Re: Topband: Testing for common mode noise

Jim K9YC said : Second, a common mode choke does not in any way degrade the signal nor the performance of the antenna. but after more offline discussions with Jim about a posting by W8JI warning that a improper value common mode choke can actually make things worse, Jim clarified his

Re: Topband: Fabricated common mode chokes - Sourcing

Paul N1BUG said : Mouser has the Fair-Rite 2.4 #31 core for $7 each. That is the lowest price I have found for small quantities. -- Last week I purchased the 2.4 O.D. 31 mix cores (Fair-Rite part number 2631803802) from Arrow Electronics, and the single quantity

Re: Topband: Flag/Pennant Question

any improvement in S\N ratio). Next season I will probably try phased half size pennants in an attempt to approach the performance of a full size beverage (similar RDF values) from a small suburban lot, but will also probably test out a BOG. 73's Don Kirk (wd8dsb

Re: Topband: QRP Question

Let me play the devils advocate and put a spin on why you might want to sign /qrp when calling CQ. 1) If I work you and you sign /qrp, then I will send you a QSL card that says K9JWV/qrp (or whatever your call might be), but if you don't say you are qrp, then you will get a card that says

Re: Topband: T8CC

Hello Mike, Here are the last 100 spots for T8CC on the topband, and really not much reported in the US (nothing from the East Coast at all). 73's Don (wd8dsb) N7TK1825.5 T8CC 160M PSE 1145 15 Dec Palau LA3XI 1824.9 T8CC

Re: Topband: Where to place a preamp? Switching Beverages?

N4ZR said : I have a 20 dB ARR preamp, My choice is whether to put it at the antenna end, incurring the added complexity of sending 12V DC to it via the coax, or to put it in the shack. Per the ON4UN book, In most cases you can put the preamplifier in

Re: Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 109, Issue 36

Doug (EI2CN) said : Jack is a gentleman and good operator. Certainly in EI there are no clicks but perhaps some have such a strong signal that the problem is in their own equipment - it can happen. Yep, this often

Re: Topband: Solar Activity Topband

--- Guy Said : Yet, conditions for transcontinental QSOs here during this weekend's ongoing running of the CQ 160 WW test have been very good...so far, anyway. I too observed very good state side conditions last night from the Indianapolis area

Re: Topband: Wellbrook receive loop performance

W2PM said, A comparison of the Wellbrook product which is a magnetic loop is not a good one to a AY loop or other low angle directive receive antenna. Mag loops are not directive in the same way they only have a very sharp null to two opposite directions and omni directional vertically.

Re: Topband: K6STI low noise receive loop

there is no modeling associated with this effort. Jim, I took a look at the article today and also threw together a basic (simple) EZNEC model and my generated elevation pattern closely resembles the pattern that they published (fig 6) in QST back in 1995. On 160 meters the elevation

Re: Topband: Spurious Signal on 1810.8

Signal S7 in Fishers Indiana (10 miles NE of Indianapolis) tonight at 8:30 pm EDT, and beam heading approximately 100 degrees (equal signal on my pennant beaming 40 degrees and my pennant beaming 160 degrees which puts it at approximately 100 degrees). I uploaded recording of signal on youtube

Re: Topband: Spurious Signal on 1810.8

have when copying AA1K right now, and he is 93.6 degrees from my location. Don (wd8dsb) -Original Message- From: Don Kirk wd8...@aol.com To: topband topband@contesting.com Sent: Tue, Oct 2, 2012 9:02 pm Subject: Re: Topband: Spurious Signal on 1810.8 Signal S7 in Fishers Indiana (10

Re: Topband: 1810 kHz signal

If someone here could take a map and plot all of the the data points, thearea from which the signal originates will become clear. I did that this morning using Google Earth, and while the data is noisy (some stray data points), so far it appears the signal is originating from the half of New

Re: Topband: W1AW

I have been looking for them for the past week and I too have not heard w1aw on 160. Even did a search on internet trying to find out why but could not find info. -Original Message- From: w...@w8ji.com To: Topband Topband@contesting.com Sent: Tue, Oct 9, 2012 5:39 pm Subject:

Re: Topband: W1AW

W8JI asked : Is W1AW missing from 160 now? I use them to calibrate directions. I just checked with the ARRL, and the 160 meter antenna was damaged in a storm and they have been off the air for about 1 week. Current plan is for contractor to install new antenna on Wednesday Oct 24th. 73's

Re: Topband: 1810 spur status and resolution

Full and final details on the recent spurious signal and how it was located can be found on the following website. http://sites.google.com/site/wgymsignal/ 73's Rick K2XT Don WD8DSB ___ Remember the PreStew coming on October 20th.

