Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 182, Issue 21
Mike Greenway
K4PI at BELLSOUTH.NET
Sun Feb 25 13:41:52 EST 2018
Hey that sounds good. Pick a day and I will see if that is open for me. I know Mar 5,6,7,8,9, 14, 15, 27 are no good right now. We have a lot of place to eat at right now. There is a nice Cajun cuisine place here or the normal places like CrackerBarrell, Long Horn, etc. I am open to eat most anywhere. Mike
From: topband-request at contesting.com
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2018 12:00 PM
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 182, Issue 21
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Today's Topics:
1. Does flooding radial field help (Jack Henry)
2. Re: Does flooding radial field help (Herbert Schoenbohm)
3. Re: Does flooding radial field help (W0MU Mike Fatchett)
4. Re: Does flooding radial field help (Herbert Schoenbohm)
5. Condx last night (cqtestk4xs at aol.com)
6. Re: Does flooding radial field help (Guy Olinger K2AV)
7. Re: Topband Digest, Vol 182, Issue 20 (David Cole)
8. Re: Condx last night (W0MU Mike Fatchett)
9. Top Beam WF-300 (David Cole)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 12:07:44 -0500
From: Jack Henry <n6xq at yahoo.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
Message-ID: <CA2CC02F-4D27-4A73-B667-C1BCE0F4A6B6 at yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45 foot vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in length of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials and are buried about an inch below the soil level.
Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement tonite.
Thanks. Jack OA4TT
Sent from my iPad
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 13:44:47 -0400
From: Herbert Schoenbohm <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
To: Jack Henry <n6xq at yahoo.com>, TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
Message-ID:
<CADwHXSQ8QoEoUeRozNKe+W-YZZkG9fO2uva7+5FPrAJVCE1uXg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Jack, Last night in the CQ 160 SSB contest I called CQ for hours and only
worked a few stations mostly within a few hundred miles. Eu's were coming
in but none heard me. Also, I could not hold a frequency anywhere. I did
work LU2DKT and a few PY's. It was brutal trying to work anyone with 100
watts. On my IC-7300 spectrum display, the band was loaded with signals
and some very strong. I was pointless to call them as they just CQ'ed back
in my face. These were stations I never had a problem working before. As
far as you fresh water is concerned just consider it a good insulator and a
reasonable way to absorb your power like a resistor connected to the feed
point. In Minnesota, (W0VXO) I put a vertical about 100 feet out in the
shallow portion of a big lake and had to struggle to work anyone. However
when I was an engineer for WIRA in Fort Pierce, FL we had the AM tower out
in the Indian River at the end of a pier. The water was very very brackish
as an inlet to the Atlantic. There are about 16 radial at the base an
weighted with concrete blocks to the river bottom. It worked very well
according to an FSM at a mile and was well above what was expected. The
only problem we had was that the base current would change as the tide
would rise and fall.
It will be interesting to see when your field dries out
Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 1:07 PM, Jack Henry via Topband <
topband at contesting.com> wrote:
> I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations
> were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal
> and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that
> was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is
> irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the
> property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was
> about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am
> wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
>
> I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45 foot
> vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in length
> of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials and are
> buried about an inch below the soil level.
>
> Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now
> in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement
> tonite.
>
> Thanks. Jack OA4TT
>
> Sent from my iPad
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 11:26:25 -0700
From: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
Message-ID: <ce5f0af5-a105-8321-d37b-7a2ea09ac1ae at w0mu.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
It was conditions and it was SSB!? I could not hear PJ4G last night.?
The only DX that was "loud" was ZF2.
W0MU
On 2/24/2018 10:07 AM, Jack Henry via Topband wrote:
> I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
>
> I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45 foot vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in length of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials and are buried about an inch below the soil level.
>
> Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement tonite.
