[Lowfer] DX record?

Fri, 22 Feb 2002 00:12:30 -0600

So you guys won't mind if I crank up a KW this weekend??? Just kidding, YA
know!!! "WE" is just around the corner!!! Stay tuned this weekend. Someone
recommend a freq to run on please. Thanks.
Good night,
Mike>WE0H
http://www.geocities.com/we0h/index.html

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
Behalf Of Les Rayburn
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 11:37 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Lowfer] DX record?

Actually, the lowfer distance record is currently held by Dexter and Steve
McDonald
for their reception earlier this year. I don't have the exact distance
handy, but it
was around 80 miles longer than the Z2-Sheldon Remington reception.

Also, I've debated mentioning this but I think it's important to set the
record
straight. "Back in the day" in the 1980's lowfer beacons routinely ran
power levels anywhere from 5 watts to hundreds of watts! Not in a total
disregard of the rules, but rather to simply be heard by others.

Without going into too many details, I can tell you that TH was running
at least 25 watts on the night in question, SUK in California used to
run over 100 watts, Vince Pinto's beacon was routinely on at those levels,
and many others too.

Even Mike Mideke admitted that he could not verify that the Z2 beacon
wasn't transmitting at around the 5 watt level on the days of the
Hawaii receptions. Mike actually used his beacon for communication
purposes from his rural home at the time, lacking telephone service
and even AC power as I recall. So he sometimes ran the beacon at
higher power levels for communications and would forget to switch it
back down to 1 watt input.

I'm not saying this to diminish the accomplishments of anyone, but
you really cannot compare modern lowfer accomplishments with those
from 20 years ago for this reason. One of the things I found refreshing
when I got back into the hobby is that most folks who were interested
in weak signal receptions are sticklers for running only 1 watt of power.

So if you read claims about 2,000 mile receptions on CW, or hundreds of
miles on SSB using a 1 watt beacon from that time period be very skeptical.
I can state for a fact that no propagation anomaly will allow a 1 watt SSB
antenna on LF to be heard more than a few miles away.

And only a once in a lifetime anomaly would allow 2000 mile receptions
of a 1 watt CW signal on LF. Think about it logically, we have at least
an 18-20db advantage on QRSS60, about the same on BPSK, and
even better on WOLF...and yet receptions like this are still front page
news despite having DSP, modern receivers, low noise pre-amps,
and better computers in every shack than were available in the
Fortune 500 company headquarters back in the 1980's and yet
these feats are only now exceeded? Not likely.

As I said, this is not to diminish the accomplishments of others.
A reception of a 25 watt NDB from New Jersey to California
is still an impressive feat...but does not begin to compare
what Dex and Steve accomplished just a few months ago.
Let's give credit where it's really due.

The fact is that some lowfers have always ran a lot more than
legal power and continue to do so today. Fortunately, most of them
seem to have no real interest in weak signal work...so you don't
have to compare apples to oranges these days. Live and let live, I say.
I don't really object to these types of QRO operations, but I'd hate
to see their claims diminish the truly spectacular achievements made
just this season.

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
XMGR

:
>Not too many guys know this but Carl L, TH, was copied in California the
>same night. That's a good hop too! This must have been one of those 'each
>100 year' alignments of the ionosphere that night.
>
>Bill
>
> >
> >I am wondering what the longest distance is that anyone has actually (by
> >ear) copied another part 15 LOWFER station.
> >
>
>Hi Bob,
>
>That remains the California-to-Hawaii reception of Z2, 'way back when.
>
>73,
>John Davis
>
>
>
>
>
>

Les Rayburn, director
High Noon Film & Interactive
100 Centerview Drive
Suite 111
Birmingham, AL 35216
(205) 824-8930
(205) 824-8960 FAX
(205) 253-4867 CELL
http://www.highnoonfilm.com

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