Re: Topband: B7P

2024-04-04 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
It is also my experience that stations in China and Southeast Asia in general do not hear well at all on the low bands. One exception is BG2AUE. I have worked him multiple times on 80m CW from my QTH in the Boston area. He hears extremely well on 80. Every single time I've worked him there,

Re: Topband: 9M2AX finally after 15 years

2024-02-12 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Congratulations Steve for this epic contact! As already pointed out, much of the difficulty is the very high level of QRN on Ross's end. He gets almost daily thunderstorms. My experience coincides with what Dave, W0FLS, said. The most favorable conditions to work 9M2AX are around the

Re: Topband: NCC-2 antenna pattern?

2023-12-17 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
If you are going to use the NCC-2 to null a nearby in-band transmitter, I think it's very likely that the NCC-2 will get overloaded by the extremely strong RF and not be usable. I've tried this before and found that to be the case. In fact, I designed my own totally passive nuller to get

Re: Topband: ZD9W

2023-10-09 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I heard them a couple nights ago on 160 CW, around 2330Z, roughly an hour after local sunset in W1. They were actually quite strong on peaks but there was deep QSB that took them down to almost nothing. They seemed to be having trouble hearing. I heard them come back to N1DG but all the other

Re: Topband: High Impedance RX Antennas

2023-04-03 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Another tool I've found indispensable for setting up and troubleshooting phased vertical RX arrays is a two-port VNA. I use an Array Solutions VNA-2180 (now discontinued) for critical measurements. I also have a NanoVNA H4 (https://nanovna.com/) which is a very "affordable" VNA that can be

Re: Topband: 1940 kHz Intruder

2023-01-04 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Here in the Greater Boston area, the signal peaks from the southwest on my 8-circle array. It's not real strong, varying between S4 and S6. I can tell there is some audio in there but it's not strong enough to identify. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband

Re: Topband: [RFI] Powerline noise question

2022-12-30 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
The WD8DSB mini-flag truly is a fantastic RFI-hunting tool.  When I saw the original article in QST, I recognized immediately that this was a great "invention" by WD8DSB.  Like many of you, I deal with quite a bit of man-made RFI on 160m, so I bought one of the very first ones sold by DX

Re: Topband: My new 9 Circle works great!

2022-12-07 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Here is additional information on the 9-circle low-band receiving array. It was originally designed for operation on both 160 and 80 meters. It was based on a couple articles I wrote for NCJ in the September/October and November/December issues in 2011. The design was turned into a set of

Re: Topband: Non-amateur stations in Europe on 1860 and 1900 kHz

2022-09-20 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
> So how is the QRN doing over there now? Any likelihood of 160m activity from > the USA soon? > > Roger G3YRO The QRN on the East Coast is still fairly high most evenings, but there is propagation to Europe. OK1CF is on regularly and is usually Q5. Also a few G's have been heard recently with

Topband: Non-amateur stations in Europe on 1860 and 1900 kHz

2022-09-19 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Some evenings I hear noise-like transmissions, approximately 3 kHz wide, around 1860 and 1900 kHz that appear to be originating in Europe. I presume they are not amateur signals. On European SDR's they are quite loud and operating continuously every day. I find they are actually useful as

Re: Topband: Beverage upgrade question

2022-08-23 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Even in a quiet rural location, the limiting noise on 160 will be external atmospheric noise. Improving RDF will generally improve your signal/noise ratio against the atmospheric noise. There are exceptions when there is a source of high noise, like thunderstorms, in the same direction as the

Re: Topband: 8Q7WM Z-22 in VE6

2022-03-01 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I have a low dipole, about 10 feet high, that I use as an alternate receiving antenna on 160. My main receiving antenna is an 8-circle array of short verticals. The vertical array is almost always much better for DX, but once in a while the low dipole is better, sometimes dramatically so.

