Re: Topband: Bugs
All this talk about Bugs caused a phrase submerged deep in my brain to come quietly to the surface. 50+ years ago I was a Navy Radioman. However I was a Radioman on a Submarine. In 2.5 years I maybe sent 5 messages as we were almost always on radio silence. We could occasionally listen for other then official traffic. I would sometimes listen to commercial ship to shore traffic from Merchant ships. If memory servers me correctly Merchant radio officers back then were required to use a Bug. A few of them had what my Chief Radioman called, a "Banana Boat Swing". Music once you got used to it. Boy that was 50 years ago and I have not thought of that term, or heard it used in a very, very long time. Steve NG0G On 7/6/23 2:53 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote: On 7/6/2023 10:38 AM, w3...@roadrunner.com wrote: I stepped up to a keyer from my Lightning Bug in the early 90s' but could never get the hang of both. My fist kept wanting to do the bug W3HKK (since 1956) First of all: "its not your fault" There are many different keyers available, and then there are single and dual action paddles. Some keyers have multiple personalities to choose from. This is a huge topic to try to wrap your mind around. The reader's digest version is that you can minimize the learning curve by using a single action paddle. This largely eliminates iambic action (which you won't miss), even if the keyer supposedly supports iambic. Some built in keyers in rigs have an option to select "A" or "B" iambic type. On one rig I had, I absolutely could not send with one of these selections, but the other one worked fine for me. On my current rig, A and B seem to be the same. I only use a single action paddle (IE, "dot" and "dash" are mutually exclusive). Hope this helps. 73 Rick N6RK _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: testing
Dave, R ur 5nn tu k Steve On 8/6/22 7:05 PM, David Raymond wrote: testing _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Nasty QRM From ??
Jim, Lets take this off list and I'll tell / show you what I have already tried. Thanks, Steve NG0G On 1/24/20 4:50 PM, Jim Brown wrote: On 1/24/2020 2:31 PM, Stephen Hawkins wrote: Toggling a switch rather then disassembling two under warranty garage door openers and splicing in a non switching supply is a much easier solution for me. Steve, Sorry, I missed that the PSUs were internal to the units. I do agree. However -- take a look at the app notes on my website about finding and killing RX noise. It's likely that serious ferrite chokes wound on both power leads and any other wires coming out of the units would knock that noise down a lot. 73, Jim K9YC _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Nasty QRM From ??
Jim, Toggling a switch rather then disassembling two under warranty garage door openers and splicing in a non switching supply is a much easier solution for me. Steve On 1/24/20 2:15 PM, Jim Brown wrote: On 1/24/2020 9:39 AM, Stephen Hawkins wrote: I have two new Chamberlain Garage Door openers that have cheap Chinese switching supplies in them that use the wires to the switch at the people door and the wires to the sensors at the bottom of the roll up doors as antenna. Despite toroids and bypass caps they wipe out 160m. When I know we are in for the evening I power them off at the circuit breaker panel. The better solution is to simply replace those nasty power supplies with old-fashioned LINEAR power supplies, cutting the cable for both the new and old power supplies and splicing the Linear supply to the cable going to the garage door openers. Details on my website, in the app note about building contest scores by killing receive noise. 73, Jim K9YC _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Nasty QRM From ??
Dick, On 1/24/20 11:20 AM, k8...@alphacomm.net wrote: These signals are frequency stable and not drifty. Shutting down the house-mains with the receiver battery powered does not kill the QRM. How about your garage? I have two new Chamberlain Garage Door openers that have cheap Chinese switching supplies in them that use the wires to the switch at the people door and the wires to the sensors at the bottom of the roll up doors as antenna. Despite toroids and bypass caps they wipe out 160m. When I know we are in for the evening I power them off at the circuit breaker panel. Steve -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: FT-8
Dave, On 1/31/19 4:36 PM, daraym...@iowatelecom.net wrote: There is simply no substitute for the real, direct, visceral connection one has with the person on the other end with either CW or SSB modes. I'll be in charge of the QSO, thank you. Not my computer. 73. . . Dave, W0FLS My feelings exactly. Steve -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: JA's came in droves today on 160
Dave, I agree. I listened to you to see if I could hear anyone answering you. Nada. Steve On 1/30/19 1:56 PM, daraym...@iowatelecom.net wrote: As if there was any doubt, this pretty much proves they're all up on 1840. I got on this morning and CQd for 40 minutes beaming Asia and never got a response. 73. . . Dave, W0FLS -Original Message- From: Herbert Schoenbohm Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2019 1:00 PM To: TopBand List Subject: Topband: JA's came in droves today on 160 This morning starting an hour before dawn 34 JA's were worked on FT-8 with a 1840/1908 split. The best path was straight west for me. I don't know how this path existed or what caused this to happen. The regular NW path was nothing but the W and SW paths were great. Maybe the massive Arctic air mass was causing the signals to take a warmer route and avoid the extreme cold. Just kidding of course. But some interesting phenomenon causes this path to exist from time to time. I hope to hear from some of the JA's worked as to which direction was best for my signal. Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Tuesday evening DX
Luke, It was a good morning for me to. I worked you almost exactly at my sunrise. Steve On 3/13/18 9:01 AM, VK3HJ wrote: This evening I was pleased to be hearing North America again at last. I worked one here, one there, then a pileup started. About two dozen stations across 14 states was a most enjoyable bounty! There was even a 100 watt station who worked me for his first VK on TB! Also heard was DU7ET in the Philippines, a few JAs, and I heard XX9B calling CQ but not working anyone. I will attempt to rise early and see if the band is open to Europe! My sunrise is 2014z and I find Europe starts to come in best in the twenty minutes after sunrise. 73, Luke VK3HJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Wednesday 160m DX Activity Night
Roger, For me the change was on Saturday. I thought conditions were much better on Friday night / Saturday morning, then they were Saturday night Sunday morning. Only speaking for my station, since then signals from EU have not been as strong as they were on Friday night / Saturday morning. Steve NG0G On 2/21/18 4:28 AM, Roger Kennedy wrote: Conditions have been rather poor the last few evenings . . . or is it just lack of activity?! Well, I'll be on this tonight from around 2330Z, so hopefully lots of others will be too So we'll find out ! 73 Roger G3YRO Regards _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: WKYW on 1810kc
topband, I have been hearing the same thing on my BOG pointing at Bouvet. I'm in semi Northern Iowa I can hear the most of the day since I put the antenna up. Oldies on 1.810 with a hiccup every couple of seconds. Steve On 1/10/18 5:11 PM, Mike Waters wrote: S9+10 here in SW MO, on my NE Beverage. Signal pulsing on and off, mostly. What frequency are they supposed to be on? I want to see what they sound like on their assigned carrier freq. As I send this, it's not pulsing. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Wed, Jan 10, 2018 at 4:59 PM, Bill Stewart <cw...@embarqmail.com> wrote: Is anyone copying a AMBC stn around 1810kc. They are 30db over S9 here. The sig was cutting in and out but for last few mins. has been on full time. Did hear them mention '1490' and Frankfort KY. Web info comes back to WKYW. Heard them yesterday as well. Tnx de Bill K4JYS Near Smithfield, NC _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband -- Stephen Hawkins NG0G n...@arrl.net 73 49 111 01001001 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
