Topband: K9YC and LU8DPM

Tue Feb 1 13:11:54 EST 2022

I managed to get through in ARRL 160, but not this weekend. 

tnx
Mike / K5JR (fmr W5JR)
Alpharetta GA

> On Feb 1, 2022, at 13:03, W3HKK at roadrunner.com wrote:
> 
> Jim, I said the same thing in the ARRL 160 contest. I heard DPM loud
> and clear and called my head off...to no avail. And he wasnt coming
> back to anyone. Assumed his QRN/M problems must be monumental.
> 
> But this time he came back on the third call. Go figure.
> 
>    -----------------------------------------From:
> topband-request at contesting.com
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Cc: 
> Sent: Tuesday February 1 2022 12:04:13PM
> Subject: Topband Digest, Vol 230, Issue 1
> 
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> Today's Topics:
> 
> 1. Re: CQWW160MDX-CW Contest summary for W3HKK (OH)
> (W3HKK at roadrunner.com)
> 2. Antenna check for V31XX (cqtestk4xs at aol.com)
> 3. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Wes)
> 4. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Mike Smith VE9AA)
> 5. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Don Kirk)
> 6. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Don Kirk)
> 7. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Jim Brown)
> 8. Re: K9AY RX antenna (HP)
> 9. Really Frustrating (Roger Kennedy)
> 10. Antenna check for V31XX (Roger Kennedy)
> 11. Square "loop" antenna for 160 (Radio KH6O)
> 12. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (FZ Bruce)
> 13. Re: Antenna check for V31XX (Jan Erik Holm)
> 14. New 9 circle PCB with CMCs (VE6WZ_Steve)
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 18:50:36 +0000
> From: W3HKK at roadrunner.com
> To: "'topband at contesting.com'" 
> Subject: Re: Topband: CQWW160MDX-CW Contest summary for W3HKK (OH)
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> Fri night rates in Ohio were below average but open to EU. Sat night
> was slow with few signals as the night progressed, and 51 dupes. :<
> 
> My 3830 summary:
> 
> W3HKK: 18:45 hrs OTA 694 Q's ( plus another 51 dupes (6.9%) that dont
> count of course) =57 Sections + 36 DX entities - Score: 186,744 pts.
> (
> the 4th highest score out of my seven CQWW160CW log submissions.)
> Struggled to achieve a contest rate of 35 Q's/hr, with a high rated
> of
> 108/HR early on Friday night.
> 
> ===================================================================
> 
> STATION: IC7610 - Acom 1000 amp - N1MM+ Logging software - cw buddy
> memory keyer/memory/real time keyboard supplementing the 8 cw
> memories
> in the 7610.
> 
> TX ANTENNA: No radials! This year I failed to lay out my 26 x 100 ft
> radial system before the wx turned too cold to do so. So I was
> running
> 700w into a 1/4 wave 160m INV-L with a vertical leg of 52 ft, and the
> 78 ft of wire sloping down to the E, ending about 15 ft above ground.
> 
> The only RF ground for the INV-L was a single 8 ft copper clad steel
> ground rod dating to 2009, plus of course the earth beneath it. A 50
> ft black walnut tree was my antenna support. Ohio loam conductivity
> must be pretty good!
> 
> That means the L puts out a slightly stronger signal to the W. And as
> usual, I have very good results towards the US West Coast, working
> many CA (19) & AZ(8) stations in particular. .
> 
> RX ANTENNA: SAL 30 ( four short delta loops 30 ft tall,
> electronically rotatable in 8 directions.)
> 
> CONTEST CATEGORY: Single Op - High Power ( 700w) - Assisted
> 
> CONDITIONS: FRIDAY night was about average, with some decent openings
> into EU. And many strong US sigs, but not as many of them. ie My best
> actual hourly rate in 2022 was about 65% of my Personal Record Year
> of
> 2020; and my score was also about 65% of my Personal Best Year of
> 2020
> - which happened to be at the solar minimum. My 2022 average contest
> rate ( total Q's divided by total hours OTA) was a humbling 35/hour
> due eto the very slow 2nd night. It was hard work to say the least.
> 
> SATURDAY night had MUCH slower rates, and far fewer - and weaker -
> sigs. Required a lot of searching and pouncing to separate fresh meat
> from stations already in the log. But still, I was called 51 times by
> stations who had already worked me. Since its always faster to just
> work the dupes than try to explain that theyre a dupe, you just work
> them and move on. At one stretch Sun morning, almost 50% of my CQ
> replies were dupes. So I switched to S&P.
> 
> As sigs thinned out, many were just above the noise, requiring agile
> fingers on the eight direction SAL30 RX antenna, switching from W to
> E, N to S, and directions in between. The 20 db F/B often made all
> the
> difference.