Re: Topband: More radials towards EU

2021-12-03 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
EZNEC is correct. Adding more radials, even long ones, in a specific direction won't preferentially favor the direction in which the radials are added. It will help raise the overall efficiency of the antenna to a degree, depending on how many radials are already in place, but any improvement

Re: Topband: Feedline Choke Placement in RX systems

2021-11-30 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
. This is best done on the feedlines themselves, installing feedline chokes a few feet away from the combiner. 73, John W1FV From: Dennis W0JX [mailto:w...@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2021 12:48 PM To: topband@contesting.com; John Kaufmann Subject: Feedline Choke Placement in RX

Re: Topband: W1FV 9-Circle Feedline & control Line Chokes?

2021-11-29 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
You can make a feedline choke with snap-on ferrites as follows: wind 4 turns of the feedline through 5 snap-on cores of Fair-Rite part #0431176451. The core has an inner diameter of about 3/4 inch and 4 turns of RG-6 is the limit of what will fit in the core. However, using 5 cores will provide

Re: Topband: Interesting observation and comment (Skewed Path Vs. Horizontal/Vertical Polarization)

2021-06-03 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
On 160 and 80, I have an 8-circle vertical receiving array. On very long paths, it is not uncommon to see skewing. The most common example is the path to JA, where the direct path heading should be about 330 degrees from my QTH in New England. However, for the last couple winter seasons, when

Re: Topband: Portable Flag follow up (DX Engineering preamp noise figure update)

2021-03-10 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I have the DX Engineering preamp that I use with the DX Engineering portable flag and can confirm the 4.5 dB noise figure. Using the methods I described here in an earlier post, I measured the noise figure as between 4 to 5 dB. Also I measured the gain (S21) from 0.1 to 30 MHz with my VNA-2180.

Re: Topband: FW: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!)

2021-02-26 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
ebruary 25, 2021 10:39 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: FW: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!) On 2/25/2021 5:16 PM, John Kaufmann via Topband wrote: > The P3 averages power, not amplitude, so using longer averaging times just > smooths the display and doesn't reduce rando

Re: Topband: FW: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!)

2021-02-25 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
, 2021 8:03 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: FW: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!) On 2/25/2021 2:29 PM, John Kaufmann via Topband wrote: > The P3 noise measurement bandwidth was about 100 Hz in my measurements. I hope that everyone realizes that setting a high va

Re: Topband: FW: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!)

2021-02-25 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
The P3 noise measurement bandwidth was about 100 Hz in my measurements. Quoting from the P3 user's manual, "the effective bandwidth of the P3 is generally one display pixel, which is approximately span / 450. I used a span of 50 kHz, so it comes out to 111 Hz. Because the relationship is

Re: Topband: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna (LONG!)

2021-02-25 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
we probably should move this discussion over to the RFI Reflector or e-mail me direct. 73, Don (wd8sb) On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 1:26 PM John Kaufmann via Topband wrote: Some of you may have seen the article by WD8DSB in the latest issue of QST. I believe WD8DSB is on this reflector

Re: Topband: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna

2021-02-23 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
As a follow-up to my original post, here are a few additional comments. Don, you mention that you designed the mini-flag for a deep null off the back at low elevation angles, which is entirely understandable. As I said in my earlier post, the null is very pronounced in the AM BCB on local

Topband: The WD8DSB mini-flag antenna

2021-02-23 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Some of you may have seen the article by WD8DSB in the latest issue of QST. I believe WD8DSB is on this reflector. His article describes a mini-flag antenna that can be used for direction-finding. The neat thing about this antenna, besides its compact size, is that it is unidirectional and is

Re: Topband: UA9BA Spitfire antenna

2021-02-10 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
This antenna was clearly working well at UA2FW in the recent CQ 160 contest. When I listened on the band, UA2FW was, by far, the strongest signal coming out of Europe in mediocre conditions. Normally northern Europe, including UA2, is at a disadvantage in terms of propagation to the US. Also,