Re: Topband: DSL Filter

Today I built the ADSL filter today that Rag (LA6FJA) provided the link for, and it solved my DSL crashing problem. I fought this problem for numerous years when running 100 watts on 160 meters and previously threw a bunch of toroid chokes at the problem with no success, but today in the 160

Re: Topband: Antenna terminations

K1PX said, I've covered my resistors and solder joints with GE Silicone II sealant and have never had a problem. I do the same thing with my pennant termination resistors (just cover them with GE Silicone II sealant). 73's Don (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Using GE silicone as antenna sealant.

WA3MEJ said : be very sure that if you pick GE silicone sealant.. (RTV or whatever you call it) DO NOT use the kind that has acetic acid in it. This is a very good point, and this is the reason I use GE Silicone Sealant II versus GE Silicone Sealant I. GE Silicone Sealant II is a neutral cure

Topband: ADSL Filter (simple surface mount design)

In February of this year I built another ADSL filter originally designed by OZ1CTK, but this time I used off the shelf surface mount components (my original build used through hole components, etc.). For my surface mount build I used a single sided circuit board and a Dremel tool with cutoff

Re: Topband: Ferrite Source

Dean, I purchase the 2.4 O.D. 31 mix cores (Fair-Rite part number 2631803802) from Arrow Electronics, and the single quantity pricing is currently $4.83 per part. Shipping is $8.00, but the low piece price more than makes up for the shipping cost. Arrow Electronics is a Fair-Rite distributor,

Topband: 160 meter interference caused by bad cable on ATT u-verse wireless gateway

This month a beacon like CW signal appeared on 1.816 Mhz at my location (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), and yesterday with the help of my neighbor I was able to locate the source of the signal which turned out to be a bad cable (homemade) that was connected to my neighbors ATT U-verse wireless

Topband: RX antenna transformer winding (pure resistance transformation issues)

, capacitance not measured at RF Has anyone else stumbled upon the above phenomena, and am curious why there has been no mention of it before (or if there has been it's very hard to find)? I'm very happy with the performance of my binocular core transformers, but I'm technically inquisitive. 73, Don Kirk

Re: Topband: RX antenna transformer winding (pure resistance transformation issues)

thru to force the most separation. Thanks to Rick and Carl for the technical discussions we had. 73, Don Kirk (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: RX antenna transformer winding

I've been using Radio Shack 30 AWG insulated wire (wire wrap wire) to wind my binocular cores for RX antennas. It comes in 50 foot spools, and you can buy it in Blue, Red, or White. This insulated wire has made winding of my binocular cores a real pleasure. No more worries about scratching the

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Approximately 128 deg from WD8DSB (EM69) using small DF loop. On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 7:12 AM, Mike Waters mikew...@gmail.com wrote: A steady carrier from fish net beacons doesn't fit the pattern of the ones everyone has heard on 160. That would deplete the batteries fairly quickly. All the

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

I'm mapping the data, but nothing to hang my hat on at this time. The data from Steve (KK7UV) does not intersect any of the other reports (odd). A heading from W8JI or AA1K would be very helpful. Don (wd8dsb) On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 7:45 AM, Mike Waters mikew...@gmail.com wrote: It's mostly

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW -BTW

OK, while we are on the topic another very big factor to think about is magnetic north vs. true north (I have tried to not bring this up in the past). I don't expect any response to this, but this has always been in the back of my mind and wonder what headings are really being reported (what is

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Having more time this evening I went to an open field with two different portable DF antenna systems (shielded loop, and terminated flag), and I'm now going to say the signal is 140 degrees from my location just NE of Indianapolis (140 degrees True heading). Don (wd8dsb) On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Oops, I compensated for true north backwards on my last report. Therefore I should have said the signal is 130 degrees from my location just NE of Indianapolis (130 degrees True heading which is very close to the 128 deg number I said this morning). Don On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 9:32 PM, Don Kirk

