[Elecraft] Is it my KX3/antenna or is it lousy band condx?

[Jim Brown]

On 8/11/2017 9:33 AM, Mike Parkes wrote:
> I  took my setup to a nearby park and the bands were
> definitely quieter. So the local manmade noise level is an issue (and one
> reason I chose the KX3 was the hope that its rcvr and filtering could help
> with that.)
>
> Have yet to make a single contact, so I am just wondering if I just
> happened to choose a really lousy period of solar conditions for HF? Or is
> the base loaded vertical a joke?

Band conditions ARE lousy, virtually all residential and industrial 
areas are full of noise from electronics of all sorts, especially 
switch-mode power supplies, the antenna you've chosen requires radials 
or a counterpoise, and short base-loaded verticals are seriously 
compromised antennas.

A wire thrown into a tree with another wire a few feet off the ground 
connected to the rig chassis is a far better antenna. I use #22 for the 
kind of operation you do in the park.The same wire can also be taped to 
a telescoping fiberglass pole if there are no trees. The closer the 
length is to a quarter-wave the better. :) If there are hills or 
mountains around you, head for the top of one of them. The ground slope 
will help your transmitted signal, and if there are no buildings or 
radio towers around, it will probably be a lot quieter.

Another problem is that, except for contesting and DXing, CW band 
activity has fallen over the years. 30M is a very good band for QRP, and 
sometimes has more daytime activity than 40 CW; 20M daytime activity 
tends to be greater, but the higher you go in frequency, conditions get 
worse. :)

As to noise -- you're probably going to have to give up on operating 
from your apartment. The likelihood is that every apartment has at least 
a dozen nasty noise sources, and many have a lot more.

73, Jim K9YC