> 
> SS CYCLE: : With the bottom of the SS cycle now history, Ole Sol was
> again throwing out particles that tended to mask Top Band signals
> passing through the ionosphere, by adding 20 dB or more attenuation.
> 
> DX: Hams in the northern latitudes complained about poor to
> nonexistant conditions this year. I heard no Scandanavian stations,
> and few German stations among the central, eastern and southern
> European stations coming through.
> 
> I saw a few JA spots but heard nothing. And it took two days of
> trying to work KL7SB, the Alaska contest station, and even then they
> were barely above the noise floor when I worked them Sun morning
> around 6 am. Only two KH6 stations got in the log, also with very
> weak
> signals. And the ZL and VK spots were few and far between - again
> with
> none heard in Ohio.
> 
> COVID 19: continued to quite adversely affect the number of
> DXpeditions OTA from places like Africa, the Pacific, S.A., and C. A.
> etc.
> 
> PS EARLY RETURNS: W3HKK LOG PLACEMENT IN 3830 - AS OF 9:30AM TODAY
> (MONDAY):
> 
> 164th in World among ALL logs submitted
> 
> 64TH PLACE IN THE US: AMONG ALL LOGS SUBMITTED IN EVERY CATEGORY.
> 
> 35TH PLACE IN THE US IN MY CATEGORY: AMONG ALL LOGS SUBMITTED (
> US-HP-ASSISTED).
> 
> 6TH PLACE AMONG ALL 8 LAND LOGS.
> 
> de Bob W3HKK
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:13:00 +0000 (UTC)
> From: cqtestk4xs at aol.com
> To: "topband at contesting.com" 
> Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> After? putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
> for my 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160
> test.? For RX I used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in
> KH6.
> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
> close to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
> it was hard to compare on the RBN.? I'm curious how the antenna
> performed as i finished the radials right before the contest and
> really didn't have a chance to check it out on the air.? I had quite a
> few EU and many JAs that were there but I couldn't copy them as they
> were in the mud.
> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
> 73? Bill K4XS/V31XX
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:57:07 -0700
> From: Wes 
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
> I worked you before and during the contest.? You were 5NN :-)
> 
> Don't ask what you really were, but I have a really modest station,
> so you were
> doing something right.? TS-890, KPA500 and an inverted-L, 55 ft
> vertical, the
> rest horizontal (only 18 on ground radials).? I receive on the TX
> antenna and
> still hear better than I get out.? I just did a low-key S&P
> operation.? 107 Qs,
> six JA, one UA0, one BY, two XE, two HI, one ZF and you.
> 
> I spent most of my time playing Band/Slot Bingo with TO6S.? If the
> stats don't
> change, I was No. 1 in Zone 3 and No. 3 in the world from my S. AZ
> sandbox.
> 
> Wes? N7WS
> 
>> On 1/31/2022 1:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
>> After? putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
> for my 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160
> test.? For RX I used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in
> KH6.
>> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
> close to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
> it was hard to compare on the RBN.? I'm curious how the antenna
> performed as i finished the radials right before the contest and
> really didn't have a chance to check it out on the air.? I had quite a
> few EU and many JAs that were there but I couldn't copy them as they
> were in the mud.
>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>> 73? Bill K4XS/V31XX
>> 
>> _________________
>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [1] -
> Topband Reflector
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:18:03 -0400
> From: "Mike Smith VE9AA" 
> To: 
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Bill,
> 
> I was not QRV this w/e.dealing with high winds, snow, and life.
> 
> Any reports you get will be anecdotal, but...if you go to this link:
> http://beta.reversebeacon.net/analysis/
> />
> punch in the date you are interested in (I used Jan 31rst) and then
> punch in
> V31XX, then add V31MA
> you can see in graphical gory detail how they did at individual
> skimmers all
> around the world, spot by spot.
> 
> I'd cut and paste some graphs here, but the reflector won't allow
> graphics
> or attachments.
> 
> I selected 4 or 5 different skimmers (one at a time..and only one
> date at a
> time)
> 
> Seems they very much held their own with operating at a 12dB or
> whatever
> deficit against you.
> 
> Let us know what you think is going on.
> 
> 73 Mike VE9AA
> 
> Mike, Coreen & Corey
> Keswick Ridge, NB
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:30:10 -0500
> From: Don Kirk 
> To: cqtestk4xs at aol.com
> Cc: "topband at contesting.com" 
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Hi Bill,
> 
> You should still be able to compare yourself to V31MA using the RBN
> data.
> Just find out how much power V31MA was running and compare it with
> your
> power level in units of dB. Then you can use the RBN data to compare
> your
> signal to V31MA as long as you subtract the dB difference in power
> from the
> V31MA data.
