Re: Topband: tool for install radials

One word of caution. Don't put the radials too far under the surface. 2, 3, 4, or 5 inches down is too deep! Remember that you will be cooking the soil ( introducing losses ) between the radial wires and the surface. Try to keep the radial wires an inch or less below the surface. That is

Re: Topband: tool for install radials

A few inches is not very deep. The depth issues don't come into play until they are a meter or more down. On the lower end of the medium wave broadcast band, they can be over a meter deep and work fine. the issue of depth has been explored because deep radials prevent copper theft. up at

Re: Topband: tool for install radials

Lloyd N9LB, you may be correct, but I prefer cited facts and data to back a statement. So to that end I went back and did some reading. In addition to the previous paper I cited, see page 10 here: http://www.crawfordbroadcasting.com/Eng_Files/AM%20Antenna%20Systems.pdf That's an excellent

Re: Topband: Brave New World

I operate my home station every day using a computer in my office from 70 miles away over the internet. It's no different than sitting in front of the equipment. No offense but I suggest you get some more exciting radio equipment to run. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Brave New World

CW is much more popular since the FCC removed the requirement for the code I'm calling BS on that one. Tune across the CW bands at night. Very little activity compared to 30 or 40 years ago. Of course, I define CW activity as being real CW operating, i.e. ragchewing, handling

Re: Topband: alternative feedpoint capacitor

You probably have a current fed vertical so you don't have to worry very much about the voltage on the cap. Any air variable with around 1/4 inch spacing will be fine. It should not be hard to find something with the value you need--the tune cap in any ham RF amp will probably be okay as an

Topband: 2 wl loop, worth the effort?

Hi Gary, It would make a nice receiving antenna. Let's start with a question: Would you put up a loop for 20 meters that is 6 feet off the ground? Height for horizontal antennas must always be thought of in terms of _wavelength_. There is only one effective transmitting antenna for medium

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

I apologize if I ticked anyone off; I'm just trying to help hams understand what is needed to get out. This is not directed at any one person. The topic came up and I have an opinion based on experience with what works and what doesn't. If you put up a cloud burner one or more of three things

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

I should have written "10 dB or more _additional_ noise." This is a serious problem and is on the radar of the medium wave broadcast industry as well: http://www.radioworld.com/article/afcce-symposium-examines-am-broadcast-band-woes/273098 One other typo: "101 radials, many > 50 feet" should

Re: Topband: QRP

>What has happened to the topband conditions the last couple of decades? Two words: Noise and antennas. Noise--yes, millions of cheap junk appliances have destroyed reception. Ever lived next door to a plasma TV? Antennas--Old hams unable to climb or plow in radials and HOAs = crappy

Topband: Doorknobs

There are doorknobs and there are doorknobs. Most hams know this. But you can't always use just any class 2 RF doorknob, especially in a critical application like a series connection between the transmitter final and pi output tank. Why does this matter to the 160 m. reflector. Because

Re: Topband: Stew Beef

I completely agree with Don on this. the incessant and utterly meaningless "599" or "59" because it is programmed in and the operator too lazy to think about a real signal report makes the minimal value of contests sink to zero. They have become nothing more than a vehicle to keep the ham radio

Re: Topband: Am I the only one in step?

>Neither CQ nor ARRL have >treated this suggestion seriously, nor come up with any alternative. >Why not? Change your complaint to ARRL so it says SSB QRM to digital QSOs and they'll petition the FCC to give you a subband. Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives -

Re: Topband: Untoward comments on 160

>Amazes me; it takes years to accumulate enough skill and equipment to >get on the air with a good signal, especially on 160 and then become >a participant in the opposite mentality of what the sport is all >about. You are around 35 years out of date. It was harder to get on 160 in the days of

Re: Topband: Untoward (?) comments on 160

Larry N7DD, I am sorry you have decided to make this about me. In the future, I suggest you make sure you know your subject before commenting. 73 Rob K5UJ <<>> _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: The band sans noise

