[K3PZN-List] RI1ANF at Bellinghausen Base

Fri Jan 18 16:32:06 EST 2013

Kurt, 

   The short Beverage is indeed a useful tool.. since this time last year I have worked over 160 countries most of which dont use LOTW which is all I use.  sooo I have 46 confirmed.  But there is a little secret to working TB.. that is a chat room where many of the best DXers go for TB and 80.  

Try here.. http://www.on4kst.com/chat/start.php?callsign=WA3MEJ&password=f488287ebebf7ac35c8bd7f99e290e94 

go down to the VLF/160 forum and join the room.. oh you may have to register.. then when you go into the room you will see people like EX3B, EX2A, T6LG, T6MO, UA9MA .... these are some of the more hard to work stations but th e list goes on.. There are some pretty sharp guys on there like AA1K, W6TR some of there guys have circle 8 arrays and 4 squares but are always willing to share tips with us less fortunate.  By the way I only have a 160M inverted L for tx (on all bands) and the Beverage for the lower band as RX.  SOOOO I am by no means a big gun 

 There is something that I have notices however with regard to TB... last night we had a mid latitude AU warning.. I think this enhances some paths in that it acts like a mirror at TB freqs.  I have been listening to RI1ANF for months now and he has only been at the noise level.. but last night with the warning he was as loud as 56 or so 

We should get together one day for lunch and talk.. not sure if you are retired or not.. I go to the Legion in Westminster occasioinally with Wayne N3UN and we shoot the breeze.. let me know if interested 

GL 

Long Live Seal Team VI 

http://www.qsl.net/wa3mej/index.htm 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Curt Milton" <wb8yyy at yahoo.com> 
To: "Carroll County Amateur Radio Club" <k3pzn-list at mailman.qth.net> 
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 10:48:45 AM 
Subject: Re: [K3PZN-List] RI1ANF at Bellinghausen Base 

Jim 

thanks for sharing!  my experience on top band is that usually there are only a few DX signals - so even when it is F* or G* or DL*, that everyone has to pounce in and try to work them - often with their kW and full sized verticals!  (somehow still, I am up to 71 entities on 160m).  

so working RI1ANF is very cool (err cold!) indeed.  they were the only DX I heard last nite when I had the rig briefly on 160m CW -- they seemed workable, but I sensed every 160m DX'er was after them!  I presume you were on a digital mode, in a bit less traffic?  

those who don't do much on top band haven't heard that it often has a 'ducting effect' - not as pronounced as 6m but very real, where a particular path is favored at a given time.  also, that QRN is also skywave ... but I wonder if perhaps that they may be as distant from the topical storms as you are (meaning low QRN there).  

a year or two back I worked an Antarctic station not at a base, but in a tent!  

BTW, my little ~260 foot Beverage indeed is very useful - thanks for the encouragement.  

with sunspots being a bit scarce this cycle, anyone interested in DX should be equipping their station for low band operation.  in my case all I use are short verticals (which are much more effective than long dipoles) and 100w (ok I am wishing for a 0.5 kW amplifier some day).  

CUL Curt 

________________________________ 
 From: "wa3mej at comcast.net" <wa3mej at comcast.net> 
To: "AAT3GI\"\"w3jw " <AAT3GI at comcast.net>; w3jw at gmx.com; "Milton, Curt" <wb8yyy at yahoo.com>; "Lambert, Dick" <dicklambert at centurylink.net> 
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 9:43 PM 
Subject: RI1ANF at Bellinghausen Base 

Hey just worked RI1ANF at Bellinghausen Base, King George Island in the South Shetland Islands this is the little appendage that comes out of Antartica and heads toward South America.. I have been trying to work him since september but this is the first time he has been of such quality he could be reliably copied. This is no trivial task on TB .. remember it is summer down there and mostly light all the time so he should not be able to hear me .. theoretically 

Long Live Seal Team VI 

http://www.qsl.net/wa3mej/index.htm 

________________________________ 
 From: "AAT3GI" <AAT3GI at comcast.net> 
To: wa3mej at comcast.net 
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 9:14:44 PM 
Subject: Re: Hello Jim 

Thanks Jim, 
Friday, I will be at the Fisher Building at noon with my mother.  She is in physical rehab there Central MD Rehabilitation Services.  They are on the ground floor, 
around back.  This is the 5th session and she walked with no walker today, used a cane for first part then up and down the hall with the therapist but no cane. 
She has a few dozen or so more sessions, but for 90 years old they are really amazed at her progress.  Most sessions are at 12:30 M W F, except Feb where she 
has some medical appointments.  Would really like to join you, but just cannot at this time.  Just checked the sked, won't have an open Fri until 2nd Fri in MAR! 
Most anytime after 2:30 or so OK, usually have her home by then.  So, I could stop by this Friday, but probably be around 2 PM? 

ww 

On 1/16/2013 6:34 PM, wa3mej at comcast.net wrote: 

>well first there is not url attached so I dont know where exactly you were looking for the BAL-450 . 
>But I looked on bytemark and the one they have does not tell you enough information.  It says K material 
>but I find no ref to that material anywhere so I dont know what the curve is like for that. I can also not find any 
>ref to the physical size of the core which tells the power handling capabilities.  My problem with these things 
>is that 
>A. most people W2FMI included did not chose the correct material in all cases 
>B. most people (again including W2FMI) only designed for the matched case 
>      meaning there is little heat loss during transmit when matched BUT  and this is a really big BUT 
>      what happens if you operate the antenna in a broadband mode like I do .. and apparently you are doing 
>      THen the losses go up and there is more heat consequently the core may saturate in some cases 
>      which destroys the permability (and often the material itself) which never returns to the pre-stressed value 
>      hence it does not work correctly again.  
>C. when the two above itens are evident you often end up with a fireball and even harmonics.  Look here 
>      and see what I wrote about a loading coil I made, INCORRECTLY I might add.  http://www.qsl.net/wa3mej/Files/incinerated%20loading%20coil/Loading%20coils.htm 
>  
>How about lunch on friday at the legion in Westminster.. 
> 
> 
>  
>Long Live Seal Team VI 
> 
>http://www.qsl.net/wa3mej/index.htm 
> 
>________________________________ 
> From: "AAT3GI" <AAT3GI at comcast.net> 
>To: wa3mej at comcast.net 
>Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 8:43:43 PM 
>Subject: Hello Jim 
> 
>Hey, when you gonna put something new up on digisites?  36 days since 
>you been there?  Ok guess you busy. 
> 
>BTW when we talking about baluns and their shortcomings, I do not 
>disagree but for most of us we are going with baluns for cost, 
>quick/fast to get going and simplicity.  So having said I agree balanced 
>tuner is better, for my 150 dipole at 20 feet fed with 14 gauge stranded 
>wire ladder line, it work OK.  Yes, it would work even better with a 
>balanced tuner, but my LDG has a small footprint and really works fast.   
>Take a look at the following URL and check the 9-1 balun used here.   
>Model number if BAL-450 and there is a schematic available.  Tell what 
>you think?  I also have a DX Engineering 4-1 that handles a lot more 
>power than I run. 
> 
>73 Wayne 
> 
> 
______________________________________________________________ 
K3PZN-List mailing list 
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/k3pzn-list 
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm 
Post: mailto:K3PZN-List at mailman.qth.net 

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net 
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html 