> 
> Hope that makes sense.
> 
> 73,
> Don (wd8dsb)
> 
> On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM cqtestk4xs--- via Topband <
> topband at contesting.com> wrote:
> 
>> After putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
> for my
>> 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160 test.
> For RX I
>> used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in KH6.
>> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
> close to
>> the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so it
> was hard
>> to compare on the RBN. I'm curious how the antenna performed as i
> finished
>> the radials right before the contest and really didn't have a
> chance to
>> check it out on the air. I had quite a few EU and many JAs that
> were there
>> but I couldn't copy them as they were in the mud.
>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>> 73 Bill K4XS/V31XX
>> 
>> _________________
>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [2] -
> Topband
>> Reflector
>> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 16:37:00 -0500
> From: Don Kirk 
> To: cqtestk4xs at aol.com
> Cc: "topband at contesting.com" 
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Hi Bill,
> 
> I misunderstood, it looks like V31MA was running low power, so you
> would
> have to subtract off the difference in dB from your RBN data to see
> how it
> compares with V31MA.
> 
> Don (wd8dsb)
> 
>> On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 4:30 PM Don Kirk  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Bill,
>> 
>> You should still be able to compare yourself to V31MA using the RBN
> data.
>> Just find out how much power V31MA was running and compare it with
> your
>> power level in units of dB. Then you can use the RBN data to
> compare your
>> signal to V31MA as long as you subtract the dB difference in power
> from the
>> V31MA data.
>> 
>> Hope that makes sense.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Don (wd8dsb)
>> 
>> On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM cqtestk4xs--- via Topband <
>> topband at contesting.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> After putting down 3600 yard staples to install 55 radials 130 ft
> for my
>>> 100 ft wire vertical with a 30 ft L I was ready for the 160 test.
> For RX I
>>> used an SAL-30 which performed well at my old QTH in KH6.
>>> The only other V3 station was V31MA who has an excellent location
> close
>>> to the water with a great take off to W/K and EU, but ran LP, so
> it was
>>> hard to compare on the RBN. I'm curious how the antenna performed
> as i
>>> finished the radials right before the contest and really didn't
> have a
>>> chance to check it out on the air. I had quite a few EU and many
> JAs that
>>> were there but I couldn't copy them as they were in the mud.
>>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>>> 73 Bill K4XS/V31XX
>>> 
>>> _________________
>>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [3] -
> Topband
>>> Reflector
>>> 
>> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 7
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:38:50 -0800
> From: Jim Brown 
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
>> On 1/31/2022 12:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
> 
> I had no problem hearing you, Bill, never heard V31MA.
> 
> And LU8DPM is either seriously deaf or doesn't want to work US.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:03:12 -0500 (EST)
> From: HP 
> To: Pete Smith N4ZR 
> Cc: topband reflector 
> Subject: Re: Topband: K9AY RX antenna
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> While listening on your RX ant try opening and shorting the feedline
> to your TX antenna -I bet there is a big change in RX signal and F/B
> on a given station will change .
> 
> My model of a 2 el active rx array pattern when I change the
> impedance presented to the center of my inv vee shows that if that
> impedance at center of the inv vee is not above 500 ohms -it will
> seriously destroy the two el pattern. ( For quick look I did it for
> real part -have not looked at pattern degradation vs reactive loads
> since my feedline to the inv vee happens to be a half wave long .)
> 
> Hank K7HP
> 
> ----- On Jan 31, 2022, at 7:10 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR  wrote:
> 
> My K9AY loop (the commercial version from Array Solutions) seems to
> be
> kind of an indifferent performer. I believe it is set up properly.
> and
> I've laid down a radial under each side of the loops, but while it
> shows
> some directivity on high-end broadcast stations, 160M directivity is
> limited to nil, signal strengths are rarely better than my
> inverted-L,
> and the adjusting the termination seems to make very little
> difference.
> Any hints?
> 
> --
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
> web server at.
> For spots, please use your favorite
> "retail" DX cluster.
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [5] - Topband
> Reflector
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 9
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:05:37 -0000
> From: "Roger Kennedy" 
> To: 
> Subject: Topband: Really Frustrating
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Well we had another bad storm this weekend here in the NE of England
> (80mph
> winds) . . .
> 
> Just 10 minutes before the start of the CQ160 my Topband Aerial came
> down !
> 
> I don't ever come on to enter these contests, but do see what DX I
> can work
> . . .
> 
> Although I gather conditions weren't that great?
> 
> Anyway, got the Aerial back up today, so see some of you on the band
> again
> soon !