>
> Thanks. Jack OA4TT
>
> Sent from my iPad
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:33:55 -0400
From: Herbert Schoenbohm <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
To: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>, TopBand List
<topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
Message-ID:
<CADwHXSQZ2ymO84hE_bxyZNk8aMgry0hB-CTizKi9w-2JcX3-tA at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
The was certainly short skip within 300-400 miles and I work several
Carribean station within that range. However, the unusual part of that was
an Italian who kept calling CQ where is was calling CQ and was S9 on the EU
Beverage. I never even got a QRZ from him. I had to null him out with the
NCC-1 just to work any states. I worked a few in the southeast but nobody
even spotted me for the entire night except for one NY station with good
ears. I have come to the realization that 100 watts under conditions like
this are futile.
Herb, KV4FZ
On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 2:26 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
> It was conditions and it was SSB! I could not hear PJ4G last night. The
> only DX that was "loud" was ZF2.
>
> W0MU
>
>
>
> On 2/24/2018 10:07 AM, Jack Henry via Topband wrote:
>
>> I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations
>> were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal
>> and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that
>> was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is
>> irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the
>> property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was
>> about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am
>> wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
>>
>> I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45
>> foot vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in
>> length of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials
>> and are buried about an inch below the soil level.
>>
>> Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now
>> in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement
>> tonite.
>>
>> Thanks. Jack OA4TT
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>> _________________
>> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>>
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:07:34 -0500
From: cqtestk4xs at aol.com
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: Condx last night
Message-ID: <161c9369b1c-4ed0-157fe at webjas-vaa237.srv.aolmail.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
My apologies for sounding like a lid last night. Almost continuous static crashes made rx almost impossible with the exception of a couple of the big guns and W6/W7. Short skip was definitely in play. 85% of the stations I worked were W6/W7.
Bill KH7XS
-----Original Message-----
From: Herbert Schoenbohm <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
To: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>; TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Sat, Feb 24, 2018 6:42 pm
Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
The was certainly short skip within 300-400 miles and I work several
Carribean station within that range. However, the unusual part of that was
an Italian who kept calling CQ where is was calling CQ and was S9 on the EU
Beverage. I never even got a QRZ from him. I had to null him out with the
NCC-1 just to work any states. I worked a few in the southeast but nobody
even spotted me for the entire night except for one NY station with good
ears. I have come to the realization that 100 watts under conditions like
this are futile.
Herb, KV4FZ
On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 2:26 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
> It was conditions and it was SSB! I could not hear PJ4G last night. The
> only DX that was "loud" was ZF2.
>
> W0MU
>
>
>
> On 2/24/2018 10:07 AM, Jack Henry via Topband wrote:
>
>> I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations
>> were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal
>> and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that
>> was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is
>> irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the
>> property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was
>> about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am
>> wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
>>
>> I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45
>> foot vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in
>> length of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials
>> and are buried about an inch below the soil level.
>>
>> Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now
>> in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement
>> tonite.
>>
>> Thanks. Jack OA4TT
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>> _________________
>> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>>
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
_________________
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:13:36 -0500
From: Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av.guy at gmail.com>
To: Herbert Schoenbohm <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
Cc: Jack Henry <n6xq at yahoo.com>, TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
Message-ID:
<CANckpc2SNneGMNt8ONpJ_c0kH3LDoM0Dkr+5_tU91E0VADT9qg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
If one wants to get to the bottom of locally varied TX performance, the
final answer lies with establishing a personal monitoring site.
The problems with simple (aka cheap) RF field strength meters are
potentiometers, meters with non-linear scales, and poor/sparse graticules,
and an antenna that collapses and extends, and has to be hand-held.
You will need a power meter that reads in watts, best a digital power
meter. And you will need a partner for measurements. You will need
communication devices. Cellphones or Family Radio Band transceivers, or
whatever passes for that in country of residence.
Buy a cheap FS meter, and then go to work. You are going to severely modify
this unit.
First, get rid of the collapsible antenna, replace if with a 0.5 meter
piece of BARE, SOLID COPPER wire soldered to the terminal INSIDE the
instrument. Solder a 0.5 meter wire to the bottom of the case. Use plastic
or teflon sleeve where you need to keep it from touching in the instrument.
Find a place where you can stand up a piece of PVC pipe permanently that is
10-20 meters away from trees and conductors like ground wires on power
poles, metal buildings etc. Drive a long rod or metal fence post into the
ground as far as you can. Cut off all but 0.6 meter above ground. Slide the
PVC pipe over the rod to support the rod and make it self-standing. Remove
the pipe
Attach the wires and unit to the pipe with tape to start. Tape the wires to
the pipe often enough that the wire cannot move.
