Bill,
For all that you are dealing with, along with the additional propagation
challenges that 160M brings, it is truly the toughest H.F. band to be suc
When I started on 160M I did not have an amplifier that included 160M. I
cq'd and tried calling stations for 3 months one winter until conditions
were good enough to reach across the Atlantic with 100 watts.
Success should be defined as what your expectations are..
GL
-Charlie N1RR
On Fri, Jan 5, 2024 at 8:33 PM Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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
> >
> > _________________
> > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> Reflector
>
> _________________
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> Reflector
>
--
-Charlie N1RR
401-742-7240 <(401)%20742-7240> 8AM - 9PM
*E-mail*: n1rr@n1rr.com
*Website*: www.n1rr.com
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_________________
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