Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I fully understand that, Lee. My comment was directed towards others who were speaking of actual fishnet beacons. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Feb 19, 2018 10:21 PM, "Lee STRAHAN" wrote: Mike and others, Those signals are NOT fishnet beacons. They are as one here said a

Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

For any that are interested there is now even a Hyperfix wiki page where you can hear a spot on recording of this system. The loudest one here is near 1813KHz. https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/HyperFix Lee K7TJR OR _ Topband Reflector Archives -

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Hi Jeff, I have never heard a beacon on 160 without a callsign, but I believe you. All the fishnet beacons do, the last I knew. And unless I missed it, no one in this thread mentioned that either. 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Feb 19, 2018 4:30 PM, "k1zm--- via Topband"

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Clive Are these signals always audible with you? Here in Worcester there are nights when I can't hear them at all so I presumed they were from farther away than the Baltic. Tonight I can just detect the one you mentioned on 1804.9 and by 1813.1 the signal is up to S7. 73 Roger G3TQZ

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Google *fishnet beacons *and educate yourself, gentlemen! :-) 73, Mike www.w0btu.com _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Mike and others, Those signals are NOT fishnet beacons. They are as one here said a version of a navigation system similar to Hyperfix. The reason you hear three "dings" Is that there are three transmitters for each one that transmit in sequence and the electronics aboard ship measures the

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Correct Lee,  if some have not heard them they need to check the receive antennas and plan for work in the spring. They were especially loud out here in KH6 back in 2008 etc when conditions over the pole were excellent,  they boomed in before and at sunrise peaks. Occasionally via LP at sunset

Topband: Maritime Navigation Beacons on Topband from EU Re: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Best explanation can be found here: http://alancordwell.co.uk/Legacy/radionavigation/russian/bras.html 73 Mark PA5MW _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I also read somewhere these are navigation beacons in North East-sea area. Anyone have a known explaining source for this? Their transmission consist of three T's; where the 3rd one is 20dB lower in output and can only be hrd when they are very loud. About 21 of these can be hrd on 160m, where

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Roger I think the beacons towards the bottom of the band are fishing nets (drift nets) in eastern Europe/Asia. They are VERY loud on my east beverage. I use 1812.60 to call CQ because that falls nicely in between the fishing net signals. I only had a quick listen this weekend on 160m and agree

Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Well on Friday night I couldn't hear one single American station . . . even though I heard a couple of Southern Europe stations working a few. Saturday night conditions were better, but signals were well down on what they have been for the past few weeks. However, in the 3 hours I spent on the

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

A casual S effort here.  Worked only one EU (LZ2WO) on Saturday night local time. On 2/19/2018 2:21 AM, Roger Kennedy wrote: Well on Friday night I couldn't hear one single American station . . . even though I heard a couple of Southern Europe stations working a few. Saturday night conditions

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I am very new on top band and only managed a handful of big guns on the east coast on Friday night so can't really compare. I did receive a message from the GM5A team who were on a beach with big verticals facing NA over saltwater and they managed 143 q's into 30 states on the Friday night.

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I worked CT, CT3, F, JA, Kh6, KL7, UA9 for non carib or SA contacts.  I missed much of the early Saturday night opening as I was gone. I was very happy to log the JA and UA9!  Otherwise is was pretty poor.  80 and 40 were pretty lousy too. W0MU On 2/19/2018 2:21 AM, Roger Kennedy wrote:

Topband: A Practical, Self-Resonant, Inverted L for Topband

Below is a link to the description of a topband inverted L antenna with dimensions and installation assumptions that could be useful to the owner of an average-sized city lot. https://s20.postimg.org/xz7eiwgwd/Self-_Resonant_Inv_L_for_160_mtrs.gif _ Topband Reflector Archives

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

‎I'm a New member of the "Topband list" I agree with Roger for the QRM at the bottom of the band. I don't know what they are, fishnet or beacons, but it's getting very hard to call CQ on this part of the band.  By the way, for me in the central west part of France, conditions was much better

Re: Topband: 1/2 wave inv L

A 180 or 190 degree vertical radiator presents a few different problems compared to one 90 degrees long, due to the high voltage at the feedpoint. You can have ground loss there, but since it is more of a coupling problem than a return current problem, the earth shield is usually a copper mesh

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Hmmm - I made about 35 QSOs on 160 on Friday night as S - while many QSOs were with Caribbean stations, I did get into the EU from Florida..worked G, GM, EI, EA6, CU, LX, I, OZ, CR, F, E7, 9A, and 5B4. I was running 1300 watts, though, through a 160m Windom, with no separate receive

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Hi Terry, 500 pf "doorknob" capacitors are not rated for carrying significant RF current. They work great in high impedance applications such as plate blocking capacitor but in low impedance circuits they carry much more RF current than they're capable of handling which heats them and

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Terry, You don't need a capacitor rated that high, as long as you don't make it much longer than 1/4 wave on 160. Ohm's Law is your friend, just use one of the formulas to calculate E from R and P. :-) 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Feb 19, 2018 1:02 PM, "terry burge" wrote: ...

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Conditions down here also in SE USA. I had over 150 Q in 62 countries doing an all out effort both nights. I did work G3YRO who was commenting on condition and someone mentioned the GM5A station on the water. They had decent signals both nights. Yes being near the coast makes more of a

Topband: Regarding 1/2 wave inv L topic

Greetings all Check out this material IF you have not already done so ===> *http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/2017/02/lf-mf-antenna-notes.html * 73 Dick/w7wkr _ Topband Reflector Archives -

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I listened a bit on 40 and 80 mtrs last night and the night before on SSB. I thought conditions were practically non-existent on 80 especially. 40 wasn't much better. Turned the radio off again and worked on other things. Don't exactly see any reason for it on the propagation page since the

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

Hello Gang I think these signals (which we call the "O O O" beacons because they send "DAH DAH DAH" - "DAH DAH DAH" over and over - are some kind of navigation beacons in the Eastern BALTIC. I have heard them starting as high in the band as 1818 (or so - maybe not a precise starting

Re: Topband: Conditions on 160m for ARRL Contest

I'd hazard a guess at UA1. They do start fairly close to the bottom of the US band (currently hearing one on a simple antenna on 1804.9 and they do go higher than has been mentioned 1825+. However the strength seems to tail off above 1818 or so. The important thing to remember is these can be