>The issue with noise is growing fast and the only way to improve signal to >noise ratio is more directivity and when possible filter the man made noise >with a horizontal loop. A big complication is that almost everyone's circumstances are different due to variables such as property size. A

Re: Topband: The band sans noise

Throw bricks all you want to the end of time but you'll never change the fact that we tested that antenna and saw its performance first hand; The preamp was designed by Jack Smith at CliftonLabs..I'm sure he'll enjoy reading your comments and get a good laugh. 73 Rob K5UJ On Fri, Apr 22, 2016

Topband: The band sans noise

>Q For you folk in the quiet locations, enjoy and protect! It's a losing battle. You can't stop the imported appliance tsunami that has been going on for years, or consumers buying them and bringing them home and using them. You can run around and try, good luck with that, and invest hours and

Re: Topband: tower vertical

Bob, You didn't mention the model or manufacturer of your tower.The best installation involves a genuine tapered bottom section of the type made to accommodate a ceramic base insulator. Usually when you find one, you also get the mounting hardware and ball gap that accompanies it. You

Re: Topband: 160 vertical/L

One reason for the 120 radial ground system on broadcast sticks often over-looked is that a large number of radials below grade makes the system more stable over seasons between dry and wet wx. It may not matter as much for ham but many radials causes the Z to settle down or not vary as widely

Re: Topband: Made it! 80 Years a Ham

Paul congratulations. If you find time and energy to do it, I think we'd all appreciate more information or detail about your early pre-WW2 homebrew transmitters and receivers. Were the rx heterodynes or regeneratives? The rigs TNT or TPTG? Construction details and so on. I ask because not

Re: Topband: DXE NCC-1 phasing box

Since I started the thread I think I should post a follow up on what I found regarding the NCC-1 phasing network. I apologize for the late post. The past 24 hours have mostly been spent preparing for and attending a hamfest. Firstly the box is working okay; problem solved. The problem was a

Topband: DXE NCC-1 phasing box

update: I just received an email, perhaps a canned response from DX Engineering telling me they won't give me a schematic. In addition, rather than work with me to find the problem, they only offer their repair service. I am very disappointed in this after spending over $1000 over the past two

Topband: DXE NCC-1 phasing box

Hello, I am trying to set up a DX Engineering receiving antenna phasing box but there appears to be something wrong with it and I need to troubleshoot it. The manual I have does not have a schematic for it. If anyone has one I'd appreciate getting a copy. I'll cover postage etc. Thanks 73 Rob

Re: Topband: DXE NCC-1 phasing box

I just finished speaking with Tim K3LR on the land line with regard to my problem We had a cordial conversation and I must say in all the years I have been a ham, I have never had the president of a company immediately call me to address my concerns and problems with a product. I am confident

Re: Topband: 160 m inverted L

I have no idea what a "FCP" is, but it doesn't matter. 1. An inverted L is an _unbalanced_ antenna. Therefore you don't need a balun. 2. This means you can feed it with unbalanced line, i.e. coax. 3. You can use an unbalanced matching network such as an L network, preferably at the feedpoint.

Re: Topband: 160 m inverted L

A vacuum variable for L impedance matching is unnecessary. Vacuum variable capacitors leak eventually. It take a long time for them to go through their ranges and you have to have the mechanics outside if you perform remote tuning, to sense or count turns to track when the v.v. is nearing its

Re: Topband: 160 m inverted L

Got a lot of mail about this, teaching me to shut up because I don't have much free time. Look folks, as you all know, just about everything with antennas works in some fashion and there's a sliding scale. It's not all black and white. With elevated radials, it isn't as if putting radials at 20

Re: Topband: inv. L

I have a 50 foot aluminum mast on my property, guyed at 32 feet and mounted on a 6" x 6" pressure treated pine post. I put a 15 foot stinger of aluminum tubing at the top to give it a height of 65 feet and hung an arm on it at 50 feet that extends out 3 feet. This holds the vertical part of my

