On RBN Sensitivity/Antennas:
Whenever I CQ-d from any of our Pacific operations -- FO/M, FO, VP6A, E51D,
KH8, KH8S -- I always had the RBN screen on. Most of the time I would be
working stations in the mid-west, or even the East Coast, before the first
RBN report would pop up, if at all. As Steve points out, they do not have
high performance RX antennas for 160 m and you can not rely on them to
indicate weak openings. Of course, if you see your call on the RBN, the band
is solidly open.
73,
George
On Tue, 23 Jan 2024 21:24:52 -0800 Steve Harrison wrote:
On 1/23/2024 10:31 AM, Roger Kennedy wrote:
Regarding RBN . . . are there many decent 160m receiving sites in Florida .. .
or even in the Mid-West or West Coast?
There are over two dozen RBN setups west of our Mississississippi River,
including VE; I don't rember seeing many in FL but then, I don't look for those
when I'm watching the RBN. ZF9CW is a good, sensitive setup down in the Carib
that I do look for, however. One of the more-sensitive out west may be W6YX,
another VE6WX, both with at least two reporting receivers. There are several
others at large contest stations such as ND7K who seem to report much less
frequently. There are even several KH6 stations on the RBN. BUT...
It's just that nearly all the North American 160m RBN sites that show
usEuropeans are mainly all in the North-east . . . yet often you will
haveactual QSOs with stations further west.
You have to rember that MOST "serious" 160 ops are using low-noise antlers such
as Bevs or Flags, when they give out those 559 or 579 reports to you Euros. The RBN
stations are invariably NOT using such sensitive (and directive) antlers; so of course,
they're only going to hear what their low elevation, RBN-receiver antlers are hearing,
amongst their local noise. Thus, it's rare that I see a west coast station report even a
JA, let alone 9M2AX or similar, never mind in-the-noise European. Rember: the signal must
be a dB or more out of the noise, long enough to copy a complete callsign at least
several times, before it will even consider reporting you.
Steve, K0XP
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