Re: Topband: RG6 recommendations

2021-01-24 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Hi Charlie, What you see in your TDR sweep of the RG6 is absolutely normal. I've seen exactly the same thing. The rise in apparent impedance with distance is caused by the loss in the cable. If you had a lower loss cable, the TDR trace would be flatter. As long as you don't seen any

Re: Topband: Best conditions of the season

2020-12-11 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
We got a piece of the action, too, in New England. I worked JH1HDT, HL5IVL, and VK6LW just before my SR. HL5IVL peaked up to 579 right at SR. We only get propagation to HL very infrequently here in W1. JA7BXS was in there but he first fired up on the disturbance on 1825 and was being

Re: Topband: EZNEC Ground Errors

2020-12-11 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I have two receiving antennas on 160: an 8-circle vertical array and a low dipole up 10 feet. I have been noticing that in the first part of the evening, the dipole often hears Europe as well as, or nearly as well as, the 8-circle. This appears to indicate that the signals are arriving at

Re: Topband: I identified signal on 1.825 MHz this morning

2020-12-11 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Here in the Boston area it was peaking from the SW on my 8 circle array. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces+john.kaufmann=verizon@contesting.com] On Behalf Of w...@w5zn.org Sent: Friday, December 11, 2020 7:24 AM To: David Raymond Cc:

Re: Topband: Need Opinion on DXE RPS-1 or RPS-2 Preamp

2020-12-03 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I have the RPA-1, the predecessor to the RPA-2. It's an outstanding preamp with a low noise figure and very high dynamic range. I'm sure it would make a fine BOG preamp. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces+john.kaufmann=verizon@contesting.com]

Re: Topband: FT8 clutter on the DX Cluster

2020-05-13 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I use the VE7CC node for spots. You can filter out FT8 spots on VE7CC via the 'set/noft8' command. 73, John W1FV _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: 8 vs 4 direction 4-SQ?

2020-03-19 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
For signals that arrive from directions that are in between the main lobe headings of a 4-square, you will lose up to a few dB of S/N compared to having 8 directions. Whether that matters to you is purely a personal performance vs. complexity/cost decision. If 90% of what you work is covered

Re: Topband: NVIS Antenna

2020-03-15 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Inverted vee dipoles do produce some vertically polarized radiation off the ends. However, that vertical component has maximum gain at zenith, i.e. straight overhead. It does not contribute to any significant low-angle radiation. You can see this by doing an antenna model. 73, John W1FV

Re: Topband: Slightly OT - amplifier noise

2020-03-14 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Steve, An alternative is to do the cancellation with all passive circuitry. You can find some designs on the Web but you'll have to build them yourself. An example (one that I built) is this one from WA1ION: https://www.pa4tim.nl/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/passive_bb_phasing.pdf. The drawback to

Re: Topband: Hi Z amplifiers for 160m (LONG)

2020-03-13 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
tmospheric noise have to go up by at least 3dB. I think I have this right, John, but feel free to shoot holes in it if I don't. I know thinking about it made my head hurt. 73, Mike W4EF On 3/12/2020 4:37 PM, John Kaufmann via Topband wrote: > To assess the impact of amplifier circuit noi

Re: Topband: Hi Z amplifiers for 160m (LONG)

2020-03-12 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
To assess the impact of amplifier circuit noise in "active" receive arrays, we only need to be concerned with the contribution of amplifier circuit noise relative to atmospheric noise. The details of how signals are phased in any particular array do not matter. The objective is to keep the

Re: Topband: Hi Z amplifiers for 160m

2020-03-12 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Lee, I think you are confusing voltage and power.  For incoherent sources like amplifier noise, the voltages of multiple incoherent sources add in a root-sum-squared (RSS) fashion.  The voltage of the sum of eight incoherent sources is square root of eight times a single noise source, assuming

Re: Topband: Hi Z amplifiers for 160m

2020-03-11 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
As the designer of the YCCC high impedance feedpoint amplifier, let me address some issues related to the design of the YCCC amplifier as well as feedpoint amplifiers in general. If you don't want to read a lot of technical gobbledygook, please disregard this message. The YCCC uses an AD8055 RF