Re: Topband: Plasma TV noise

First question: Is it your plasma TV or the property of someone outside your family? If it is yours the solution is simple: Haul to target range and blow holes in it and get a LED TV. Or if you are feeling calm, break it open and get all the h.v. parts out: electrolytics, heat sinks etc. then

Re: Topband: Plasma TV noise

You can buy a TV for the neighbor and if he cooperates that's fine. But they don't always cooperate. Sports fans like plasmas because they have no latency effects in fast live action. And sports live action when the screen is constantly changing is when they blast out the most noise. The screen

Re: Topband: Soldering radials?

My experience has been the complete opposite. May have to do with which is hard drawn and which is soft. Rob K5UJ On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 10:59 AM, Tim Shoppa wrote: > I much prefer stranded 18AWG for my "roll out on top of lawn and driveway" > radials. Stranded is more

Re: Topband: Soldering radials?

> Is there any danger of damaging stranded copper wire by overheating it with > a torch when soldering or brazing? You don't use stranded wire for radials. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Soldering radials?

Stranded wire is harder to work with. It is harder to get to lay down flat either on top or in a trench, harder to bolt or solder, is more expensive, does not take high heat as well. On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 7:00 AM, Jorge Diez - CX6VM wrote: > Rob > > why you don't use

Re: Topband: [TowerTalk] radial lengths ...

You don't put down a lot of radials only for more return current; you put down a lot also because over time you'll probably lose some of them to damage or decreased conductivity or some form of disturbance. If your radial field is uncontrolled, and you can't watch it constantly, you may wind up

Re: Topband: 160 power

>I would suggest you work on your receive capability first. >There's nothing more obvious (and embarrassing) then to >have people calling you that you can't hear. It doesn't embarrass me at all. Once you have done all you can to improve your rx within reason, then run all the power you can. If

Re: Topband: JT65 Power and bandwidth

>FCC regs say you should use the minimum power necessary to establish >communications. Um, no. Here's what it actually says: §97.313 Transmitter power standards. (a) An amateur station must use the minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the desired communications. Your "desired

Re: Topband: Ladder line Beverage Installation

Why don't you nail or screw a cross piece of needed length to the top of each post, and screw a threaded porcelain standoff insulator so it sticks up on each end. You can find them at hamfests. They are usually white porcelain cylinders with tapped holes on each end. Since it is only for

Re: Topband: Solar eclipse and 160m propagation

Read this: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/2017-total-solar-eclipse/how-to-hear-the-solar-eclipse/ Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: a box of ferrites

>It was that article that made me a choke everything >convert. If you don't mind wasting money on costly ferrite snap on cores at around $3 each you can mindlessly put them on everything, but at that cost they are a last resort for me. I try before that point: 1. inexpensive audio isolation

Topband: Radials question

> was wondering couple things. If I make a full quarter wave vertical WIRE >in tree 65 feet tall and see DX Engineering verticals claim 65 foot tall >but wider bandwidth. What is their secret or just advertisement? I don't know the DX Eng. product. Usually "wider bandwidth" means flatter vswr

Re: Topband: RF choke/balun

Unless you like listening to noise you don't use an inverted L on 160 (or 80) for receiving. Rob K5UJ On Sat, Sep 16, 2017 at 6:58 AM, Arthur Delibert wrote: > I think that’s right if the only issue is your own transmit signal bouncing > back from the antenna junction and

Topband: RF choke/balun

If you have enough radials at or below ground you won't need a common mode choke. You don't say if your inverted L will have an elevated ground system or not. If the ground system consists of 60 or more radials you can probably put a matching network out and the feedpoint and forget about

Re: Topband: RX/TX Antenna decoupling, (OFF LIST)

I discovered my rx antennas worked much better if my tx antenna was completely disconnected from the station. Most coaxial relays or T/R switches only break the center conductor. That's not good enough. There has to be a complete disconnection which I provided by using an open frame relay

