Topband: OTH Radar QRM in Ohio on 40m

W3HKK at roadrunner.com W3HKK at roadrunner.com
Thu Dec 16 12:26:59 EST 2021


40m can be pretty messy in the evenings with broad swatches of the
phone band heavily disrupted by what i understand to be OTH radar from
Cuba. that Cuba uses to block hf communications to and from CO-land.

Some nights are much better than others.

I dont have any problems on 40m cw or on other bands.

	-----------------------------------------From:
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Sent: Thursday December 16 2021 12:00:58PM
Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 228, Issue 14

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 Today's Topics:

 1. Re: Stew Perry 160 meter test this weekend (Richard Karlquist)
 2. 160M DX Conditions (Roger Kennedy)
 3. Re: 160M DX Conditions (Jim Brown)
 4. Re: 160M DX Conditions (Ian Fugler)
 5. 160M DX Conditions (Roger Kennedy)
 6. Re: 160M DX Conditions (Mike Waters)

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Message: 1
 Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2021 09:00:51 -0800
 From: Richard Karlquist 
 To: Tree 
 Cc: 160 , CQ-Contest Reflector
 , Topband

 Subject: Re: Topband: Stew Perry 160 meter test this weekend
 Message-ID: 
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

 My Alpha 9500 is out being repaired, so I will be operating low power
in
 the SP this weekend. Which of course means additional points for both
 ends of the QSO. Might be worth trying to pull my signal out of the
 noise if you hear me. I did pretty well in the ARRL 160 working the
 east coast with low power. There was a fairly large variation of the
 ability of east coast stations to hear me. Some stations just hear a
 lot better than others in similar locations. I don't know how much is
 the station and how much is the op. However, the band doesn't really
 open up here (west coast) until around 0200Z. Before that, we get the
 dreaded 1 way propagation with the east coast. Don't go QRT too
early.

 Good luck. CU in the contest.

 ---
 Rick Karlquist
 N6RK

 On 2021-12-15 08:09, Tree wrote:

 > All -
 >
 > The annual Stew Perry 160 meter Distance Challenge is coming up
this
 > weekend. It starts at 1500Z on Dec 18th and runs for 24 hours. The
 > exchange is your grid square and the points you get are
proportional to the
 > distance of the contact. Full rules and other information available
at
 > www.kkn.net/stew [1].
 >
 > As usual - many of you have stepped forward to sponsor a plaque for
this
 > unique event.
 >
 > We have plaques for the Top Scores from many geographical areas:
 >
 > High Power Single-Op World, Europe, Africa, SE Asia
 > CQ Zones 3, 22, 24, 25, 26-28
 > USA 5th call area
 > Within 15 degrees of the equator
 >
 > There are also plaques for those using temporary antennas, a very
lousy
 > antenna or various sizes of small lots.
 >
 > Some of the stranger plaques include an award to the highest score
only
 > using search and pounce, highest # of QSOs with no busts, use of a
vintage
 > station, daytime only operation and one for the highest score from
a
 > first-time entrant.
 >
 > If you feel a plaque should be added to the list, there is still
time to
 > make your intentions known. Send me a direct email and we will work
out
 > the details. The plaques for the previous event will be shipping in
the
 > next week or two. We apologize for the delay.
 >
 > Hope to work many of you this weekend in one of the most enjoyable
evenings
 > you will have on the Topband.
 >
 > 73 Tree N6TR / K7RAT
 > tree at kkn.net
 > _________________
 > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [1] -
Topband Reflector

 Links:
 ------
 [1] http://www.kkn.net/stew
 />
 ------------------------------

 Message: 2
 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 00:53:57 -0000
 From: "Roger Kennedy" 
 To: 
 Subject: Topband: 160M DX Conditions
 Message-ID: 
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 Well the problem is that I just live in a normal house in the city,
with a
 normal-sized garden !

 So no room for Beverage Antennas - and even my TX Antenna (a
half-wave
 Dipole) doesn't fit within my own property. My only separate RX
antenna is
 a homebrew Loop tuned to 160m up in the loft.

 I just do the best I can from a very ordinary QTH.

 Another big problem here in Britain is that Internet Broadband is
mainly
 delivered using the old overhead copper telephone wires, which
radiate
 terrible hash all over the lower bands. These are starting to be
replaced
 with fibre-optic cables, but until they are, they are a huge source
of noise
 if you live in the city.

 73 Roger G3YRO

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ------

 Roger,

 I think you're getting out alright but RX may be a little lacking or
perhaps
 it was just overly noisy in Ol Blighty last night.

 Called you last night after a couple Midwest USA stations gave up.
Probably
 around 0040z or thereabouts. You were solid. Finally got 1 QRZ, then
you
 just started calling CQ right away after giving me enough
 time to send my call 2-3 more times.

 I called 2 CQ's just afterwards a few kcs up the band and lit up 18
skimmers
 from G through VE6(right at SS in VE6), so I know I was getting out.
I am
 not the loudest signal on the band, but I do "ok'.

