Topband: 160m FT8 QSO VP2VI

[jon jones]

>VP2VI?

if you had a CW QSO  with VP2VI on 160m , please tell me what did you use as TX antenna and how much power?
Thanks, Andy DL8LAS @ VP2VI


Guten Nacht, Andy!

Well, not CW. I do appreciate the 160M FT8 QSO this evening with VP2VI! (April 26). VP2VI the strongest I have noted tonight on both CW & FT8.

I had been operating from my station outside of town earlier this week. This evening was in town due to deep mud on road to station. So, monitoring 160M with a rain gutter antenna on our home. About 6 meters high for the vertical sectin and 7 meters horizontal. I put extra radials down this afternoon including a long elevated "counter-poise" to the southeast similar to that mentioned by NA5DX.  That seemed to make a difference. Radio FT-911 @ 100 watts.

Pleasantly surprised you copied me. Persistence, luck and improving the antenna sometimes rewards on the Top Band.

The VP2VI group has done well.    Danke & 73 — Jon N0JK


>Andy,

Appreciate the contact on 160 CW!

The 160 antenna here is an inverted "L" with about 35 feet of wire in
the vertical section of the "L" and about 100 feet of wire in the flat
top section.? The "L" is working against a single 1/4 wave counterpoise
running directly under the flat top section and raised about chest high
on garden stakes.? In it's present configuration it's a 25 ohm antenna
around 1825 kHz, so I use a 1:2 balun from Balun Designs at the feed
point to provide an SWR that my Elecraft KPA500 is happy with between
1800 and 1850 kHz.? I was running 500 watts.

Thanks and 73,

Bill - NA5DX