Re: Topband: Strong Carrier 1828.5

2020-01-20 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
It's also very strong in the greater Boston area. The signal is very steady with only a few dB of very slow fading. I get a heading of roughly SE, which would put it towards Cape Cod or Rhode Island, but it could be anywhere between E and S. It doesn't exhibit strong directivity on my 8-circle

Topband: Message from HI3/KC1XX

2020-01-15 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
Greetings Topbanders, Matt, KC1XX, is spending the winter in HI3 and asked me to relay this message to all of you. He is on the air as HI3/KC1XX but is experiencing terrible line noise at his present location. He hears lots of stations calling him on the low bands but he is having great

Topband: Source for durable ladder line?

2020-01-12 Thread John Kaufmann via Topband
I'm looking for a source for durable ladder line for making two-wire reversible Beverages for use at the KC1XX contest station. In the past we've used the line sold by DX Engineering but over the years we've found that the plastic spacers between the wires become brittle and break off. It may be

Re: Topband: 4sq vs SAL 30 Mkii in a forest

2019-02-18 Thread John Kaufmann
I have an 8-circle array in the woods. The tallest trees in my area are about 60-70 feet, so your trees might be larger and denser than mine. However, my system works very well, judging by the fact that its pattern seems to match very closely the theoretical pattern for this array. In other

Re: Topband: Rx splinter

2019-02-02 Thread John Kaufmann
. That will work. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of John Kaufmann Sent: Saturday, February 2, 2019 11:56 AM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Rx splinter The BCC splitter design suggested by PC2A is based on the "

Re: Topband: Rx splinter

2019-02-02 Thread John Kaufmann
The BCC splitter design suggested by PC2A is based on the "magic tee" splitter. An excellent tutorial on magic tee splitters can be found on W8JI's Web site: https://www.w8ji.com/combiner_and_splitters.htm. These splitters are very easy and inexpensive to build. A 1:2 splitter design

Re: Topband: capacity needed for Deturning tower

2018-12-22 Thread John Kaufmann
On 160 I've used a vertical wire of 20 feet with a 1000 pF variable capacitor to detune a tower at its base. You can scale that to 80. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of terry burge Sent: Friday, December 21, 2018 9:22 PM

Re: Topband: Detuning TX ant + QSK

2018-11-28 Thread John Kaufmann
From: Richard (Rick) Karlquist Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 7:02 AM To: jkaufm...@alum.mit.edu ; 'Jim Thomson' ; 'TopBand List' Subject: Re: Topband: Detuning TX ant + QSK On 11/28/2018 5:18 AM, John Kaufmann wrote: > Jim, > > I use Gigavac GH-1 vacuum relays for detuning

Re: Topband: Detuning TX ant + QSK

2018-11-28 Thread John Kaufmann
Jim, I use Gigavac GH-1 vacuum relays for detuning my TX antennas when receiving. The contact closure/release time is 6 msec. You have to dial in enough QSK delay in your radio so that you don't hot-switch the relays. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband

Re: Topband: Vertical antennas aren't always best for DX

2018-11-27 Thread John Kaufmann
s JC N4IS From: John Kaufmann Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2018 8:16 AM To: n...@n4is.com; topband@contesting.com Subject: RE: Topband: Vertical antennas aren't always best for DX In considering the *total power* radiated by any antenna, you need to look at the 3-dimensional antenna pattern,

Re: Topband: Vertical antennas aren't always best for DX

2018-11-27 Thread John Kaufmann
, you can check by yourself using EZENEC if you don't know how to calculate the fields. There is no misleading here. 73 JC N4IS -Original Message- From: Topband On Behalf Of John Kaufmann Sent: Monday, November 26, 2018 8:53 PM To: topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Vertical

Re: Topband: Vertical antennas aren't always best for DX

2018-11-26 Thread John Kaufmann
The statement that the half of a horizontal dipole's radiation is vertically polarized is misleading and needs qualification. There is a vertically polarized component off the ends of the dipole but it is only of consequence at takeoff angles approaching 90 degrees, in other words straight

Topband: Vertical vs. horizontal antennas at KC1XX

2018-11-26 Thread John Kaufmann
I would like to add some additional observations to the ongoing discussion about horizontal vs. vertical antennas on 160. At the KC1XX contest station where I operate the low bands (160 and 80), we just installed two new horizontal dipoles for 160. For years, KC1XX has used a 3 element inline

Re: Topband: YCCC op amp preamp...

