[OKDXA] 160 last night...

Tue Jan 5 01:34:31 EST 2010

Hi Kim,

I was not on the night you mention (have been doing chores from a higher authority).  Since my transceiver is also an OII, thought I'd respond.

My location is west of Stillwater in the middle of nowhere.  The closest neighbor is about 0.8 miles away.  So, it is a quiet place.  There will be times when the noise level is S1 even with the TX antenna in use for receiving.  Those times are rare.  More typical is noise of S3 or S4 with the preamp on, RF gain up, and using the TX antenna.

With the TX antenna, there are some nights when EU or Russian or JA stations will be well over S9.  

These days, however, almost always the RX antenna will be used for receiving.  There are two bi-directional 720 foot Beverages using DXEngineering boxes.  The signals will be much lower, but the reduced noise makes it MUCH more pleasant to copy.  There is nothing quite like a good night of DX stations running S6-7-8-9 on the very quiet Beverages.  For comparison, I have a K9AY, and have used it for years.  It really helps reduce the noise; however, it cannot match the Beverages, despite being quite a difference maker on many QSOs when compared to the TX antenna.

Keep in mind that we are talking about some really good nights.  There will be many times when the signals are more like you described.  They are close to the noise level, Q5 on peaks, and yet inaudible on lows - there is a lot of QSB to contend with on 160M.   It can be very frustrating (yes, masochistic) when, due to QSB, some people are unable to copy, while others in another part of the country copy Q5.  This brings on a lot of calling when the DX is sending.  

The gray line can be a huge help - for example at our sunset, EU's sunrise, our sunrise, JA's sunset, etc.  Things often start to pick up noticeably about 15-20 minutes before either stations' sunrise, and may carry on for 5-15 minutes after sunrise.  Don't give up right at a DX station's sunrise like many do.  Hang in, because they may stay loud and you can work them without too much competition.

One other thing.  Don't get too carried away by what others are saying or the reports they are giving.  For example, a 559 on 160M often means "I can hear you just above noise level and you are Q4-5."  Or, a "559 QSB" may mean the same thing PLUS "... and when you drop down, I'm lucky to hear you at all."  Continuing, when you hear somebody mention a big signal, it may be a bit relative to what is expected.  For example, if HS0ZEE (Thailand) is coming through just above the noise and is Q4-5 for 2 to 5 minutes, there will be many raving about his signal.  That is because we may only hear him a few times per year, so RELATIVELY speaking, he is loud.

Any way you slice it, 160M is a fun band, and also kind of a tough band from OK.

73 Ken K5KC

On Fri, 1/1/10, Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

From: Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [OKDXA] 160 last night...
To: "Discussion of OKDXA" <okdxa at mailman.qth.net>
Date: Friday, January 1, 2010, 5:22 AM

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the assessment.

I was listening on my Array Solutions K9AY loop system. I'm lucky in 
that I live in a very radio-quiet place: between E 48th and E 60th on 
Robinson, east of Norman. I did a W8JI test early on and found that 
in Summer my night time noise levels far exceeded my daytime noise 
levels, indicating I'm in a radio quiet location. The loops do help 
quite a bit: tonight, the loops with the loop preamp on and the 
bandwidth dialed down to about 400 Hz yields a noise level typically 
less than S1 on my Orion II. On the TX antenna, I see noise levels 
between S1 and S3 (this is with the receiver's preamp off and RF gain 
wide open).

But, to the point: what I heard is, then, typical for 160. My friend 
is right: it's a masochist's band!  I'll play more with the gray line 
(I find early morning seems more productive than evening) and see how 
things are. My hat's off to anyone that makes  160 DXCC! Heck, 160 
WAS seems a worthy goal!

Happy New Year and 73,

Kim N5OP

At 08:38 PM 12/31/2009, you wrote:
>Kim,
>
>Last night was pretty typical for us. Lots of qsb. On my NE beverage,
>signals out of EU were S1-S5 (noise floor S1). If you were listening on
>the TX antenna, you probably had S7-S9 noise, making the DX seem very
>weak. Try right at the gray line. Noise is lowest and signals are
>strongest. Stations spotting EU as "booming" are usually on the East
>coast, but I have seen them as strong as S9 here...very rare.
>
>73, Bob K5SM
>
>
>
>Kim Elmore wrote:
> > Well, I decided to gut out 160 last night and see what I could do.
> > \\I figured out some better settings on the Orion II to help and used
> > my K9AY loops to the best ability I had. I worked SM4CAN, F5IN, OM2XW
> > and HA5JI. U se my 50 ft tower shunt fed through a remotely tunable
> > L-network for transmitting. I had radials at one time, but the puppy
> > (now dog) chewed them up. Still, the ground is saturated, so I should
> > be doing relatively well.
> >
> > I kept seeing spots claiming that these guys were "booming" in. They
> > never boomed in at my QTH. This was hard work. I used the amp with
> > about 700 W output to work them, but I was amazed that even those
> > they tended to be in the mud most of the time, I actually did work
> > them. Honestly, if I had tuned across these signals hunting on my
> > own, I'd have passed them right by declaring the path too poor to be
> > useable. I caught these guys only through Internet spots.
> >
> > So, for you 160 veterans, I have this question: is this typical of
> > 160, or am I simply a spoiled newbie? Are signals signals you can
> > actually hear considered booming?
> >
> > Kim Elmore N5OP
> >
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