[600MRG] It's a start but improvements coming

[Brian Pease]

There will still be good nights here and there.

I repaired my 630m inverted-L antenna and remote tuner over the summer 
(I had to evict a snake!).

I also repaired my 1000ft bi-directional beverage. I only receive well 
when the wind is calm due to a wind farm 1 mile away on a hilltop. Their 
inverter filters apparently don't extend below the BC band. I have a 
phasor but my VPA reference antenna has died again.


On 11/23/2024 12:59 PM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:
> Thanks for confirming solar activity does play a role. I'll get a better
> feel for things with station improvements and more recent experience. I
> may need a couple of years to get fully back equipment-wise anyway. :)
>
> 73,
> Paul
>
>
> On 11/23/2024 12:45 PM, Brian Pease wrote:
>> Yes indeed, band conditions are way down from the sunspot minimum where
>> I would be routinely heard by dozens of Europeans many winter nights.
>> Now that we are near the sunspot peak, I assume that this will reduce
>> interest for the next few years.
>>
>>
>> On 11/23/2024 12:27 PM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:
>>> Hey folks,
>>>
>>> Some of you may have noticed I monitored WSPR and FST4W on 630m night
>>> before last. The SNR reports from my station might seem a little
>>> discouraging, but they will improve. Two factors contributed:
>>>
>>> 1. The receiver needs a preamp and is deaf by some unknown number of 
>>> dB.
>>>  there is NO increase in noise with the antenna vs. nothing or a 50 ohm
>>> termination. That is not good! I am building a preamp for it.
>>>
>>> 2. The big K9AY loop was pointed northeast. That is some unknown but
>>> non-trivial number of dB gone for those to my west and southwest. I 
>>> will
>>> soon be building hardware to make the antenna switchable so I can
>>> properly listen to the south and west. This is what those toroids I
>>> asked about will be used for.
>>>
>>> Things will get better. I am just starting to rebuild using different
>>> receiving hardware from my past activities. Having learned some hard
>>> lessons last time, I am taking a different and more modular approach to
>>> building this time around.
>>>
>>> One disheartening thing for me, having not been around the band in 
>>> three
>>> and a half years, is that activity seems way down from what it was 
>>> then.
>>> Am I wrong? Maybe I'm just not hearing what is out there. I don't know
>>> to what extent solar activity has affected the band. It certainly takes
>>> a big bite out of 160m but that may be a very different thing.
>>>
>>> Similarly, my recent 2200m reports have beem less than optimum, at 
>>> least
>>> for stations to my west and south. I do have a preamp there (internally
>>> bandpass filtered so it won't work on 630m) but the loop was northeast.
>>> I am CERTAIN activity on that band is way down.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>> Paul N1BUG FN55mf
>>>
>>>
>>>
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