Topband: NR1DX, Dave, Introduction

[Artek Manuals]

I joined the group yesterday so by way of introduction  here is my 
background

I was first licensed in 1961. I remember my first contact on 160M 
vividly, homebrew  6AQ5/807 running about 50 watts and a BC348...I still 
have the receiver but not the home brew transmitter. I had attached 
about 20 feet of wire to the metal flashing that runs around the edge of 
the house and I made a contact with another station in Miami (from 
Tampa) that evening on CW..I still get goose bumps thinking about the 
elation I felt . My other memorable 160M contact was also from Florida, 
with a  9V1  on a text book gray line path my sunset his sunrise. 750 
watts and 60' inverted L. I was always a CW addict, seldom SSB. And 
hours of sorting beeps out of the noise on 160M has likely one of the 
main causes of more than few db of hearing loss after just plain being 
and "old fart" at 72

I have been continuously licensed since the 1961 ( WN4CDN, WA4CDN, 
WD0AQD, N0DH , N7EX, K9NX and finally NR1DX..)Except for brief 
interludes during moves I had been on the air continuously up until 
2005. The rigors of caring for a terminally ill XYL, early retirement 
brought on by the crash in 2008 and a couple of moves (back) to Florida 
found me unable to get back on the air except for a brief period in 2009 
until this year .

I have recently built my retirement dream station; a TS990, KPA1500 Amp 
, 40' Tower with a Stepp-IR 3E (for20-6) , Tree mounted Inverted V for 
30/40 at 60' , Inverted L on 80 and a 60' high "T"  on 160, The later 
two with their own (non resonant ..alah k5IU) 90' elevated  radials. I 
live on a secluded, wooded 1.5 acres and the shack is a stand alone 
building apart from the main house which allows me to scream at the DX 
at 1AM if need be without waking up the new XYL and the dog.

My corporate life had me moving all over the USA from Fl to WA and AZ to 
NH plus several stints in between in TX, MO , IA, Wi , PA and MN. I have 
over 270 countries on 160 but never felt really right about claiming 
that as it is much easier to work JA from Spokane and Europe from New 
Hampshire and SA from Florida. I am not much of a paper award collector 
I know I worked those countries but I still enjoy counting band 
countries worked, The dream station has worked 208 DXCC countries, 972 
"band" countries but only 14 so far on 160. (7 on CW and 7 on FT8). All 
since Feb15th of this year so yeah I am avid DX'r

My love is wire antennas, I model using EZENEC and MMANAN-GAL. I will be 
putting up receiving antennas hopefully between now and the end of 
September , Have room for a couple of 300-350' beverages but mostly E-W 
favored, so will considering steerable loops .

If you live in the greater Tampa, FL area, would love to get together 
and tell stories about antennas and lies about the DX we worked over lunch

Dave
NR1DX
manuals at artekmanuals.com





On 8/3/2019 11:34 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
> Of the last 1000 spots downloaded from DX Summit  just over 200 of 
> them at on FT8.  Which means that nearly 800 spots were NOT FT8 
> meaning those were CW or SSB spots.  Not all of the spots are actually 
> spots as many spots are just people venting and using the system as 
> their message system.
>
> Are we really not utilizing our bands?
>
> You decide.
>
> W0MU
>
>
>
>
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband 
> Reflector

-- 
Dave
Manuals at ArtekManuals.com
www.ArtekManuals.com


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