[ARC5] Non Directional Beacons

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Eleazer" <releazer at earthlink.net>

>Anyone ever try using the 160 - 190 KHZ band for unlicensed 
>operation?
> From what I recall, you can use up to 1 watt ERP.

I and a great bunch of guys out west in the 1980s were
very deep in this band.  In fact, I was the first to break the
1000-mile mark (8LXJ in Ohio to Nevada)
 and first to break the 2000-mile mark
(TH in N.J. to Nevada) in 1985 or 86.
Shortly after that, Mike Mideke and Shelden
Remington QSOed California to Hawaii (yes the transmitters
were legal) and it was "off to the races" for everyone
after that.  Once they knew it could be done, they just
went and did it  :-D

Lots of us would stay up to the wee hours many nights
a week, working to catch that really weak beacon
half way across the country.  I used to tune the truck
radio to a Canadian AM broadcaster on 530 KC.
If I could hear him through the static, it was going to
be a good night on 1750 Meters.  If there was a bunch
of static, I went to bed.

The only computers we used were the squishy ones
between our ears.  "Slow CW" was just getting started
and I never found it worth the trouble to take five hours
to send a three-letter call sign.  I made lots of QSOs
with the same CW I'd have used on 80 meters.
One of my old QSL cards is posted on the web-
Clint KA7OEI ran beacon "CT" in Utah and he was
often good copy in Southern Nevada.
You can see it at his archive at:
http://www.ka7oei.com/ct_lowfer_archive.html
scroll down and look on the right.
Of course, I was in the middle of the Nevada desert
with looong untuned beverage receive antennas
on the ground, so that helped a whole lot ;-)

Today, a few people are still fiddling down there.
They don't want to hear about anything we learned in
the 1980s, resent anyone who tries to talk to them about
it and are thus, studiously "re-inventing the wheel" and
making it way more complicated than it needs to be.
So I don't fool with it any more.
It sure was a blast in the 80s, though, and I do miss
the outstanding people who helped break those
records and were so enthusiastic and passionate about it.
I still have copies of our news letter which Jim Ericcson
in San Bernadino published.  What a bunch we were.