2018-11-13 Thread John Kaufmann
You can find a schematic on p.54 of the user's manual which can be download from the DXE Web site: https://static.dxengineering.com/global/images/instructions/dxe-yccc-switch. pdf. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Peter

Re: Topband: Which compromise receiving antenna

2018-11-06 Thread John Kaufmann
I designed the YCCC preamp so I can answer the question about the AD8055 op amp. As used in the YCCC preamp, the linearity is actually very good. We use a YCCC receiving array at KC1XX in a multi-operator, multi-transmitter environment with 20 foot receive verticals. That's a pretty severe RFI

Re: Topband: Working LP from VK6 to the USA - season approaches

2018-11-01 Thread John Kaufmann
I was one of the lucky ones to work VK6VZ on LP last November 7. I got him at 2128Z with signals peaking from the east. It was exactly at my sunset. I was followed by two other W1 stations before the opening ran out. Good luck to all on this one! 73, John W1FV -Original

Re: Topband: elevated radials

2018-10-22 Thread John Kaufmann
or 3 of db "out of round".Some other modeling I did showed small pattern skew even with 3 or 4 radials removed. So what am I missing? Grant KZ1W On 10/21/2018 15:22 PM, John Kaufmann wrote: > We just went through the exercise of tuning up the elevated radials on the &

Re: Topband: elevated radials

2018-10-21 Thread John Kaufmann
We just went through the exercise of tuning up the elevated radials on the KC1XX 160m vertical array in advance of the upcoming CQWW DX Contests. The first thing is to make each of the radials look as electrically identical as possible. We assume the length of the vertical element is fixed and

Re: Topband: How to determine impedance

2018-01-29 Thread John Kaufmann
Here's another method that's based on the engineering textbook transmission line equation and use of an impedance analyzer to make an impedance measurement. You can look up the transmission line equation on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_line. Scroll down the page to the

Re: Topband: Big 160m openings just before K index spikes

2017-12-08 Thread John Kaufmann
I have also observed enhanced, and sometimes extraordinary, propagation at the onset of disturbed conditions. A recent notable example was the LP QSO with VK6VZ that I reported last month: http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/topband/2017-November/052869.html. At the time of the QSO, the K

Re: Topband: Good long path opening from VK6 to NA

2017-11-08 Thread John Kaufmann
It was certainly a great opening between VK6 and my QTH (at W1FV). As Steve indicated, we had been trying to make a LP QSO for a number of years. In the past I had heard him a few times but it was marginal and we were never able to connect for a two-way. This time it was easy. Steve's e-mail

Re: Topband: Good Conditions Last Night

2017-11-07 Thread John Kaufmann
Another sign of things looking up on Topband: I worked VK6VZ on long path at 2128Z today, right at my sunset. Steve peaked 569 from the ENE and he also worked at least a couple other W1's. I also had partial copy on VK6LW CQing around the same time but Kevin was right at the noise and not quite

Re: Topband: Relay switching at the base on antenna

2017-09-23 Thread John Kaufmann
I use the "Key Out" line of my K3S to drive the base of a homebrew transistor switch that, in turn, drives a relay coil at the base of my antenna. There is an isolation diode between the K3S keying line and the switching transistor because I also use the same keying line to switch my AL-1200 QSK

Re: Topband: greyline prop forecast

2017-02-17 Thread John Kaufmann
What Frank says (below) is 100% correct. There is simply no substitute for time in the chair. I never use any propagation prediction methods. I know from more than three decades of lowband DXing and contesting experience when the openings are most likely to occur but I can't predict them in

