A note from the peanut gallery.
This is topband@CONTEST.com
I am on a postage stamp lot and the house & garage occupy approximately the
middle one third. The frontage is not usable for antenna systems due to the
underground utilities and overhead power lines. I am limited to compromise
antennas for this band and those must be further compromised from published
designs to fit into the space. I can be heard in Canada and the eastern United
States. Most of the daily signals are for dx only. In some contests I can work
a few stations on the north American continent. I can hear a lot of them but
they don't hear me. I don't have an antenna for 160 at the moment and not a lot
of motivation to put one up. Other bands seem more productive given these
conditions. I would be satisfied with QSOs in the continental range but most
are DX hounds and can't waste their time on more local rag chews. I am ready to
just sign off from this list and get out of your way. Am I missing something?
Happy New Year to all and...
73,
Bill KU8H
> On Jan 5, 2024, at 7:04 PM, VE6WZ_Steve <ve6wz@shaw.ca> wrote:
> George,
>
> Yes. I fully agree that many ops don’t understand that RBN is NOT to be
> relied on.
>
> I operate 3 RBN skimmers, each on a different RX antenna, and auto switched
> for the RX antennas to follow the darkness DX path.
> 2 of these are Broadside phased Beverage pairs. My QTH is a quiet rural
> location.
>
> However, the skimmer will only detect a very SMALL FRACTION of what I can
> hear with my ears.
> If I look at my CW skimmer, often I can “see” the EU DX CQing, but the
> skimmer will not always decode it.
> Many times I can work lots of EU, but never get a RBN skimmer decode from EU.
> BUT, the opposite is also true. If I am getting EU RBN decodes, then the
> band is probably in very good shape.
>
> Either way, as George said, do NOT rely on RBN to determine if the band is
> open or not.
> Just keep calling CQ.
>
> BTW…FT-8 will decode “deep into the noise” however, with the common very fast
> QSB on 160m, a big reason FT-8 seems to work better is the PC sends EVERY 15
> seconds, for as long as the op lets the PC go.
> Sometimes on CW, the QSB can be so fast, the QSO needs to be completed within
> 30 seconds, or the DX has faded into oblivion under the noise.
> (That’s why we usually don’t have time on 160m CW for exchanging more than a
> signal report…..quickly!!)
> That’s also why on CW we need to keep CQing into what seems like a dead band.
> The difference on FT-8, is the PC does the CQing for you. Yeah…that IS
> easier!
>
>
> Steve, ve6wz
>
>
>> Noise is up.
>> 80 is becoming the new 160!
>>
>> Also, it is noise that is driving a lot of ops onto FT8.
>>
>> Another contributor is RBN! While RBN is great tool, most RBN RX antennas
>> are poor on 160. Those that rely on a quick scan of RBN for 160 meter
>> activity will incorrectly assume that the band is dead.
>>
>> In the past 10 years noise has gone up by something like 10 dB in many
>> areas. What worked 10 years ago, no longer works today. We need to learn to
>> live with it. Invest in better RX antennas and other noise reduction
>> techniques. (Petition the FCC to increase the power limit by 10 dB :-)
>>
>> And keep calling CQ!
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> George,
>>
>> AA7JV
>
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