[UK-CONTEST] Topband Contest

[Stewart Rolfe]

Rob, Roger et al...

Having recently bought a couple of Spiderbeam poles and had the nod from the farmer to put them up temporarily in the adjacent field, I thought I'd spend yesterday in the glorious sunshine hanging an inv V doublet off one and venture into top band contesting for the first time.

The first couple of hours were very busy but the qrn levels illustrated the need for a dedicated receive antenna! I was clearly getting out to UK and EU but some continental signals were a struggle to copy. In the last hour or so the qrn disappeared but so did the signals, presumably replaced by Ws and other dx for those suitably kitted out; drying paint makes very little noise.... 

BTW, my Rayburn cooker/ch boiler uses a so-called glo coil to ignite the fuel, a heating element so no arcing. Sounds more like a dodgy motor if it's continuing for minutes at a time?

73,

Stewart, GW0ETF


--- On Sun, 21/11/10, Roger Cooke <g3ldi at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> From: Roger Cooke <g3ldi at yahoo.co.uk>
> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Topband Contest
> To: "Rob - G4LMW" <g4lmw at btconnect.com>, "UK Contesting" <uk-contest at contesting.com>
> Date: Sunday, 21 November, 2010, 8:48
> Hi Rob.
> 
>  Welcome to my top band world!!!  The noise at my
> place never goes below S-7 and 
> if it is damp goes up to around S-9.
> If it's raining, do a crossword or something! It then goes
> to s-9 plu 10dB.  
> Last night was good for me, starting at S-7 and ending
> at S-9. Makes you feel very embarrassed when you are giving
> "599" and then 
> asking for repeats!   I just read Don,
> G3BJ's report
> of the "string of Ws including Az" that he worked. Chance
> would be a fine thing 
> here, didn't hear a solitary one W.  Better put up 
> 
> the gamma on the tower again I guess for next November.
>   After midnight it was a bit like watching paint
> dry.
> 
>  Regards from Roger, G3LDI
> Swardeston, Norfolk.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Rob - G4LMW <g4lmw at btconnect.com>
> To: UK Contesting <uk-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Sun, 21 November, 2010 1:06:05
> Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Topband Contest
> 
> Slightly OT......
> 
> Apologies to those whom I kept asking for repeats tonight.
> 
> Have had some sort of electrical "arching" QRM for a while
> but not ventured onto 
> 160m for a while.......but found out that it is a killer on
> LF!
> 
> The worst thing is that it is intermittent. Could hear
> people Q5 between the 
> periods of QRM.
> 
> We have overhead supply here. I got the electricity board
> to replace the span 
> from the road to my pole which seemed to help, but it is
> back again. It doesn't 
> sound like the arching of a thermostat (besides, does
> anyone have one of those 
> these days??).
> 
> Any suggestions as to how I track this nuisance down?
> 
> 73, Rob
> G4LMW
> http://www.G4LMW.co.uk
>