Re: Topband: RX/TX Antenna decoupling, (OFF LIST)

> Thanks for sharing this info. > Would you please provide more information on the relay model number and how > it is wired into your system. I used a P open frame relay 4PDT but a single throw will work. What's important is that the relay use metal other than steel (or other magnetic metal) for

Re: Topband: Ecipse

I went out into the parking lot at work at 1:15 p.m. Central Time and tried listening with my car radio to 650, 750 and 1510. I am about 40 miles west of Chicago. With the car omni directional antenna it was a bust. locals on 750 and QRM from 670. I had my GE Superadio and Grundig Yachtboy

Topband: Fwd: Fw: Solar Storm September 6th in real time Video - K5UJ de DK7PE

Posting for Rudi R.A. -- Forwarded message -- From: Rudolf Klos Date: Fri, Oct 6, 2017 at 2:58 PM Subject: Fw: Solar Storm September 6th in real time Video - K5UJ de DK7PE To: ranchoro...@gmail.com Hi Rob, I tried to post this infor regarding the latest

Re: Topband: FT8 discussion

Actually the problem with the alleged QRM and FT8 is more about simply identifying ham computerized modes of digital transmission and reception and separating them out from the rest of the noise generated by poorly filtered appliances, leaky cable TV, power line data communications etc. I am

Re: Topband: FT-8 question

> As is, its infuriating listening to high noise > levels on 160m. If I cant hear on 160m...except for the usual louder > stations, Im not going to even try TX. Don't let noise stop you from transmitting. >Right now, Im trying to evaluate if 160m is even worth >the effort required. Are the

Topband: Baker Island DXpedition on 160

I respectfully suggest the Baker Is. dxpedition be postponed for a few years until band condx improve. It makes no sense to me to mount this costly undertaking to a limited access location when propagation is in the toilet. If USFWS is managing access, they've lately shown that they'll only

Re: Topband: Adding chicken wire or mesh on top of radial field

for permanent installation it's a waste of time because thin wire steel mesh (chicken fence mesh) will rust away in most ground in a short time. Recommend copper mesh but professionally it only seems to be employed around the base pier of voltage fed towers. For a current fed tower a lot of

Topband: Radial Wire System Comparison - (was adding a parasitic reflect

>> I have researched Laport's material, and find nothing that compares multi-tower array performance when using insulated radial wire versus uninsulated wire when using a bus wire at the radial overlap points. Since his worked in the 1950s mostly focused on directional broadcast tower arrays --

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: OT - US Hams, WWV closure

>Some folks have commented on WWV's >minuscule operating expense when compared to the total federal budget, but >the problem with that thinking is we have thousands of federal programs and >departmental budgets that also contribute just a tiny fraction to federal >expense. Collectively, it adds

Re: Topband: Radial wire

Oh man, any time this topic comes up anywhere the guys come out with all kinds of suggestions for wire that won't last like galvanized steel and electric fence wire. Nix nix nix...if you want a permanent ground system go with copper, insulated or not. Stranded doesn't lie down as well; you want

Re: Topband: NEW CALL for WA8WZG

>Finally I get an email from the FCC this morning , I won a lottery!! FB on the new call, but is this all you get? Don't they mail out something on paper? Rob K5UJ _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Topband: decoupling Inv L for loop on Rx

I found I had to put a relay in the feedline to my inverted L to completely open the line on rx. Your typical "coax relay" only opens the center conductor. Fortunately on 160 m. an open frame relay that opens the entire line isn't much of an impedance bump. It is essential that the relay be

Re: Topband: low inv-vee

1. You never use an inverted L or other vertical for receiving, unless maybe, you are in a QTH so remote and noise free it might work. But in-town, forget it. 2, From my experience, 7 or 8 out of 10 hams on 160 m., have poor antennas, usually low horizontal wires. Most of these fellows are

