Topband: Promoting CW Activity.

Mon Sep 30 21:21:57 EDT 2024

Steve,
QSB: I did not experience much QSB, but that is hard to tell with callers 
who are on for 20 seconds at a time. Almost all the callers had solid 
signals here. After about 10:30 Z noise crashes increased, making copy a bit 
harder, as around that time the terminator reaches Indonesia/Borneo, a 
region of heavy lightning activity. Also, form about 10:30 JA callers start 
coming in with good signals, making NA copy harder.

This 38 foot antenna would not work well on land, unless it had lots of 
radials. Probably more radials than a DXpedition would have the time (and 
material) for. A short antenna like this has very low radiation resistance, 
which requires a low impedance GND to be efficient. (I measured 6 -j60 Ohms 
feed point impedance, while NEC modelling indicates 4.5 - j60 Ohms. I guess 
the difference is the actual ground.) This antenna was very specifically 
designed for islands where one can take advantage of the salt-water GND to 
reduce antenna height and the potential for interaction with birds. I see 
this development of low profile antennas as essential to being able to 
access USFWS controlled islands with large bird populations.
At this point we have not been on 80. I want to keep working 160 as long as 
conditions (and demand) allow.
TKS for the reports and 73,
George

On Mon, 30 Sep 2024 13:15:17 -0700 Steve Harrison  wrote:
>Geprge, we worked on 160 the other night but you seem to keep getting
>louder and louder; so maybe I'll call again some time when traffic is
>zilch  8-) However, last night, the QSB had very deep nulls, down to ESP
>level then back up a minute or two later to S9. I didn't notice such
>deep QSB the first night; it was there but not nearly as deep. Hard to
>give an overall qualitative "antenna-worthiness" report under those
>conditions 8-D For me, the QSB did not correlate with the times you and
>the East coasters were hearing/working; some easily worked you when I
>couldn't hear you, some seemed to have a hard time hearing when you came
>back and were S7-S9.
>
>The more I listened, the more it struck me that the QSB seemed to be
>following the infamous bell-shaped statistical curve; that is, most the
>time you were at least S5, almost always between S3 and S7, with the
>occasional dip to nothingness and other rare peaks to S9. I listened for
>FK8IK when he was supposed to be CQing after working you but only had
>ESP on him, if anything. (I wonder whether Bob, W7RH, could have copied
>him then??) I don't think he stuck around long enough to give the band
>much chance to peak on him very often. His QRQ also hurts often when
>he's so weak to begin with. I could hear around a third of the JAs that
>you worked but none got very loud, S3 at best for me.
>
>Another thing I'd like to see you check out is how your shortie antennas
>work when the radials are entirely on land; i.e., not "grounded" in the
>ocean. I'm wondering how much degradation there would be if, say,
>another DXpedition (such as CY0S or CY9C) were using your verticals but
>they had to be located on a hill or mountain hundreds of yards from a
>beach with the excellent salt water ground.
>
>Having said all that, I'll admit I've kept checking 80m for you when I
>didn't hear you on 160 (aren't you using 3527.5??) but so far, zilch;
>yer having too much fun on top band, I gess. (Is that a possibility:
>having TOO MUCH fun on top band??)  8-)
>
>Steve, K0XP
>
>
>
>On 9/30/2024 12:34 PM, GEORGE WALLNER wrote:
>
>>Richard,Thanks for the report, which is much appreciated. I am testing a newantenna. Extra "bird friendly" only 38 feet tall. Seems to get out.
>>TKS and 73,George
>>On Mon, 30 Sep 2024 14:23:20 -0500 Richard Thorne  wrote:
>>>George,
>>>
>>>Thanks for the qso on 160 this morning.
>>>
>>>We worked twice.  I called the 2nd time as you were very loud, 599+.
>>>Conditions were very quiet on the 1/4 wave sloping vertical.  My receive
>>>array is not on line and there was no need for it.
>>>
>>>Rich - N5ZC
>>>
>>>On 9/30/2024 2:20 PM, GEORGE WALLNER wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>TopBand is certainly open.From E51D I worked EA8 last night shortlyafter my SS. Later, fromabout 10:00 Z most NA signals were S6 to S7,including East Coaststations. Felt more like 80 m, but slower.Still, worked around 80stations in 2 hours. It was a good night for TB.George,AA7JVOn Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:12:46 +0100 "Roger Kennedy"  wrote:>There is an email circulating around Top Band DXers, asking us to try
>>>>>and
>>>>>encourage more CW activity . . . so I said I would post on here (as
>>>>>this is
>>>>>something I have always tried to do).
>>>>>
>>>>>The problem is that if nobody comes on the band and puts out a call,
>>>>>many
>>>>>people presume that there is no Propagation. This is made worse if
>>>>>all you
>>>>>do is look at the DX Cluster, or look at your Waterfall Display.
>>>>>
>>>>>I also know that some people only ever come on the band to work some
>>>>>rare
>>>>>Prefix or DX-pedition . . . but that is such a waste of a decent 160m
>>>>>setup!
>>>>>
>>>>>However, there are many of us that get a buzz out of working ANY DX
>>>>>(no
>>>>>matter how often we may have worked that station before) . . . and
>>>>>DX on
>>>>>160m is really anything over 3,000 miles away.
>>>>>
>>>>>Top Band is certainly now open for DX most nights, certainly for
>>>>>those of us
>>>>>in the Northern Hemisphere . . . there 's just so little activity (it
>>>>>gets
>>>>>boring just looking at your signal reports on RBN!)
>>>>>
>>>>>So come on guys . . . a lot of you put a lot of trouble into having
>>>>>decent
>>>>>Tx and Rx aerials for Top Band . . . what's the point in all that
>>>>>effort if
>>>>>you never come on the band ?!
>>>>>
>>>>>73 Roger G3YRO
>>>>>
>>>>>
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