Set the potentiometer to mid range.
Key your transceiver and your main antenna with 50 watts or some lower
level that you can safely run key down for extended times.
At the pipe adjust the potentiometer until you get a mid-scale reading that
is exactly on a half-scale-ish graticule.
You must be well away (10 meters is good) from pipe to measure and you may
find it helpful to use bird binoculars to read the scale.
You will have to repeat this process, because your body changes the
measurement when you get near the instrument.
Take the pipe down and without touching the potentiometer, measure the
potentiometer resistance. Replace the potentiometer in the circuit with a
combination of fixed value non-inductive resistors that fairly closely
match the value from the potentiometer.
Do NOT use switches anywhere. When you are done you should have a
hard-soldered instrument, with NO adjustments, with NO contacts to go bad,
and with a fixed, soldered in antenna that does NOT adjust. Put the
instrument back up on the rod.
Get some help. One of you watches the FS unit outside, 10 meters away, with
binoculars, the other keys the transceiver and records the power output.
Key the transceiver, and adjust power output until the outside person tells
you the meter is exactly on the half-scale. Record the power output for
exact half scale power. Keep a small book with all your readings, times and
dates, power levels, weather, dampness, etc, anything you suspect may be
bearing on your performance. Different powers levels for reference reading
on the meter
When you are not measuring, take the pipe and meter inside and store it in
a dry place, and short the two antenna wires near the case with a clip
lead. This is to prevent banging the meter when running high power and not
actually using the meter.
The readings in the book will give you measurements convertible to dB's
which are just as accurate as your power meter.
Trust me, lab grade equipment certified repeatable measurements is very
expensive, and costs more than a lot of entire ham shacks.
Your readings may not explain what is going on to you, but posting those
here will likely stir up helpful discussion.
73 and good luck.
Guy K2AV
On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 12:44 PM, Herbert Schoenbohm <
herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com> wrote:
> Jack, Last night in the CQ 160 SSB contest I called CQ for hours and only
> worked a few stations mostly within a few hundred miles. Eu's were coming
> in but none heard me. Also, I could not hold a frequency anywhere. I did
> work LU2DKT and a few PY's. It was brutal trying to work anyone with 100
> watts. On my IC-7300 spectrum display, the band was loaded with signals
> and some very strong. I was pointless to call them as they just CQ'ed back
> in my face. These were stations I never had a problem working before. As
> far as you fresh water is concerned just consider it a good insulator and a
> reasonable way to absorb your power like a resistor connected to the feed
> point. In Minnesota, (W0VXO) I put a vertical about 100 feet out in the
> shallow portion of a big lake and had to struggle to work anyone. However
> when I was an engineer for WIRA in Fort Pierce, FL we had the AM tower out
> in the Indian River at the end of a pier. The water was very very brackish
> as an inlet to the Atlantic. There are about 16 radial at the base an
> weighted with concrete blocks to the river bottom. It worked very well
> according to an FSM at a mile and was well above what was expected. The
> only problem we had was that the base current would change as the tide
> would rise and fall.
>
> It will be interesting to see when your field dries out
>
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
>
> On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 1:07 PM, Jack Henry via Topband <
> topband at contesting.com> wrote:
>
> > I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations
> > were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were
> normal
> > and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing
> that
> > was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is
> > irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the
> > property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was
> > about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am
> > wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
> >
> > I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45
> foot
> > vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in
> length
> > of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials and
> are
> > buried about an inch below the soil level.
> >
> > Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now
> > in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement
> > tonite.