Re: Topband: Soil conductivity maps

Suggest that for Hawaii or other locations where you want specific soil data, contact local small AM or walk in and ask to talk to C.E. Big corp. owned stations will give corporate hq. run around. >>#1 As far south in the country as possible due to better propagation. bzzt, sorry but South =

Re: Topband: RG6 connectors and installation

Don't re-invent the wheel. There are cable installers all over the place--these are people who are given the tools and connectors by Comcast and other big companies to make high reliability installations. When you see a cable truck out on location stop and ask the guy what he uses. If you

Re: Topband: 160m Condx

>Why is it ever necessary to call on 1830, 1820, 1822 etc. exactly? Call CQ on >1820.3, or 1820.4 or 1822.6 or 1827.8. This only started with plastic radios and digital displays and got worse with dial resolution down to one cycle. Back when everyone had VFOs like the HA-5 with dial markers only

Re: Topband: Rather use N-type (was Re: The answer to PL-259

Some of you fellows who want to use Ns may benefit from this hint and kink: https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/repair-and-protect-type-n-connectors Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Topband: RF in the DX Eng. NCC-1 (and a fix)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year: On 160 m. (probably due to the close proximity to my inverted L) my NCC-1 rx antenna phasing box would snap crackle and pop on transmit, most likely the result of RF getting into the nine relay coils inside. If you employ phased rx antennas and a tx antenna,

Re: Topband: Rather use N-type (was Re: The answer to PL-259

>>W6NL asked me this question - would you run 1500 watts with BNC connectors? It depends on the duty cycle, length of transmission and vswr. Brief contester type transmissons at 50% d/c into a load with Z = line characteristic Z is probably okay. AM broadcasting 1 KW carrier for 24 hours

Re: Topband: Impedance of inv l?

My inv. L is 50 feet up and 70 horizontal. Wire is #14 bare 7 strand hard drawn. 3 feet out from mast. 101 radials, two ground rods and aluminum siding on garage strapped in to ground sys. on around 1840 Z is 11 R and ~ 20 ohms X. A typical inverted L with a good ground system should be down

Re: Topband: Inverted L improvement question

> It doesn't work very well. Last night it was much poorer on receive and > transmit than my existing 43' vertical setup. I'm not sure what to think. Your fundamental problem is a lack of understanding of how a monopole works, specifically a base fed vertical with a ground system. Anyone who

Re: Topband: Inverted L improvement question - Part 2

Hmmmyou DID relocate or rebuild your ground system so it converges on a point below the bottom of the 100 foot tall wire right? I mean, you aren't using the 43 foot vert. ground system with the 100' wire? A series fed vertical isn't rocket science so let's not over think this. If it doesn't

Re: Topband: Radial wire

>Rob, Not barbed wire, but electric fence wire. This wire stays good for >decades. Look at the horse and cattle farms around you. It has the same >conductivity as your galvanized steel tower. Nor does anyone consider >making a tower out of copper or copper clad steel.☺ A radial system of 60 >1/4

Re: Topband: Inverted L improvement question

If your inverted L is any good at all it will suck as a receiving antenna. This is one of the key things to accept about medium wave but many casual 160 m. operators can't wrap their heads around it. A flame throwing tx antenna will probably have a completely unacceptable noise level on

Re: Topband: Lack of Activity

There's activity and then there's "activity." I take it that "activity" in this discussion really means DX. It so happens that there's other kinds of operating going on on 160 m. besides DX chasing if you can tolerate the tedium and torture of an enjoyable ragchew with an ordinary ham nearby.

Topband: Voltage at top of vertical and scaling?

