[AMRadio] "Heavy Metal Night"

[Geoff/W5OMR]

Ed Sieb wrote:
> These same piss-weakers  usually abide by the maxim: "The weakest stations
> make the longest 'Ol' Buzzard' transmissions" and usually get stomped on by
> any SSB station that comes on frequency, appartently thinking there's no one
> there!

That being said, there's only a hand-full of NorthEast operators who's 
signals ever make it as far south as South Central Texas.  The leader of 
the pack, it should come as no surprise, is Tim/WA1HLR.  Tim is probably 
the farthest away from here, yet consistently has the strongest signal.  
Now, I realize, not everyone can have a Mountain top and several ~200' 
tall towers in which to construct a 'Lazy H' antenna on bands as low as 
160 meters, but WB3HUZ has been heard here with relatively low-strain, 
and KA1SI (is that still Steve's call?) has a fairly consistent signal, 
as does WA3VJB.  Another couple of beacons on 75m AM is W4QCU, and 
WA4KCY, and of course, I've already commented on how strong Don/K4KYV is 
here, all the time.

There have been several nights that I've listened to WA1HLR talking to 
others in the NorthEast who don't even raise the noise-floor on the 
receiver here.

 From the West, I've heard K7YOO/Skip, Mike/KO6NM, Dave/W6PSS, a WA2 
something in Arizona, and KL7?? (my memory is shot) up in Tum-Tum 
Washington.  I don't hear much of any other stations out there.

Locally, Marv/KC9VF is centrally located in Western Oklahoma with a 192' 
vertical and 'hundreds' of radials plowed into the ground, and a T-368.  
ALWAYS a -big-time- signal, regardless of where I've been mobile.  When 
Marv is on the air, I hear him.

 From personal experience, it just seems that getting an antenna, at 
least part of it, up at 1/4 wave length above ground, makes all the 
difference in the world.  That, and perhaps changing the feed-line to 
450-ohm ladder line, or some home-brewed open-wire line.

Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.  Void where prohibited by law.  
Some restrictions may apply.
;-)

--
73 & Happy New Year
-Geoff/W5OMR