> >
> > Thanks. Jack OA4TT
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> > _________________
> > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> >
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 21:25:26 +0000
From: David Cole <g3rcq at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "topband at contesting.com" <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 182, Issue 20
Message-ID: <20180224212531.9EC88AC9B25 at mx.contesting.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Sorry to ask but am I allowed to say that I have a Top Beam WF-300 for sale? If not I will not post Dave g3rcq
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From: topband-request at contesting.com
Sent: 24 February 2018 17:01
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 182, Issue 20
Send Topband mailing list submissions to
topband at contesting.com
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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You can reach the person managing the list at
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Topband digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. brief opening on topband today (John Randall)
2. Re: CQ WW SSB Contest (Roger Kennedy)
3. No DXwatch cluster for two days now? (terry burge)
4. Re: No DXwatch cluster for two days now? (Guy Olinger K2AV)
5. Re: No DXwatch cluster for two days now? (Hal Dale)
6. Re: No DXwatch cluster for two days now? (Lee. KX4TT)
7. Re: Speaking of Noises... (Jeff Kincaid)
8. Re: 160m DX Activity Night (VK3HJ)
9. Re: No DXwatch cluster for two days now? (Guy Olinger K2AV)
10. Re: brief opening on topband today (John Randall)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 17:46:56 +0000 (UTC)
From: John Randall <m0els at yahoo.co.uk>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: brief opening on topband today
Message-ID: <605731652.6618180.1519408016536 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
This afternoon, I had my flex 3k on 1.850 when I saw a trong station a bit lower down on the waterfall display and found it to ne S52AW Karl calling CQ at 16h58z,I answered his call and we had a pleasant ssb qso till he just faded into the noise, the qso lasted about 2 minutes. This coincided with a drop in the K-INDEX, which dropped from 5 to about 2.I also worked RW1F last night just before 22h00z and I am as happy as a pig in mud...hi
There is some hope with my antenna system albeit a small one.
73John
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 18:33:55 -0000
From: "Roger Kennedy" <roger at wessexproductions.co.uk>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Cc: "'George Taft'" <w8uvz at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: CQ WW SSB Contest
Message-ID: <FF445BF53C4E400FBB1B5C619D02A4CC at Packard>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Yes I forgot about the contest George !
Well I will be on, trying to pick out the DX stations on SSB, between all
the strong Europeans !
(at least my new 160m receive loop makes the EU stations weaker, whereas the
DX is as strong or stronger than on my main Antenna)
Hope to work some of you on SSB this weekend
73 Roger G3YRO
_____
From: George Taft [mailto:w8uvz at yahoo.com]
Sent: 23 February 2018 16:55
To: rayn6vr; Kenneth Grimm; Roger Kennedy
Cc: topband
Subject: Re: Topband: Wednesday 160m DX Activity Night
Hi All
Roger, I wouldn't get too excited abt this weekend QRV. Remember we have
the CQWW160 SSB test! Doesn't do much for DX, hi.
And Ken, I was listening when you worked UK9AA. Unfortunately, noisy with
early Spring QRN and a new Indian Casino in my nearby NE path.
Fortunately, I worked Fedor on a quiet nite some time ago. He apparently
hears very well.
Now if we could get some prop into W8 from the VU and EX actives.
73 George W8UVZ
On Thursday, February 22, 2018 11:33 AM, rayn6vr <rayn6vr at gmail.com> wrote:
Ken,Good catch! Heard i u calling uk9aa but never heard him. He's been
spotted a lot but it would take some very special /weird condx for us to
hear him.
Otherwise, checked the band several times but never heard EU last nigjt,
0500 - 0800z, EU SR.
Ray,Near Prescott, AZ
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: Kenneth Grimm <grimm at sbc.edu> Date:
2/22/18 6:03 AM (GMT-07:00) To: Roger Kennedy
<roger at wessexproductions.co.uk> Cc: topband <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Wednesday 160m DX Activity Night
Thanks for the QSO Roger. If it were not for your exhortation to be on the
band on Wednesday evenings, I would have missed a QSO with UK9AA. That's a
fairly rare one from this side of the pond.
73,
Ken - K4XL
On Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 5:48 AM, Roger Kennedy <
roger at wessexproductions.co.uk> wrote:
> Well conditions were strange last night . . .
>
> Generally poor propagation . . . and high background noise here (even on
my
> Rx aerial) - apologies if you were one of the stations I heard calling,
but
> couldn't pull out of the noise.
>
> However, I did manage to work 16 NA stations in the 2 hours I stayed on,
> including across to Texas.
