Topband: Elevated Radials on Grounded Tower?

I'm putting together a presentation which I think I'm going to call "Working 160M with limited antennas," or something like that. I've studied as much of the literature as I can find, including extensive work by W2FMI, K3LC, N6LF, W8JI, and K2AV. My intent is to distill it to the point that it

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

I think the digital modes should QRP on top band to make it fair.:-) :-) Bob K6UJ On Sep 19, 2012, at 4:43 PM, Ron Kolarik wrote: > Finally some useful suggestions. The digital ops were only following accepted > practice when they selected the area around 1838, top end of the cw segment,

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

>>> Welcome to the digital age... What with hundreds of so-called "friends" on venues like facebook.com, this was surely the next step, & merely reflects a growing (deplorable) trend... >> Eddy, sure not, we won't be stepping aside de line doing nothing. We, all of us worked very hard on the last

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Finally some useful suggestions. The digital ops were only following accepted practice when they selected the area around 1838, top end of the cw segment, for a place to run. If all three IARU areas could be brought in to alignment 1840-1870 would be a good choice for digital. Something to think

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

Being in PY1 land is just a tad better, but... We have something extra... when its winter and band have low noise, there is almost zero activity in northern hemisphere. We have to operate in summer, copying stuff between static crashes, wild... 73, Felipe Ceglia - PY1NB -

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

Excellent observations on DXCC from the East Coast. I think all Atlantic Coasters should operate QRP -  Just to make it fair.   jim / W1FMR  Jim, When I operated with Merv K9FD at BY1QH in Jan '98 on 160, we observed the following: The west coast stations, W6 & W7s were S7 to S9. Midwest w

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

What we usually here is some east coast guy.Hi Bob nice to work you again on topband for the upteenth time this week. Just wanted to let you know that you are still 20 over 9 here. Any luck working the west coast Mike W0MU W0MU-1 CC Cluster w0mu.net:2

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

Excellent observations on DXCC from the East Coast. I think all Atlantic Coasters should operate QRP -  Just to make it fair.   jim / W1FMR  --- On Wed, 9/19/12, mstang...@comcast.net wrote: From: mstang...@comcast.net Subject: Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness To: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com Cc: "'T

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

That's the truth! I like to dabble in UHF\VHF contesting. A good weekend may net me a 150 - 200 Q's between 6M and 70cm, I see posts from 2 landers with 500-600 Q's. Run what you can, make the most of it, and have fun! 73 Dan, N8IE k2...@juno.com wrote: > > LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION !

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION On Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:57:05 -0400 writes: > The heck with it all, if you hear it, that's good enough. > Free 5 Band DXCC for everyone! > > Or better yet, the much coveted D-Star DXCC Award. Ohhh > > mstang...@comcast.net wrote: > > Jim, > > >

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

The heck with it all, if you hear it, that's good enough. Free 5 Band DXCC for everyone! Or better yet, the much coveted D-Star DXCC Award. Ohhh mstang...@comcast.net wrote: > Jim, > > You can't have your cake and eat it. The West coast has nicer weather than > the East coast but

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

Jim, You can't have your cake and eat it. The West coast has nicer weather than the East coast but the left coast ocean is larger... Maybe there should be an award based on Grid Squares. Mike N2MS - Original Message - From: Jim Brown To: 'TopBand' Sent: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:17:35 -000

Topband: Hi-Z vertical elements

Hi Gary, I went the PVC route first for my 4 element HI-Z. Same results as you but sooner. I ordered telescoping aluminum tubing and solved everything. I used 6 feet of 1 inch OD, 6 feet of .875" OD, 6 feet of .75" OD & 3 feet of .625" OD for each vertical. The pieces are overlapped 4 inch

Re: Topband: DXCC Fairness

On 9/19/2012 1:17 PM, Jim Brown wrote: Talk about DXCC fairness -- it's FAR easier to work DXCC with a modest station anywhere around the Atlantic, or within 1000 km of it, than it is from the Pacific. I've got a very nice antenna farm and have taken the time to become a competitive contester,

Re: Topband: A read and review on KM5KG's book "Short Antennas for 160Meter Radio".

- Original Message - From: "Guy Olinger K2AV" To: "TopBand List" Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 12:24 PM Subject: Topband: A read and review on KM5KG's book "Short Antennas for 160Meter Radio". The other day I got my copy of Grant Bingeman's (KM5KG) ARRL published book "Shor

Topband: Deep Search

The database used for deep search contains only the calls of those doing weak signal VHF and EME work. It is implemented ONLY in the WSJT software. The JT65-HF software used on the HF bands, written by W6CQZ, does NOT use deep search. BTW -- how many contesters are there who don't use a supe

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

All, I feel the issue is that the band plans for the three regions are not aligned, especially region 2. Since CW is still a popular mode of communications for this band I propose three regions should allocate 1810-1840 for CW. SSB is not a popular on 160 as it is on 80 or 40. I don't hear mu

Topband: Verticals for Hi-Z arrays

I went ahead and bit the bullet and put up eight 23 foot telescoping aluminum verticals for the 8-Circle array. They give me stellar performance and do not bend over. 73, John, W4NU ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK

Topband: DXCC Fairness

Talk about DXCC fairness -- it's FAR easier to work DXCC with a modest station anywhere around the Atlantic, or within 1000 km of it, than it is from the Pacific. I've got a very nice antenna farm and have taken the time to become a competitive contester, but I am almost never able to work DXC

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

"How Many Bits are Copied in a JT65 Transmission?" (DUBUS, 3/2006) http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/K1JT_eme2006_2.pdf Note the date. This argument about the JT65 modes happened on the EME lists that long ago. I can't seem t

Topband: A read and review on KM5KG's book "Short Antennas for 160 Meter Radio".