I'd also put RF chokes in series with the DC relay lines, at the base of the vertical antenna to further keep RF off it but also to break it up so the relay line doesn't detune the 80 m. vertical, perhaps with another pair at the shack entrance. All this sure seems like a lot of work which is

Topband: FT-8 My Recent Experience

> I can't get into any computer mode, mainly because I've been a software >engineer for almost 40 year and dealing with computers at home is a >non-starter with me.I like ARC-5s, BC-348s, and Navy RBB's >myself.. Same here. Computer science major; 30 years in front of monitors and

Re: Topband: inverted l

If you have a properly constructed typical inverted L, i.e. 50 or 60 foot vertical and similar length horizontal, AND a good ground system serving as the other half of the antenna, your feedpoint Z will be 10 to 20 ohms. The reason you need a matching network is that most coax (this assumes you

Re: Topband: RFI on TB

> Over past few months, I have picked up an S5-S7 noise signature on my TB inv > L antenna with K2AV FCP system. I would not use an inverted L for receiving. Unusable for rx at my QTH but FB for transmitting. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: RFI on TB

>This has got to be on a case-by case basis. I don't have any listening >antennas, so i listen on my transmit vertical. It works fine. For me. Most >of the time. Would I hear more stuff with listening antennas? I bet the >answer is yes under certain conditions. Yes under certain

Re: Topband: Furnace RFI

Went through this about 2 years ago. Firstly, define "efficient." If you mean over 90%, as in one of those two stage furnaces with PVC handling moisture then you are consigned to having to use a variable speed DC motor (there are no variable speed AC motors, only speed settings you set manually

Re: Topband: K9ay loop not performing

Actually, if you have a quarter wave driven element and you are disconnecting it at the feedpoint, your relay concern shouldn't be voltage so much as current. Fast switching and large contact surface is more important than voltage handling. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives:

Re: Topband: K9ay loop not performing

If you open the tx antenna feedline for rx, from my experience, you need to completely open the entire feedline, namely the coaxial cable shield as well as the center conductor. coaxial relays that maintain conductivity of the shield when N.O. won't detune/isolate the tx antenna. I use a pair

Re: Topband: spark gap construction ideas for 160m tower

There are a number of ways of making a ball gap. but more important is arriving at the correct spacing for the gap. The way rain is handled is usually by positioning the balls one above the other so a water bridge doesn't form between the balls. Read this by Mark Persons:

Re: Topband: spark gap construction ideas for 160m tower

>Curious as why non resistor spark plugs aren't on the list of choices. Easy to >gap. Pt-Pt electrodes last forever (100k miles). There was a ham mounting two >on a Cu plate for ladder line, but that was many years ago. < That can work but the other construction methods offer a wider range of

Re: Topband: .TX Mica Caps

My opinion: the PCB scare is overblown, just like lead in paint, asbestos, etc. If you are intelligent about it, taking prudent precautions, PCB in caps and dummy loads should be fine. I'm sure hand wringers will weigh in with all kinds of nanny state far fetched what ifs, but I have PCBs

Re: Topband: 160m vertical saltwater grounding

Interesting information here: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Antenna%20Book%20Supplemental%20Files/22nd%20Edition/Seawater%20Grounds%20-%20by%20N6LF.pdf Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: FT-8 Contest would be great for Topband

>Modes over last 2 hours Some may say this is nit picking but to me it is important: MOST of those so called modes listed are NOT different modes of transmission, they are digital protocols. A mode of transmission is a method for altering a RF carrier so it conveys information. CW is a mode.

Re: Topband: Topband resource

>So how is it that I consistently work all over the world on 160m with my >horizontal dipole at 50ft?! Oh boy, here we go again. As I believe I have pointed out before, your QTH is not that far from a fairly vast amount of salt water. You can believe anything you want, but your experience if

Re: Topband: Restoring the Signal to Noise Ratio

>This is only half tongue-in-cheek. >With the ambient noise going up, and there being limits to the size and cost >of receiving arrays most amateurs can build, the next logical step is to raise >the output power. Perhaps the FCC should be >petitioned to raise the legal >limit? They were

Re: Topband: BCB Filter Recommendation?