>
> What was more weird was some of my RBN reports from NA stations (which I
> often view when the band's quiet, to check propagation) - several gave me
> over 40dB above the noise, one even +48dB !
>
> Thanks to everyone who came on (inc several EU stations) . . .
>
> I shall be on at the weekend, and certainly next Wednesday again.
>
> 73 Roger G3YRO
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
--
Ken - K4XL
BoatAnchor Manual Archive
BAMA - http://bama.edebris.com <http://bama.edebris.com/>
_________________
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
_________________
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 10:39:58 -0800 (PST)
From: terry burge <ki7m at comcast.net>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Message-ID: <1575794660.138639.1519411198730 at connect.xfinity.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Anyone got any idea what is going on with DXwatch side? Haven't been able to pull it up for two days and had to shift to DXSummit.fi. Personally, I hope it will be back on for this weekends 160M CQ SSB contest. I always enjoy that one when I can get on it and bump head with the big boys.
Terry
KI7M
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:02:36 -0500
From: Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av.guy at gmail.com>
To: terry burge <ki7m at comcast.net>
Cc: TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Message-ID:
<CANckpc0XE6a-K+dzOxsFRFkWuKA+G9iD4yHkzNBC1wC6uw=5MQ at mail.gmail.com>
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The RBN reports and filters are gone as well. Usually a break like this
indicates a difficult upgrade, or some problem they haven't figured out
yet, or both. Perhaps Pete has some inside dope?
73, Guy K2AV.
On Fri, Feb 23, 2018 at 1:39 PM, terry burge <ki7m at comcast.net> wrote:
> Anyone got any idea what is going on with DXwatch side? Haven't been able
> to pull it up for two days and had to shift to DXSummit.fi. Personally, I
> hope it will be back on for this weekends 160M CQ SSB contest. I always
> enjoy that one when I can get on it and bump head with the big boys.
>
>
> Terry
>
> KI7M
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:21:25 -0500
From: Hal Dale <wb4aeg at zoho.com>
To: "Guy Olinger K2AV" <k2av.guy at gmail.com>
Cc: "terry burge" <ki7m at comcast.net>, "TopBand List"
<topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Message-ID: <161c41cebff.dd53819330734.3789984768609811604 at zoho.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Don't know but experiencing same here...Thought it may have been my problem....Hal/WB4AEG
---- On Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:02:36 -0500 Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av.guy at gmail.com> wrote ----
The RBN reports and filters are gone as well. Usually a break like this
indicates a difficult upgrade, or some problem they haven't figured out
yet, or both. Perhaps Pete has some inside dope?
73, Guy K2AV.
On Fri, Feb 23, 2018 at 1:39 PM, terry burge <ki7m at comcast.net> wrote:
> Anyone got any idea what is going on with DXwatch side? Haven't been able
> to pull it up for two days and had to shift to DXSummit.fi. Personally, I
> hope it will be back on for this weekends 160M CQ SSB contest. I always
> enjoy that one when I can get on it and bump head with the big boys.
>
>
> Terry
>
> KI7M
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
_________________
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:50:52 -0500
From: "Lee. KX4TT" <kx4tt at yahoo.com>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Message-ID: <015701d3acdf$a1e6d360$e5b47a20$@yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Looks like DXWatch just came back....................
Lee KX4TT
-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of terry
burge
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2018 13:40
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Anyone got any idea what is going on with DXwatch side? Haven't been able to
pull it up for two days and had to shift to DXSummit.fi. Personally, I hope
it will be back on for this weekends 160M CQ SSB contest. I always enjoy
that one when I can get on it and bump head with the big boys.
Terry
KI7M
_________________
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------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 00:04:26 +0000 (UTC)
From: Jeff Kincaid <w6jk at sbcglobal.net>
To: Jim Jim <wa3mej at comcast.net>, "topband at contesting.com"
<topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Speaking of Noises...
Message-ID: <1967081572.4983177.1519430666438 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Interesting thought, Jim, but you have lost the context.? What I was listening to was Tim's recording.