> 
> 73 Roger G3YRO
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 10
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:15:40 -0000
> From: "Roger Kennedy" 
> To: 
> Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Well you were S4 on the meter on 21st Jan over here Bill . . . and
> most NA
> stations were only S5 that night, so conditions were poor.
> 
> Were you using the same aerial then?
> 
> Roger G3YRO
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 11
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2022 18:22:23 -0800
> From: Radio KH6O 
> To: topband 
> Subject: Topband: Square "loop" antenna for 160
> Message-ID:
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Colleagues,
> 
> I have to live with CC&R homeowner restrictions. I plan to erect a
> disguise
> wire antenna around the perimeter of my roof; total length will be
> about
> 190 feet. Elevation will be about 20 feet above ground and will be
> fed with
> 150 ohm twin lead.*
> 
> My question is: Should this be a continuous loop or should the point
> opposed the feedline be terminated with an insulator, thus giving two
> 95-foot legs?
> 
> 73,
> Jeff KH6O
> Naval Air Staiton Point Mugu, CA
> 
> * 150 ohm twin lead: It consists of two parallel lengths of 75 ohm TV
> coax
> with the copper braids soldered together at each end; the inner
> conductors
> act as a parallel feedline. See the ARRL Antenna Book, August 2000
> edition,
> for details.
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 12
> Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2022 02:21:03 +0000
> From: "FZ Bruce" 
> To: "'topband at contesting.com'" 
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> Hi Roger,
> On this last day on January you are the only European that had signal
> enough to hear and work.Propagation very poor but we had a good QSO.
> Thanks73Bruce-K1fz
> 
> -----------------------------------------From: "Roger Kennedy"
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Cc:
> Sent: Monday January 31 2022 6:15:45PM
> Subject: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> 
> Well you were S4 on the meter on 21st Jan over here Bill . . . and
> most NA
> stations were only S5 that night, so conditions were poor.
> 
> Were you using the same aerial then?
> 
> Roger G3YRO
> 
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [6] [1] -
> Topband
> Reflector
> 
> Links:
> ------
> [1] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> />
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 13
> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 08:18:10 +0100
> From: Jan Erik Holm 
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: Topband: Antenna check for V31XX
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
> LU8DPM have had a receiving problem for years. Seems
> like he is unable to do something about it so the rest
> of us just have to run more power to work him.
> 
> / Jim SM2EKM
> 
>> Den 2022-01-31 kl. 22:38, skrev Jim Brown:
>>> On 1/31/2022 12:13 PM, cqtestk4xs--- via Topband wrote:
>>> Any comments on the signal/condx would be appreciated.
>> 
>> I had no problem hearing you, Bill, never heard V31MA.
>> 
>> And LU8DPM is either seriously deaf or doesn't want to work US.
>> 
>> 73, Jim K9YC
>> _________________
>> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband [7] -
> Topband Reflector
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 14
> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 09:00:39 -0700
> From: VE6WZ_Steve 
> To: topband reflector 
> Subject: Topband: New 9 circle PCB with CMCs
> Message-ID: 
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> Hello fellow DXers,
> 
> Today I uploaded a YouTube video describing my new 9 circle combiner
> board PCB design that has small Murata SMD CMCs on each RG-6 feedline.
> 
> I include PCB file links to download in both KiCad format or a zipped
> Gerber folder if you want to build your own. A BOM and an image of the
> schematic is included as well.
> This is the 9-circle array that was designed by John W1FV.
> 
> I review why we need these CMCs, I talk about these small Murata
> chokes and some VNA tests I did and how these same units can be used
> as Magic-T?s.
> The new design also has a pin-out for the vcc and relay control
> lines, has the option for gas discharge tubes on the vcc and control
> lines, and the board has a slightly larger footprint than my previous
> designs so its its easier to access the F-connecters for field
> installation.
> 
> The evaluation is still on-going at VE6WZ, but the board tested very
> well in the shop with the VNA, and I used it this weekend for the CQWW
> 160m test and it performed well.
> 
> I know there are many that ?don?t like? to watch a video, and I may
> build a PDF document, but in my ?prior life?, all I did was make
> technical/ scientific documents and I?d rather not do that anymore.
> It?s much easier to say things quickly in a video. If a picture is
> worth a 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million.
> 
> https://youtu.be/lVW1CmrzP7c [8] 
> />
> 73, de steve ve6wz
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Subject: Digest Footer
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Topband mailing list
> Topband at contesting.com
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> />
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> End of Topband Digest, Vol 230, Issue 1
> ***************************************
> 
> 
> Links:
> ------
> [1] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [2] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [3] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [4] http://beta.reversebeacon.net
> [5] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [6] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [7] http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> [8] https://youtu.be/lVW1CmrzP7c
> 
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector