On 2012-11-18, at 12:50 PM, Mark Lunday wrote:
>
> So I have high expectations. I spoke with Dick on Friday. If I get half
> the satisfaction from the system that I did from the terrific customer
> service, then I will be happy. I just want to be able to HEAR the DX on the
> low bands that I cannot hear now.
>
Hi Mark,
Sometimes the simplest of things can make the biggest of differences...
Case in point: some years ago I was whining to my friend Ivan (VE3DO) about how
I rearely heard any Europeans on Topband. "What sort of a receive antenna are
you using?" he asked. Receive antenna...?! I was using the same "L" here on
both transmit and receive...
"Put up a K9AY loop," he advised.
I declined. Kept on whining. "Put up a K9AY loop favouring Europe!" Ivan
insisted.
Finally, to shut him up, I went out back, spied a choice tree limb to toss an
85' triangular wire into, and let fly with my weight-tied-to-a-string. I recall
that at one point I fell flat on my back doing this, but I persevered---and
raised an easterly-only K9AY, fed with "Dollarama"-brand "coax" cable.
Well, that night tuning around, I must have thought a thousand-and-ones
"I-told-you-so's" directed at Ivan: the band was near-dead, there were no
signals on it, & I thought that maybe the feeder was somehow open. Suddenly I
came across a "G3"---then a "DL7"---and even MORE Europeans! They weren't loud
by any stretch, but the signal-to-noise ratio made it seem like they all just
jumped up out of nowhere! On my "L", only the very strongest Europeans could be
heard---at about 569, tops. On the K9AY, they were well above that because the
band was so QUIET. Weak signals---still quite readable---on the K9AY were
completely inaudible on the "L".
I was completely amazed and astounded...
Three days later I incorporated an east - west switching set-up---7 days later
I erected a complementary north - south K9AY.
If your experience there follows mine here, John, you're in for a MAJOR treat,
I'm sure...
~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
_______________________________________________
Topband reflector - topband@contesting.com
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