The other day I got my copy of Grant Bingeman's (KM5KG) ARRL published book "Short Antennas for 160 Meter Radio". Short version: As the title states, it's about short antennas, focuses on wires in the air, and how to do it in a 30 foot cube space above ground. It's about designing a 30 foot anten

Re: Topband: Hi-Z vertical elements

Thank you all for the many off-list and on list replies. It seems like one of the most affordable methods is to use the fiberglass insertable poles sold on ebay so I just ordered two dozen of them in the event I someday go to a 4 element array. I didn't know these were available or I would h

Re: Topband: The digital thread

Tree. . .thank you. Although discussion on this could subject could go on forever (seems like it already has), the topic has been pretty well vetted at this point. I think a lot of us are ready to move on. Thanks for hosting this great forum. 73. . . Dave W0FLS - Original Message -

Topband: Technology vs. Tradition

Hi Everyone! As a relative youngster (a few more months to go before I qualify for AARP!), I've been reading every fifth message or so about digital modes on 160;  In the "old days", seems like any innovation or mode that would get the intelligence through would have been in the domain of what w

Topband: The digital thread

Well - here we are once again talking about the digital thread. It's my job to help moderate the discussion. This will be my last attempt to do so without having to go into forced moderation mode. I think that it is safe to say that digital modes are something some people like and some people do

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

For the record, I have tried JT65 and other digital modes. I'm not opposed to them, but they are not for me. To each their own, of course, but I would rather watch paint dry than work digital modes. For me it takes the fun and sense of personal achievement out of operating. It appears to me, i

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

I side with you, Mike, on the interloping attitude of SSB! I'm a CW afficianado as others are --- > CC: w...@w8ji.com; topband@contesting.com > From: armst...@aol.com > Subject: Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres > Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:37:26 -0700 > To: rodenkirch_...@msn.

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Tom, "easily" is a very parochial east coast point of view. Maybe from GA. Probably not in one lifetime from west of the Mississippi. Having noted that, let me go on to say the discussion has morphed from its origin of "where to put digi modes" to "whether digi modes should be on [pick a band]

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

On 2012-09-19, at 10:42 AM, Tom W8JI wrote: > > That report is amazing and disturbing at the same time. It appears we now > have a system that pre-establishes the callsigns and QSO information, cannot > actually decode the information without the data being pre-established, and > we now have

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Just to underline Tom's comments, see the following paper http://www.sm2cew.com/Digital%20communications%20using%20minimal%20transfer.pdf Jan, That report is amazing and disturbing at the same time. It appears we now have a system that pre-establishes the callsigns and QSO information, canno

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

On Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:33:28 -0400 "Tom W8JI" wrote: That's a good suggestion. It really should be one award for the case where a human operator copies the signal, a man and his radio, and another certificate where a machine actually copies the signal, a man reading the text decoded and pr

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

On 09/19/2012 08:33 AM, Tom W8JI wrote: Maybe we will need two versions of 160m DXCC - one of which specifically states "SSB and CW only" or somesuch! That's a good suggestion. It really should be one award for the case where a human operator copies the signal, a man and his radio, and another

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

>>> Differentiating operating awards? If you are talking DXCC it has been differentiated for years. SSB award, CW award, DIGITAL/RTTY award and MIXED. I know this because I have them all hanging on my wall. Doing it again on 160 is going to be a hoot. If the 160 award isn't That is the

Re: Topband: TT8TT

TT8TT Gud luck Alfeo 'n Team. Sure that you make the possible best from there. CUL, on the air. Alessandro, IZ5MOQ - Original Message - From: "Alfeo Caputo" To: ___ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Jan, I am not absolutely certain, but I believe JT65HF, which is what is being talked about here, doesn't do a deep search or nobody uses it if it does. Again, not absolutely certain about it, since I have never used the facility if it exists in the HF version. That is another point that shoul

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Differentiating operating awards? If you are talking DXCC it has been differentiated for years. SSB award, CW award, DIGITAL/RTTY award and MIXED. I know this because I have them all hanging on my wall. Doing it again on 160 is going to be a hoot. If the 160 award isn't differentiated, then

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Just to underline Tom's comments, see the following paper http://www.sm2cew.com/Digital%20communications%20using%20minimal%20transfer.pdf 73 Jan OM2XW > From: w...@w8ji.com > To: topband@contesting.com > Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:33:28 -0400 > Subject: Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 1

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Tom: you said, "A bit of bent wire can easily work 200+ countries on 160 on CW. Probably more so than on "digital" modes at the present time." I doubt that's gonna happen if you're using output power in the 10-40 watt range which I believe is what Terry was emphasizing. I found, at a JT65 web s

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

The simple fact is that digimodes, thanks especially to K1JT and his excellent software, are a game changer. DX is now workable on 6m via EME (I'm not suggesting topband via the moon, in case anyone was wondering!) but also via terrestrial paths when conditions are marginal - JT65 (and its HF var

Re: Topband: intersecting ground radials

While Im not in a high lightning area we do get some beauties plus Im on top of an exposed hill. The #18 insulated and stranded used on the old Beverages was fine when removed after 20 years and reused as were the same type that were relocated for raised radials. It was all part of a pair of 500

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

Hello Don, so far i understund your post, its all about DXCC? I like DX-ing but i am dont care much about DXCC! And why evenone needs to work everything without any effort?! Topband is a chalange and i my eyes its need to stay chalange! I dont have anything against digi mods but if yes let them

Re: Topband: The use of digital modes on 160 metres

The discussion seems to have moved away from the initial question which was, as I recall, whether digital modes had the means to expand DX opportunities on 160. Yes, there are questions about bandplanning, whether the digimodes are correctly set up, etc. But these can and will be overcome. But I w