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Paul and Gang, Based on Pauls heading and a few other headings that intersect Pauls heading, it looks like the signal is originating from the lower half of NC, or the NE part of SC that touches NC. Hard to describe, but an area like Fayetteville NC to the North, Wilmington NC to the South East,

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Hi Guys, K5ESW reported the following : The 3501.5 carrier is audible in daylight in Raleigh, NC. It is running S3-S4 now at 3 pm local. It was about S6-S7 or better at night. What would be interesting to know is if anyone can hear this signal 24 hours a day, and then DF activity should be done

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Hi Rick, The beacon that you mention (what I assume I'm hearing around 3.500.9 this morning between 1130 to 1200 UTC) is on a lower frequency (approximately 0.9 Khz lower) than what I was previously hearing, it's much weaker than what I had been hearing, and it's heading is much different from my

Re: Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW

Rick and gang, as a follow up I just contacted Bill (w4hbk) via e-mail, and the QRSS beacon that you mentioned above was definitely not the signal we were tracking last week. Bill said the following today via e-mail. I was running 1W to a 43' vertical on a frequency of 3500.81. One Watt is

Topband: 160 meters RFI reduction using RF Choke on neighbors TV power cord

Within the last few months I noticed a raspy signal on 1.824 Mhz 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My 3 pennant RX antennas indicated the noise was coming from a heading of approximately 135 degrees, and a large portable shielded loop placed in my yard indicated a signal heading of 124 degrees

Re: Topband: How much ground independence?

Hi Bruce, I'm using 3 small Pennant RX antennas (51.6% the size of full size pennants), one pointing 40 degrees, one pointing 160 degrees, and one pointing 300 degrees (sharing the same feedpoint). Originally bottom of them were 2 feet off the ground and then after a year of encouragement from

Re: Topband: Insulator problems

Greg, One property you should look at when deciding the material to use for your insulator (especially if exposed to water) is a property called water absorption and normally it's listed as a weight percent. Some nylons are better than others, but nylon in general absorbs a lot of water and

Re: Topband: To clamp or NOT...that IS the question

Hi Jim and gang, I use protection diodes on the front end of my W1FB preamps (as well as before an IC amp in the preamp, and on the output of the preamp) and have never been able to detect receiver performance degradation on 160 meters due to the clamping diodes (had to include the diode clamps

Topband: To clamp or NOT...that IS the question

Hi Tom, You said : What works OK in one place will almost always not work the same in another You just confirmed what I was trying to say, and that is in some applications it just might work. If I had not tried simple clamp diodes in my application I would have made my system complicated via

Re: Topband: To clamp or NOT...that IS the question

Jim, Getting directly back to your original question, I built a KD9SV preamp, and it has clamp diodes included in the design (I did not add them, they were part of the original design by KD9SV). Does you KD9SV preamp already have clamp diodes protecting its input, and if so you have already

Topband: PZ1AA

Worked a station identified as PZ1AA during the CQWW 160 meter CW contest this weekend, and the zone they reported was 8. Wonder if this was a valid call, as I believe the zone should have been 9, and can't find any information on the internet regarding this call sign. PZ1AA was worked by

Re: Topband: PZ1AA

Now that the CQWW 160 meter CW contest log submission deadline is past, here is an update from Ramon (PZ5RA) about PZ1AA. --- This morning I got a call from the authorities and they told me they have never submitted this call. So it was a pirate or a fake.

