I was licensed in 1960 and very active on top band until about 1975. I then
completely lost interest and only came back on the air this February. Wow,
hasn’t it changed! When I last switched off packet did not exist nor did home
computers. Contests involved loads of hand written logs and QSL were sent by
post. DX hunting meant hours tuning the band and SSB was just coming in.
I just caught the tail end of the last winter 160 season and was amazed that I
could still read CW. I still managed to work about 25 countries including ZL
and HL despite rubbish antennas and high noise. It is much much easier than it
was 40 years ago because you actually know what frequency the DX is on and you
can set it accurately. FT8 to me is the strange noise on 1840 that I hear and
just tune past it.
A very interesting discussion nevertheless.
Richard G3OQT.
> On 3 Aug 2019, at 18:13, Artek Manuals <Manuals@artekmanuals.com> wrote:
>
> I joined the group yesterday so by way of introduction here is my background
>
> I was first licensed in 1961. I remember my first contact on 160M vividly,
> homebrew 6AQ5/807 running about 50 watts and a BC348...I still have the
> receiver but not the home brew transmitter. I had attached about 20 feet of
> wire to the metal flashing that runs around the edge of the house and I made
> a contact with another station in Miami (from Tampa) that evening on CW..I
> still get goose bumps thinking about the elation I felt . My other memorable
> 160M contact was also from Florida, with a 9V1 on a text book gray line
> path my sunset his sunrise. 750 watts and 60' inverted L. I was always a CW
> addict, seldom SSB. And hours of sorting beeps out of the noise on 160M has
> likely one of the main causes of more than few db of hearing loss after just
> plain being and "old fart" at 72
>
> I have been continuously licensed since the 1961 ( WN4CDN, WA4CDN, WD0AQD,
> N0DH , N7EX, K9NX and finally NR1DX..)Except for brief interludes during
> moves I had been on the air continuously up until 2005. The rigors of caring
> for a terminally ill XYL, early retirement brought on by the crash in 2008
> and a couple of moves (back) to Florida found me unable to get back on the
> air except for a brief period in 2009 until this year .
>
> I have recently built my retirement dream station; a TS990, KPA1500 Amp , 40'
> Tower with a Stepp-IR 3E (for20-6) , Tree mounted Inverted V for 30/40 at 60'
> , Inverted L on 80 and a 60' high "T" on 160, The later two with their own
> (non resonant ..alah k5IU) 90' elevated radials. I live on a secluded,
> wooded 1.5 acres and the shack is a stand alone building apart from the main
> house which allows me to scream at the DX at 1AM if need be without waking up
> the new XYL and the dog.
>
> My corporate life had me moving all over the USA from Fl to WA and AZ to NH
> plus several stints in between in TX, MO , IA, Wi , PA and MN. I have over
> 270 countries on 160 but never felt really right about claiming that as it is
> much easier to work JA from Spokane and Europe from New Hampshire and SA from
> Florida. I am not much of a paper award collector I know I worked those
> countries but I still enjoy counting band countries worked, The dream station
> has worked 208 DXCC countries, 972 "band" countries but only 14 so far on
> 160. (7 on CW and 7 on FT8). All since Feb15th of this year so yeah I am avid
> DX'r
>
> My love is wire antennas, I model using EZENEC and MMANAN-GAL. I will be
> putting up receiving antennas hopefully between now and the end of September
> , Have room for a couple of 300-350' beverages but mostly E-W favored, so
> will considering steerable loops .
>
> If you live in the greater Tampa, FL area, would love to get together and
> tell stories about antennas and lies about the DX we worked over lunch
>
> Dave
> NR1DX
> manuals@artekmanuals.com
>
>
>
>
>
>> On 8/3/2019 11:34 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
>> Of the last 1000 spots downloaded from DX Summit just over 200 of them at
>> on FT8. Which means that nearly 800 spots were NOT FT8 meaning those were
>> CW or SSB spots. Not all of the spots are actually spots as many spots are
>> just people venting and using the system as their message system.
>>
>> Are we really not utilizing our bands?
>>
>> You decide.
>>
>> W0MU
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _________________
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>
> --
> Dave
> Manuals@ArtekManuals.com
> www.ArtekManuals.com
>
>
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