Re: Topband: Cutting Delay Lines

2016-07-13 Thread John Kaufmann
In principle, any *odd* multiple of 4.118 MHz (the frequency where the cable is 1/4 wavelengths long) will work when the far end of the cable is open-circuited. If you short-circuit the far end of the cable, then look for X=0 at *even* multiples of 4.118 MHz. 73, John W1FV -Original

Re: Topband: low band propagation at solar min

2016-06-05 Thread John Kaufmann
(Note: disregard my earlier incomplete post) Carl K9LA: " But in my opinion (and in the opinion of others) the deep and long solar minimum between Cycles 23 and 24 (2006-2010) didn't live up to this axiom compared to the not-so-deep and not-so-long solar minimum between Cycles 22 and 23

Re: Topband: low band propagation at solar min

2016-06-05 Thread John Kaufmann
> As for low band propagation being better at solar min, I grew up believing in this axiom. But in my opinion (and in the opinion of others) the deep and long solar minimum between Cycles 23 and 24 (2006-2010) didn't live up to this axiom compared to the not-so-deep and not-so-long solar minimum

Topband: Strange 160m intruder

2016-04-25 Thread John Kaufmann
I have been observing an intruder whose behavior is unlike anything I have seen before. It consists of a comb spectrum of CW tones in the 160m band. They pulse on and off at a regular interval. There is never any form of identification transmitted by it. Thanks to my Elecraft P3 panadapter,

Re: Topband: 2 element vertical for 80m with 1/8wavelength spacing

2016-04-19 Thread John Kaufmann
I also use a vertical phased array with 1/8-wave spacing on 80m. I did this because of limited space. Like PE5T describes in his post below, I used the method in ON4UN's book and originally described in a series of articles by K2BT in Ham Radio magazine (no longer in publication) in the

Re: Topband: Strange propagation

2016-01-15 Thread John Kaufmann
I was lucky enough to visit W1BB in person back in the early 1970's. I got to see his home station and the famous water tower station. As I recall the two stations were a bit further apart than walking distance, unless you didn't mind walking a lot. We drove there from his home. I'm almost

Topband: Update on 1814 kHz mystery signal

2016-01-13 Thread John Kaufmann
I received a number of replies on the subject of the mystery CW/QRSS signal that I've been hearing every day on 1814.0 kHz. It's strong at my QTH just west of Boston. Most people don't hear it and some do hear something but I don't think it's what I am hearing. Here is some additional info.

Re: Topband: 4SQ vs. 8 circle rcv

2016-01-13 Thread John Kaufmann
Based on the RDF metric, which is a very useful way of comparing antennas, the differences between the "best" arrays is not that great--maybe 1 to 2 dB. I have used Beverages and a number of different receiving arrays, and found that in practice it is very hard to discern 1 dB RDF differences

Topband: Carrier on 1814.0 kHz

2016-01-10 Thread John Kaufmann
For weeks I have been hearing a fairly strong persistent signal on 1814.0 kHz. It is either a continuous carrier or a series of slow CW dashes. The signals I hear periodically from buoy beacons come and go. This one is persistent. I hear it only in darkness and not in daylight, so I presume

Re: Topband: New Noise

2016-01-03 Thread John Kaufmann
A relatively new source of RF noise is solar panel installations. These are becoming more widespread and I'm now hearing multiple reports of solar panel noise from other hams in my area. The culprit seems to be the power inverters that use high speed switching circuits and radiate through the

Re: Topband: 160M EWE Problems

2015-12-10 Thread John Kaufmann
> A reversible array is far and away the best way to convince yourself > that you have a working receive antenna system. If you reverse it and > nothing ever changes, well, you're listening to some other antenna! > Some (e.g. YCCC array) are supposed to be far more sensitive to near-field >