Re: Topband: Rig Question

The one thing that's keeping me from buying a TS590 for use on the topband is the use of a mechanical relay versus solid state switching between TX RX. Had problems develop over a long period of time with my first HF transceiver (also a Kenwood) regarding the first character sent being shortened

Re: Topband: Where was everyone last night

On Sun, Jun 22, 2014 at 2:41 PM, ALEXEY OGORODOV wrote: Heard but not worked: K1LT, N5IR, WD8DSB, LU5YF. Alex I called you a few times too, but no luck. Only worked 26 stations during the contest as lightning activity was pretty high in the US which caused lots of QRN so I just kept waking up

Re: Topband: Switching Pennants

Hi Dwight, I have 3 point fed pennants that share the same feedpoint and use only one BN-73-202 Binocular Core Transformer matching transformer at the feedpoint (one pennant pointing 40 degrees, one pointing 160 degrees, and one pointing 300 degrees) and have been using this system for over 3

Re: Topband: Switching Pennants

, Don Kirk wd8...@gmail.com wrote: Hi Dwight, I have 3 point fed pennants that share the same feedpoint and use only one BN-73-202 Binocular Core Transformer matching transformer at the feedpoint (one pennant pointing 40 degrees, one pointing 160 degrees, and one pointing 300 degrees) and have

Re: Topband: Switching Pennants

Hi Dwight, I just added the schematic of my 3 Pennant RX antenna switching system to my website. http://sites.google.com/site/pennantflagantennas/ Just FYI, Don (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Topband: Bias Tee Measurements (Test Data)

Late last year Pete (N4ZR) reported problems with his home brew Bias Tee that included radical shifts in measured impedance when DC voltage was applied to his Bias Tee. Today I decided to make impedance measurements on a simple Bias Tee circuit I recently proposed for Dwight (NS9I) who was

Re: Topband: Bias Tee Measurements (Test Data)

. - Original Message - From: Don Kirk wd8...@gmail.com To: topband topband@contesting.com Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2014 10:48 PM Subject: Topband: Bias Tee Measurements (Test Data) Late last year Pete (N4ZR) reported problems with his home brew Bias Tee that included radical shifts

Re: Topband: Bias Tee Measurements (Test Data)

, 2014 at 2:06 AM, Don Kirk wd8...@gmail.com wrote: Tom, you said Any test is meaningless, and I don't understand where you are coming from on that statement. If you look at my test, I tested with and without the bias Tee, and I tested with a well regulated bench top linear power supply

Re: Topband: Bias Tee Measurements (Test Data)

Hi Tom, Thanks for the clarification, and I don't disagree with your most recent posting except I consider a well regulated supply to be one that has low ripple, but that might be where you and I went astray on this posting (sorry about that). My posting was not to tell folks that they should

Re: Topband: Remote pre-amp power source

Hi Bruce, Their are numerous methods used for sizing solar panel systems, and using one of the common methods provides the following for your application as follows : Using a battery charging efficiency factor of 120%, and Portland Maine as the location (winter average = 3.56 sun hours/day) .

Topband: 160 meters RFI caused by low voltage bookcase lights

neighbor and I) will now dig into his low voltage lighting system to see what we can do to eliminate the interference. Just FYI, Don Kirk (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Topband: Boradband noise on 160 meters tracked down to apartment complex

hear this on the recording I made at the apartment complex today). Just FYI, and another very interesting one to track down. 73, Don Kirk (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Topband: Nintendo 3DS After Market Power Supply 160 meters RFI

This past weekend I encountered interference on 160 meters that I tracked down to a neighbors Nintendo 3DS after market power supply. Full details can be found on a simple website I created to document this case. My website URL is http://sites.google.com/site/3dspowersupplyrfi/ 73, Don Kirk

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

Quick estimate puts the signal at a heading of approximately 75 degrees from Fishers Indiana which is just NE of Indianapolis Don wd8dsb On Sunday, December 7, 2014, Gary Smith g...@ka1j.com wrote: North to North East in Groton, CT. Using a HI-Z triangular for that info. Could be on a path

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

John W1FV, You and I are in very close agreement on heading because you are 73 degrees from me and we are both saying approximately 75 degrees. I can hear it on numerous web SDR receivers that are located in Europe (England, etc.). Will be interesting to see what time of day we can no longer hear

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

Hi Mike and gang, I have been monitoring the signal during the early hours of this morning and on web SDR in England it was there at 3am EST but when I checked again at 4:20am EST it was no longer being received. The heading from my house has been very consistent at approximately 75 degrees but

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

Copying the signal again this evening from Indianapolis area at 8:45pm EST (0145 utc) Heading is again approximately 75 deg. Don wd8dsb On Monday, December 8, 2014, Michael Walker va...@portcredit.net wrote: There is my recording here: https://vimeo.com/113868670 Mike va3mw On Mon, Dec

