesser extent on 80 m) is also s9. He tried to reduce this by disconnecting from the local power network and running his ICOM off of a battery with everything else off and a ground for the ICOM only. Still s9.  


I think this is just just the way things are in Mali. I don't think that the radials have anything to do with the QRN which is coming in with propagation. Last year I noticed that QRN gets better later in the year and when it is cold and there are fewer thunderstorms in this part of Africa.


In the meantime we are still working on receiving antennas, trying to get the BOGs to provide some "gain" toward EU and NA, increasing signal strength over the noise level. So far neither BOG appears to be doing much. But I also think we need a preamp to increase the signal strength coming off of these antennas, since the preamp in the Elecraft appears not to be sufficient.


We expect permission to put up real beverages in about a week. 


We have a SAL 20 from Array solutions (or SAL 30 if we want to convert it) but can't mount it until a nearby building is finished after which we will be able to put it on the roof.


In the meantime, I can hear only the strongest stations and only some of the time on 160. So I think I'll stop calling CQ and just start calling people whom I can hear on the TX antenna.


73,


Jeff


tz4am at aol.com