Re: Topband: 9 circle array

2015-12-08 Thread John Kaufmann
In general, any metal in the near field of the array will have an effect on pattern. This includes radials under the array. It's hard to predict what the results will be in a particular situation, but it can be modeled in EZNEC or other modeling programs. I've done this in the past and the

Re: Topband: 9 circle array

2015-12-08 Thread John Kaufmann
In my earlier post, I neglected to mention the NCJ article was published in 2011. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of John Kaufmann Sent: Monday, December 07, 2015 8:34 PM To: 'Glenn Biggerstaff'; topband@contesting.com Cc

Re: Topband: 9 circle array

2015-12-07 Thread John Kaufmann
Hello TopBanders, I am the author of the original NCJ article, published in September/October and November/December issues, which is the basis for the YCCC/DX Engineering RX array. I also collaborated extensively with DXE to develop the kits that are now available exclusively through DXE. I

Re: Topband: K1FK to JA Via 160-Meter Long Path

2015-09-24 Thread John Kaufmann
I just wanted to add another data point to this subject. I have heard LP JA's on 160 on several occasions from my location in FN42 (eastern MA), anywhere from 2120Z to 2200Z in December and January, going back to 1994 or thereabouts. I was never able to work any because they were working Europe

Re: Topband: Point Shirley

2015-02-28 Thread John Kaufmann
W1BB's water tower shack was in a little hut at the base of the tower. I visited Stew back in the 1970's and got a tour of that QTH. As I recall, the shack also served as a civil defense facility, which is the connection that allowed Stew to operate from there. I remember Stew telling me that

Re: Topband: Foreign stns using NA remotes for K1N

2015-02-04 Thread John Kaufmann
W8JI: The last good DXCC's were when we had a mileage limit. Even then, someone could use a second site. It was actually common to use second sites. W1BU did it from a swamp, even W1BB had two stations. Just for the record, it is true that W1BB had two stations, but they were in the same town

Re: Topband: Non-resonant receive antennas

2014-12-19 Thread John Kaufmann
-Original Message- From: JC [mailto:n...@comcast.net] Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 5:15 PM To: 'John Kaufmann'; 'Top Band Contesting' Subject: RE: Topband: Non-resonant receive antennas Hi John What is the orientation of you low dipole? I assume similar to XZ0A it is broadside N-S. In 2010

Re: Topband: Non-resonant receive antennas

2014-12-18 Thread John Kaufmann
A few years ago, I put up a low, non-resonant dipole, about 150 feet long and 10 feet high for use as an auxiliary receiving antenna on 160. My main receiving antenna was and still is an array of short verticals. What I found at my W1 location after I installed the dipole is similar to what N5IA

Re: Topband: 8 circle: DXE vs Hi-Z

2014-12-17 Thread John Kaufmann
: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 3:19 PM To: Lee K7TJR; 'Terry Posey'; 'John Kaufmann'; topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: 8 circle: DXE vs Hi-Z All this discussion about RDF overlooks the issue of polarization. If you make an array of verticals with a certain RDF (assuming noise comes from all

Re: Topband: 8 circle: DXE vs Hi-Z

2014-12-16 Thread John Kaufmann
A few comments based on my own experience with various receiving arrays: Circle diameter of the Hi-Z array: A circle diameter of 200 feet is specified for the Hi-Z 8-circle array on 160m. In fact, I have found that there is nothing magic about 200 feet. It happens to be a good compromise

Re: Topband: Unknown Pulse Signal Wiping out 1900-1925 kHz

2014-12-09 Thread John Kaufmann
It is still coming in after my SR (1200Z) but dropping in strength. Given the hour, it is definitely not coming from EU. The origins are in NA. 73, John W1FV _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: That 1.9 MHz radar signal...

2014-12-09 Thread John Kaufmann
Stay tuned, and any additional reports are welcome...I think we have narrowed it down to something in the Maine/New Brunswick.Nova Scotia areas. 73, Doug K1DG I would also put Newfoundland in the region of interest. From my location in the greater Boston area, the direction of arrival is

Re: Topband: That 1.9 MHz radar signal...