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

Hi Doug Last night I told w1fv that my estimate was 70 to 75 deg from my location in Fishers IN and a heading of 70 deg from my location clips the bottom tip of Nova Scotia, while 75 deg runs me through Cape Cod. Therefore having very strong signal in southern part of Maine fits in well with

Topband: Boradband noise on 160 meters tracked down to apartment complex

On Dec 14, 2014, at 01:08, Jim Brown j...@audiosystemsgroup.com wrote: On Sat,12/13/2014 5:35 PM, Don Kirk wrote: Now going back to the contractor that installed the equipment in an attempt to better understand the hardware in the unit That smells like a Variable Speed Drive, the heart

Re: Topband: Boradband noise on 160 meters tracked down to apartmentcomplex

Hi Tom, Thanks, and my statement was too broad. In my case I am unable to meet the conditions you mentioned (my sense antenna would not be much closer to the noise, and it would not pick up the noise much better than the listening antenna which is pointed in the direction of the noise source).

Re: Topband: Followup on the 1915kHz radar signal

Hi Doug, Thanks for the follow up. I was saying 70 to 75 degrees, and 70 degrees from my location puts me right where the W1FV 75 degree line passes below the location you have identified. Interesting stuff. Thanks, Don (wd8dsb) On Mon, Dec 15, 2014 at 12:42 PM, Doug Grant dougk...@gmail.com

Re: Topband: Preamplifiers

You might consider building a W7IUV preamp. It is a very easy to build boradband preamp that you can build using double sided circuit board in which you can easily cut in the pattern on one side of the circuit board using a Dremel tool, and the opposite side is the ground plane. I created a

Re: Topband: K1N On Line Log

Hi Charlie and gang, It is not that simple and I am a guilty party of early on dupes on 160 meters with K1N because of the following. Early on 160 meters the jamming was horrible so it was impossible to hear the confirmation. Early on K1N was responding so fast that they were beating my cw

Re: Topband: Out-of-Turn Callers

Hi Jim, As of the last log updates for K1N, NA was 89.8% (not 99.5%) and Europe was 7.8% of their 80 meter contacts. Also suspect the Eu numbers will continue to rise as less and less NA stations will need K1N. As a side note on 160 meters Europe is currently 8.0% of the K1N 160 meters

Re: Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters

which is my noise floor *3.5475 Mhz* No Filters : 25db over S9 With Filters : S6 which is my noise floor The 3.5250 Mhz readings indicate the filter is knocking the signal down at least 46db (and probably more). 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 8:14 AM, Don Kirk wd8...@gmail.com wrote

Re: Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters

On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 7:22 PM, Don Kirk wd8...@gmail.com wrote: Treadmill combination filter update. Today I replaced the 10 amp commercial filter with the 20 amp version of the filter, and the results are similar. Below are a few measurements on 160 meters and 80 meters showing how effective

Re: Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters

Data from another treadmill RFI success story. A few days ago Lionel (N5LB) added filters to his treadmill based on what I had done to eliminate RFI from my wife's treadmill, and below are his very successful results. Don I want to tell you my results with the

Topband: Elimination of Treadmill RFI on 160 meters

For many years my wife's treadmill caused strong interference on 160 meters when it was in use, and yesterday I was able to completely eliminate the RFI using a combination of two different filters (a commercial line filter that provides both common mode and differential mode filtering, and 14

Re: Topband: Boradband noise on 160 meters tracked down to apartment complex

...@audiosystemsgroup.com wrote: On Wed,5/13/2015 11:14 AM, Don Kirk wrote: The local technician is now planning on additional changes since the input line filters have not totally mitigated the problem (but they sure helped), and will provide an update when I have new information to share. Hi Don

Re: Topband: Boradband noise on 160 meters tracked down to apartment complex

mitigated the problem (but they sure helped), and will provide an update when I have new information to share. For more in depth details see my website that's documenting this case http://sites.google.com/site/broadbandrfi/ 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Fri, Oct 24, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Don Kirk wd8

Topband: HC1PF doing a great job with his Inv-L and FCP

Things are pretty slow on the topband reflector, so thought I would take the opportunity to comment about, and thank Luis (HC1PF) regarding his great signal on 160 meters using his Inverted L with FCP. I've often heard Luis this year on 160 meters and he certainly has a signal that stands out.