 Legal limit to an inverted L type of antenna.

 GL with your CQing.

 Hey, I tried !

 73 de Mike VE9AA

 ------------------------------

 Message: 3
 Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2021 22:19:00 -0800
 From: Jim Brown 
 To: topband at contesting.com
 Subject: Re: Topband: 160M DX Conditions
 Message-ID:

 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

 On 12/15/2021 4:53 PM, Roger Kennedy wrote:
 > they are a huge source of noise
 > if you live in the city.

 Most of the developed world has gotten a couple of orders of
magnitude
 noisier over the past couple of decades. Blame switch-mode power
 supplies, other power control electronics, solar power systems, and
all
 sorts microprocessor-based stuff. Here in the former colonies, I'd
bet
 that the average home today has a couple of dozen noise sources.

 73, Jim K9YC

 ------------------------------

 Message: 4
 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:53:57 -0000
 From: "Ian Fugler" 
 To: "'Mike Smith VE9AA'" , 
 Subject: Re: Topband: 160M DX Conditions
 Message-ID: 
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 Hi, Mike

 I have witnessed this several times and it seems to be on the
increase. I
 often listen on 160m and hear quite a few DX stations answering a CQ
from an
 EU station, but apparently not being heard. It must be frustrating
for the
 DX station. I am, though, fortunate to have dedicated rx aerials
including
 1000 foot beverages and live in a rural area. Generally, the
background
 noise levels here in the UK are awful and make life very hard on the
lower
 bands.

 Thanks for the 160m QSOs and season's greetings,

 Ian G4iiY

 -----Original Message-----
 From: Topband
[mailto:topband-bounces+zen90387=zen.co.uk at contesting.com] On
 Behalf Of Mike Smith VE9AA
 Sent: 15 December 2021 02:02
 To: topband at contesting.com
 Subject: Re: Topband: 160M DX Conditions

 Roger,

 I think you're getting out alright but RX may be a little lacking or
perhaps
 it was just overly noisy in Ol Blighty last night.

 Called you last night after a couple Midwest USA stations gave up.
Probably
 around 0040z or thereabouts. You were solid. Finally got 1 QRZ, then
you
 just started calling CQ right away after giving me enough
 time to send my call 2-3 more times.

 I called 2 CQ's just afterwards a few kcs up the band and lit up 18
skimmers
 from G through VE6(right at SS in VE6), so I know I was getting out.
I am
 not the loudest signal on the band, but I do "ok'.

 Legal limit to an inverted L type of antenna.

 GL with your CQing.

 Hey, I tried !

 73 de Mike VE9AA
 -------------
 Conditions have been pretty good this week . . . and there has also
been
 quite a few NA stations coming on the band. (I usually come on for
about an
 hour at 00.30Z, as that seems to be when propagation is best, based
on
 received signal strengths on NA RBN stations)

 Although it's hard to be sure, but it seems that my slight Antenna
 improvements after putting my Dipole back up after the terrible gales
we had
 over here have made my Tx signal a little stronger. (basically this
involved
 putting a taller mast at one end, to get it about 10 feet above of
the trees
 that have grown taller over the past decade, and were getting near
the wire
 - I'm pretty sure this causes loss due to absorption by the trees).

 Roger G3YRO

 Mike, Coreen & Corey
 Keswick Ridge, NB

 _________________
 Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [2] - Topband
Reflector

 --
 This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
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 ------------------------------

 Message: 5
 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 15:19:16 -0000
 From: "Roger Kennedy" 
 To: 
 Subject: Topband: 160M DX Conditions
 Message-ID: 
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 The only other thing I would say about this is that Propagation on
160m is
 often quite one-way . . .

 So just because you can hear a station, doesn't mean that they will
copy
 you!

 I often work the same DX stations . . . when conditions are "normal"
we
 exchange similar signal reports . . . but sometimes they are much
stronger
 with me . . . sometimes I am much stronger with them.

 Anyway, hope to work lots of you in the SP Contest this weekend !

 73 Roger G3YRO

 ------------------------------

 Message: 6
 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:36:57 -0600
 From: Mike Waters 
 To: topband 
 Subject: Re: Topband: 160M DX Conditions
 Message-ID:

 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

 I just happened across an ARRL article yesterday that said that OTH
radar
 QRM is terrible (worse by far than anything else) in IARU Region 1.
Are
 there any on 160? If so, that might explain some of the problem.

 There are now about 800 active OTH radar installations, mostly in
Russia
 but in other countries too.

 73 Mike
 W0BTU

 On Thu, Dec 16, 2021, 3:54 AM Ian Fugler  wrote:

 > I have witnessed this several times and it seems to be on the
increase. I
 > often listen on 160m and hear quite a few DX stations answering a
CQ from
 > an
 > EU station, but apparently not being heard. It must be frustrating
for the
 > DX station.
 >

 ------------------------------

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