2014-12-09 Thread John Kaufmann
I'm not hearing it either at 0054Z. This transmitter appears to go on and off, so we can't deduce much unless we know it's on. Joe (VO1NA), do you have a directional RX antenna? If so, your readings could really help narrow down the location. 73, John W1FV -Original Message- From:

Re: Topband: Unknown Pulse Signal Wiping out 1900-1925 kHz

2014-12-08 Thread John Kaufmann
Same estimated heading (~75 deg) from the Boston area and same as last night. The relatively big signal strength suggests something in NA rather than EU. But that would place it almost out a sea from here, or possibly very southern VE1 or FP8. Is there anyone from that area that can give a

Re: Topband: Unknown Pulse Signal Wiping out 1900-1925 kHz

2014-12-07 Thread John Kaufmann
It peaks at a heading of about 75 degrees from eastern MA, as best as I can determine on a Hi-Z 8 circle array. I made a video of its spectrum as captured on my Elecraft P3 and posted it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwe0zp2XiuY. 73, John W1FV _ Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Using 80m 1/4 vertical on 160

2014-06-02 Thread John Kaufmann
Hi Mike, I have a dual-band 160/80 meter vertical system that is based on 1/4-wave verticals on 80. I switch in loading coils to make them work on 160. The 160 capability was added as an afterthought, a few years after it had been set up for 80. Perhaps top loading would be somewhat more

Re: Topband: Chasing Shaclelton

2014-01-08 Thread John Kaufmann
I have studied quite a bit of the history of polar exploration and I don't think there is any correlation between solar activity and the launching of polar expeditions. Multiple expeditions were undertaken to discover the Northwest Passage, the North Pole, and then the South Pole throughout the

Re: Topband: Light fiber question

2013-10-24 Thread John Kaufmann
There are niche applications, called antenna remoting, where photonic and fiberoptic technologies are used to transmit RF signals from an antenna to a remote receiver. You can buy commercial systems to do this. I once designed such a system for a government application to send RF signals from

Re: Topband: New beverage

2013-05-16 Thread John Kaufmann
Go to http://exax.net/index.html and scroll down the page to center fed steerable wave antenna. The diagram shows how you can feed a 2-wire Beverage in the center, or anywhere along its length. The two transformers in the middle have center taps that pass signal currents from one side of the

Re: Topband: Measured RG-6 Loss: Solid Copper vs. Copper Clad center conductor

2013-01-24 Thread John Kaufmann
At KC1XX we also have a 1500-foot feedline run to one of our lowband receiving antennas. We use RG-6 with copper clad steel center conductor, but we install a preamp right at the antenna to compensate for feedline loss and some passive splitting losses at the station. A potential downside of a

Re: Topband: Spurious Signal on 1810.8

2012-10-03 Thread John Kaufmann
About 30 minutes after local SR, the signal is definitely peaking SW from FN42gk (eastern MA). 73, John W1FV ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK

Re: Topband: Spurious Signal on 1810.8

2012-10-02 Thread John Kaufmann
From eastern MA (FN42gk) the signal is very strong in the daytime and nighttime. This appears to indicate that the source is within groundwave distance of me. I tried getting a direction fix this evening with my RX vertical array that can switch in 8 directions. However, I see very little

Re: Topband: Reducing Noise in the Shack

2012-06-26 Thread John Kaufmann
This report on RFI mitigation may be of interest to folks here: http://edocs.nps.edu/npspubs/scholarly/TR/2007/NPS-EC-07-002.pdf. It was done at the Naval Post Graduate School and almost appears to have been written for ham applications. 73, John W1FV

Re: Topband: Artificial Propagation...?

2012-03-11 Thread John Kaufmann
Some of you may be thinking of Project West Ford, conducted in the early 1960's by MIT Lincoln Laboratory (where I work now). Many millions of tiny needles were launched into orbit to generate an artificial scattering medium above the earth for long range microwave communications. You must