I think I have lost my edge over the east coast. Part of this is my fault
for sharing things that helped my receiving. :-)
It used to be the east coast always won. When Bill Fisher and John first
came here there was a big battle between K1ZM and W2GD. We got right in the
middle of it and came in a close second out of nowhere. That totally shocked
the New England stations who thought the world revolves around the NE USA
and 160 DX. Prior to that no one ever thought a SE station that was inland
could ever win.
After some improvements we would always win, but now it seems it has changed
back. Some of it is probably things falling apart here, in concert with
improved systems up northeast. Some of it is probably gear the ops are not
used to, and I am starting to think digital detection and AGC hurts really
weak signals. I still seem to do better with really weak signals using a
more conventional AGC and detector system like the old Yaesu's and R4C's and
stuff uses instead of the full DSP radios out today.
I'm thinking a little of this and a little of that have made it tough for us
to get out of second place compared to the east coast.
I'd like to change that.
The best option would be to move to the Georgia coast and have a saltwater
path to Europe, but I'm too old for that stuff. So I guess I need better
receiving antennas and try to get back to analog detection and AGC systems
in my receivers.
Or am I expecting too much?? Maybe the extra QRM (aka "activity") now is
what is really killing us? I think it is all about receiving.
73 Tom
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