Most AM plants have been where they are for decades. I remember being at the local 670 site several years ago. That tx site has been there since the 1930s. This is a ~800 foot tower, now with two signals on it, 670 and 780, each 50 KW which means the total peak power on positive modulation is

Re: Topband: Ground Conductivity

It is indeed true that variations in liquid soil moisture will dramatically affect ground system performance and base fed vertical impedance when an on, or below grade ground system is used. Frozen ground moisture is on a par with dry ground. This is one of the reasons for going beyond the

Re: Topband: 160m Vertical

On 5/15/2020 8:27 AM, donov...@starpower.net wrote: ""A more reliable approach is a tuner in your shack. The extra coax cable loss from elevated VSWR is insignificant on topband."" We don't really have enough information to make that claim. First, you ought to get a copy of Radio-Electronic

Topband: Receiver protectors.

Last year I purchased an Airspy HF+ Discovery SD receiver. Eventually I got around to trying to use it with a second hand Windows laptop. I was concerned about blowing out the front end on transmit because I had heard of that happening with these receivers that are not designed exclusively for

Re: Topband: CW Activity

If you want to find out about QRN somewhere you don't have to ask on an email list. You can just go to windy.com or www.lightningmaps.org and see for yourself. Also lightningmaps has a gray line plot so you can see where dawn and dusk are. Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives:

Re: Topband: Rohn 25 Vertical questions.

The proper way to use a tower like yours as a base excited monopole is to construct a pier of concrete with a bottom plate pin bowl that is steel and bonded to copper strap that goes down on each of four sides of the pier to the ground ring. The reason for this is so that there is no voltage

Re: Topband: 1610 KHz AM Channel in USA

>All of this success for BCB listening doesn't mean jack on 160 meters. >On the BCB, you are never fighting noise, rather just separating different >stations. They did also do that on 160 meters, for example, letting me >work JA's even when stateside stations were also calling me. I'm not

Re: Topband: Adding connectoirs to CATV Hardline

For 160 m. frequencies, connectors on hardline that preserve the geometry (Z) of the line aren't needed. You can dress the line (i.e. strip back the jacket and dielectric) and make connections to transmitters and loads with copper strap that's wrapped around the center and shield and held with

Re: Topband: 1610 KHz AM Channel in USA

Tnx for clarification. > I don't know what "noise is usually AM" means. Hi, I guess I was thinking of RFI from appliances and arcing contacts on power lines. 73 Rob K5UJ _ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Windows 10 Update heads up

Seems to me that for the money hams pay Flex in that annual service fee, (or is it monthly?) you ought to get professional Windows maintenance. There are ex-MS techs out there who can be hired. I've had a Mac at home for the past 15 years at least. Since 2008 it's been a mac mini. So far,

Topband: Good valve homebrew rig

Are you sure you want to homebrew a vacuum tube _transceiver?_ How about starting with a separate transmitter and receiver? A tube CW transmitter for 160 is certainly feasible. A transceiver is too in theory at least, but kind of a tall order. If you pull that off, you'll certainly have my

Re: Topband: I need help proofing an Inverted L model I made please. 40

I've never understood what is gained by using a balun at the feedpoint in this application. The feedline is unbalanced as is the load. What's the point of a balun. The wild variations in R and X over the range of the band will likely result in heat and loss at the balun. If the point is to

Topband: Low Dipoles

> I do take offence at people suggesting that I am somehow lying about the > results I have always had with a 160m Dipole at 50ft ! I don't think anyone believes you are lying, but perhaps instead, that you seem to imply that your experience can be generalized and that you are therefore,

Re: Topband: I need help proofing an Inverted L model I made please. 40

> IMHO, for that number, on-the-ground radials do not need to be anywhere near > that long. Personally, I subscribe to the same-length-as-the-vertical > guideline. The only thing about this I advise in the way of a change is something W1BB recommended, which was that the radials on the ground

Topband: standoff for inv L

I've used a PVC pipe around 1.5 or 2" o.d. and ~ 3 feet long, for the past 11 years. No problems so far but it is braced with dacron from the insulator end, back up to the mast a few feet above where the PVC is clamped to the mast. Mine is unprotected from sun but the sun exposure is less in

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