Re: Topband: Bandpass filters for receive antennas

Hi Mike, Here is a link to a simple website I created that describes a high pass filter I built earlier this year that rejects both the LW & MW band. It was originally described in a Feb 1978 QST article. I use it in front of an SDR receiver, and really happy with its performance. Don (wd8dsb)

Re: Topband: Bandpass filters for receive antennas

Oops. Forgot to include the link. Here is the link. http://sites.google.com/site/lwmwbandrejectfilter/ 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Sun, Oct 11, 2015 at 9:03 PM, Don Kirk <wd8...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Mike, > > > Here is a link to a simple website I created that describes a high pas

Re: Topband: rx preamps

Hi Jim, You might want to check out my website that shows my builds of the W7IUV preamp and the URL is http://sites.google.com/site/rxpreamps/. You can download my simple artwork for the circuit board on my website (at the bottom of the page), and I just used a Dremel tool to make the traces.

Re: Topband: 2 wl loop, worth the effort?

Hi Rob (and gang), I would like to make one point that should be considered in this discussion. A true vertical which is what I use (not an inverted L) on 160 meters is sometimes horrible on 160 meters for skywave that originates from close in (200 miles or less as an example). During contests

Re: Topband: 2 wl loop, worth the effort?

Hi Tom, You said "Compared to a vertical, there could be 10-30 dB difference in favor of a low dipole (less than 150 ft high) within a few hundred miles.", and I was pretty much trying to make the same point but indirectly since I don't have a dipole on 160 meters. The original poster mentioned

Re: Topband: ARRL book on short antennas for 160 meters

Hi Jim, Check out the following review by Guy (K2AV) that was on the topband reflector back in September of 2012. http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/Topband/2012-09/msg00177.html 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 6:49 PM, James Rodenkirch wrote: > > >

Re: Topband: Weatherproofing F-type connectors

Tim, $3.18 a piece at McMaster-Carr (18-8 stainless), part number 91862A318 . Don (wd8dsb) On Wed, Dec 16, 2015 at 3:48 AM, Tim Shoppa wrote: > Wow, stainless 3/8-32 panel nut from Grainger, part number 1JLU9, $15 for > 2. Maybe I can

Re: Topband: 160M EWE Problems Part 2

Hi Mark, I modeled your antenna last night, and have some comments. There is almost as much reactance as resistance at the feedpoint of your EWE based on your dimensions and termination resistor, but sounds like that's typical (per the ON4UN low band DXing book). The back null is also not as

Topband: Sad news N5IA SK

Hi Jon, Thanks for passing this along, and how very sad. I had a nice brief chat with Milt on 160 meters CW early this Wednesday morning just as Milt was heading to bed (his Tuesday night) and will cherish our last QSO together forever. 73, Don (wd8dsb) On Thursday, June 9, 2016, Jon Zaimes

Re: Topband: Stew Beef

Especially on 160 meters I don't think the S in RST has a lot of scientific value since there is no real numerical standard as it relates to true signal strength. In my own mind I have come up with a standard in which the S is directly related to the S meter reading on my radio (so I don't have

Re: Topband: K5P good job !

I was holding back on posting a comment on this topic of continuous calling (I actually typed out a response but deleted it twice yesterday) but thought I would finally hit the send key in an attempt to should shed some light on part of the problem as well as a partial solution (not a complete

Re: Topband: Fading

Hi Kris, If you belong to the shared apex loop Yahoo Groups click on the file tab and then look for my call sign. You will see plots that I generated looking at the front to back ratio versus elevation angle, and I think these plots might help answer some of your questions. Don (wd8dsb) On

Re: Topband: Summer in the Northern Hemisphere

Hi Gary, As far as I can tell, it's all lightning related (regardless time of year). I suggest you look at one of the world wide real time lightning maps on the Internet (if you don't already) and that might help answer your question. When I hear static crashes I know there must be a thunder