'JK
On Friday, February 23, 2018 4:01 PM, Jim Jim <wa3mej at comcast.net> wrote:
Jeff,? try turning off all of the Cell phones located near your receiver (and maybe in the house)? This sounds like the sound of a Cell phone polling the local tower that I had several years ago? it often drives me nuts because my wife' phone sometimes gets into the receiver as well.
Jim K3YBN
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 19:03:03 +0000 (UTC)
From: Jeff Kincaid <w6jk at sbcglobal.net>
To: Tim Shoppa <tshoppa at gmail.com>, "ws6x.ars at gmail.com"
<ws6x.ars at gmail.com>
Cc: topBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Speaking of Noises...
Message-ID: <587619042.4047365.1519326183396 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
I think I'm hearing two groups of four bursts, with the first burst from the second transmitter coinciding with the last burst from the first transmitter.? Anyone agree?
Jeff W6JK
??? On Thursday, February 22, 2018 10:51 AM, Tim Shoppa <tshoppa at gmail.com> wrote:
Here is a recording (made on 80M a few years ago but sounds substantially
the same on 160M) of what I'm told is the Wallops Island Ionosonde:
http://n3qe.org/wumwum_80M.wav
Here is the waveform showing 4 louder cycles followed by three softer
cycles:
http://n3qe.org/wumwum.png
If you look at the second panel of the waveform, you see a 20Hz
substructure in the pulses.
Even though I'm sitting in once place with a 2.4kHz filter making this
recording, I understand that the actual spectrum occupied is wider and it
cycles through the bands repeating on a several minute cycle.
Tim N3QE
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 11:51:45 +1100
From: "VK3HJ" <vk3hj_luke at barefoothorse.com.au>
To: <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: 160m DX Activity Night
Message-ID: <F17B0BE7EFDC422BAFE7272216CF52AD at LukeNetbook>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8";
reply-type=original
This morning around 2000z I worked several European stations. The band
seemed quite lively today.
Stations were worked from Russia to England and Italy, with others heard
from the north.
Conditions seemed reasonable again, although it seems that many operators
are occupied doing other things. The digital sub-band appeared busy.
I will be back on calling CQ again Monday around 2000z, as there is the SSB
Contest on this weekend. As George mentioned elsewhere, a contest doesn't do
much for DX!
73,
Luke VK3HJ
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 00:26:13 -0500
From: Guy Olinger K2AV <k2av.guy at gmail.com>
To: "Lee. KX4TT" <kx4tt at yahoo.com>
Cc: TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
Message-ID:
<CANckpc1OA9gPJqjkvLh4DV7+WAReqvk7t+LzXmTWNAqHZ6UJGg at mail.gmail.com>
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I'd say that the screen fills from the RBN server have gotten a lot faster.
Maybe some hardware upgrades?
73, g.
On Fri, Feb 23, 2018 at 2:50 PM, Lee. KX4TT via Topband <
topband at contesting.com> wrote:
> Looks like DXWatch just came back....................
>
>
> Lee KX4TT
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of terry
> burge
> Sent: Friday, February 23, 2018 13:40
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Topband: No DXwatch cluster for two days now?
>
> Anyone got any idea what is going on with DXwatch side? Haven't been able
> to
> pull it up for two days and had to shift to DXSummit.fi. Personally, I hope
> it will be back on for this weekends 160M CQ SSB contest. I always enjoy
> that one when I can get on it and bump head with the big boys.
>
>
> Terry
>
> KI7M
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 09:28:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: John Randall <m0els at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "topband at contesting.com" <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: brief opening on topband today
Message-ID: <1912592540.6935775.1519464481933 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
My last email had some Gremlins , so here it is again......
This afternoon, I had my flex 3k idling on 1.850 (QRO section ) when I saw a strong station a bit lower down on the waterfall display and found it to be S52AW Karl calling CQ at 16h58z,I answered his call and we had a pleasant ssb qso till he just faded into the noise, the qso lasted about 2 minutes. This coincided with a drop in the K-INDEX, which dropped from 5 to about 2.I also worked RW1F last night just before 22h00z and I am as happy as a pig in mud...hi
There is some hope with my antenna system albeit a small one, but just goes to show that sometimes these "flash in the pans" do occur. I later learned that there was a 160m contest stating later in the evening and that he was probably tuning up his station and that I was on the right spot at the right time.
ps, this morning 24.02.2018 at 08h17, I worked S51V running 30w ( max pwr limit ) Cannot stop smiling....XYL worried...hi hi
73John -M0ELS (30M east of London )
Digitally signed mail - John? M0ELS
?The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.?
George Orwell
On Saturday, 24 February 2018, 04:06:18 GMT, rayn6vr <rayn6vr at gmail.com> wrote:
John,
Sound great! I'd love to work S5 on 160m.
More details please. Where are located, what is you callsign?
Ray,N6VR?
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: John Randall via Topband <topband at contesting.com> Date: 2/23/18 10:46 AM (GMT-07:00) To: topband at contesting.com Subject: Topband: brief opening on topband today
This afternoon, I had my flex 3k on 1.850 when I saw a trong station a bit lower down on the waterfall display and found it to ne S52AW Karl calling CQ at 16h58z,I answered his call and we had a pleasant ssb qso till he just faded into the noise, the qso lasted about 2 minutes. This coincided with a drop in the K-INDEX, which dropped from 5 to about 2.I also worked RW1F last night just before 22h00z and I am as happy as a pig in mud...hi
There is some hope with my antenna system albeit a small one.
73John
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 15:08:04 -0700
From: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Condx last night
Message-ID: <025571a7-0d6a-9c2b-3cdb-47e243128737 at w0mu.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
You had a decent signal for KH6.?? Circle array here for RCV. band was
pretty quiet here.? Worked all over the USA, very little DX.
On 2/24/2018 12:07 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
> My apologies for sounding like a lid last night. Almost continuous static crashes made rx almost impossible with the exception of a couple of the big guns and W6/W7. Short skip was definitely in play. 85% of the stations I worked were W6/W7.
>
> Bill KH7XS
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Herbert Schoenbohm <herbert.schoenbohm at gmail.com>
> To: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com>; TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
> Sent: Sat, Feb 24, 2018 6:42 pm
> Subject: Re: Topband: Does flooding radial field help
>
> The was certainly short skip within 300-400 miles and I work several
> Carribean station within that range. However, the unusual part of that was
> an Italian who kept calling CQ where is was calling CQ and was S9 on the EU
> Beverage. I never even got a QRZ from him. I had to null him out with the
> NCC-1 just to work any states. I worked a few in the southeast but nobody
> even spotted me for the entire night except for one NY station with good
> ears. I have come to the realization that 100 watts under conditions like
> this are futile.
>
> Herb, KV4FZ
>
> On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 2:26 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:
>
>> It was conditions and it was SSB! I could not hear PJ4G last night. The
>> only DX that was "loud" was ZF2.
>>
>> W0MU
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2/24/2018 10:07 AM, Jack Henry via Topband wrote:
>>
>>> I was struggling to be heard in the contest last night. Only 4 stations
>>> were worked and they needed repeats. All readings in the shack were normal
>>> and I was hearing many stations with moderate signals. The only thing that
>>> was different was that we were irrigating the grass. The grass is
>>> irrigated by flooding from a small canal that is on the edge of the
>>> property. The canal is fresh water fed from an Andean river. There was
>>> about a quarter of an inch of water visible over the mowed grass. I am
>>> wondering if the water is effecting the antenna performance.
>>>
>>> I do not have a super station and only run 800W. The antenna is a 45
>>> foot vertical T loaded at the top. There are 32 radials 60 to 80 feet in
>>> length of different type wires. All are insulated with various materials
>>> and are buried about an inch below the soil level.
>>>
>>> Anyone have any experience or knowledge on this. The soil is drying now
>>> in the blistering sun so maybe we will see if there is any improvement
>>> tonite.
>>>
>>> Thanks. Jack OA4TT
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>> _________________
>>> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>>>
>> _________________
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>>
> _________________
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>
> _________________
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Message: 9
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2018 07:50:42 +0000 (UTC)
From: David Cole <g3rcq at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "topband at contesting.com" <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Top Beam WF-300
Message-ID: <264667764.7431287.1519545042650 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
?I have a WF-300 that is surplus to my station Dave g3rcq
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