Re: Topband: VP8STI 160 Meter Path

Larry said "propagation was interesting" and Tree said "W4ZV reported on the topband chat page that the signal seemed to be coming in from the North!" in regards to VP8STI last night. At times I could hear VP8STI in the Midwest (Indianapolis Area), but just barely, but while listening to them and

Re: Topband: K5P 1/25/16 on 160 meters

Hi Lou and gang, Lou thanks for the link to your K5P recording, and below is a link to a youtube video I made on Jan 16 while copying K5P on 160 meters that also includes comparison of my approximate half size pennant versus my 68 foot base loaded TX vertical for copying K5P (with noise floor set

Re: Topband: K5P

K5P was very strong on 160 meters this morning around 0830 UTC and QRN was very low (no static crashes due to the lack of thunder storms in the US), and I finally got into their log running my 100 watts and 68 foot base loaded vertical. I uploaded another recording of them calling CQ this morning

Re: Topband: What have I done?

Hi Carl, Does not appear anyone has answered you, so let me give it a quick shot while between flights in Japan. I'm somewhat confused with your final L network configuration because you mentioned one capacitor, and then a second capacitor without mentioning if you still had the first capacitor

Re: Topband: UN-REAL AND THE REAL WORLD 2016 FOR HAM RADIO

Hi JC, Very good webinar presentation (I watched the recorded version this past weekend), and I always enjoy hearing what you have done, and your on the air results are always very impressive. I would like to comment about the statement you just made regarding "metal box, not aluminum that

Topband: Comments on High Performance RX Antennas for a Small Lot (Webinar)

Hi Rick, I would also think that peak radiation angle of the RX antenna versus the arrival angle of the desired signal is also a big variable that would not allow the relationship you heard on the webinar to be true under all conditions. As you said it probably is too much of a generalized

Re: Topband: BCB High Pass Filter

Hi Roger, Pretty easy to build your own hi pass RX filter, and here is a link to a simple website I created that documents one of my builds which might give you some ideas (I use a dremel tool to quickly create the circuit board). http://sites.google.com/site/lwmwbandrejectfilter/ 73, Don

Re: Topband: Receive loop observations

Hi Herb (KV4FZ), You said "but the 50 turns is going to be a chore" The only problem I find with winding a core with many turns is keeping track of the number of turns. What I do to solve the counting problem is that I take a zoomed in picture showing all the windings (using my smart phone

Re: Topband: Receive loop observations

Hi Jim, I know my following info does not directly answer your question, but I do think it's important regarding feedline isolation. I suggest you take a look at the recommendations of N6RK regarding the use of a matching transformer to feed tuned shielded loops as it isolates the feedline from

Re: Topband: Hi Gain Preamps, Noise Figure Comparison (KD9SV 994 x5, W1FB, W7IUV preamps)

Hi JC, I did not publish any absolute Noise Figure values, my measurements that I published are all just differences in Noise Figure. It actually is much easier to measure the difference in Noise Figure between preamps that have such high gain (approximately 40dB in this case) since the noise

Topband: Hi Gain Preamps, Noise Figure Comparison (KD9SV 994 x5, W1FB, W7IUV preamps)

of preamps. I highly recommend the KD9SV 994 x5 preamp if you're in need of a high gain preamp on 160 meters. 73, Don Kirk (wd8dsb) _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Plasma TV noise

Joe N3HEE said "My K9AY rx loop does a pretty good job of knocking that down enough that I can deal with it." Likewise my pennant antennas do a great job knocking it down as long as the plasma TV is located off the backside of the pennant. Some folks have some success using a noise canceller

Re: Topband: Plasma TV noise

Hi Bill, Appears to be a pretty unsolvable problem. I had succes with one by installing a K9YC type choke on power line cord but this one case was unusual as the TV generated RFI regardless if the TV was actually turned on or not (this case is documented on YouTube). Have not been able to put

Re: Topband: 1809.2 kHz constant dashes

> Russ, N3CO > > From: Don Kirk <wd8...@gmail.com> > To: JP Zaimes <j...@verizon.net> > Cc: topband <topband@contesting.com> > Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2016 7:13 AM > Subject: Re: Topband: 1809.2 kHz constant dashes > > Thanks to everyone that has

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