[OKDXA] 160 last night...

Tue Jan 5 12:12:02 EST 2010

Kim,

Ken did a better job than I could ever have done in giving you a run down
on the 160 meter band.

I do have one thing to add and it is a bit strange.  It is called the spot
light effect.  Often on 160 a particular area is hearing the dx station
very loud while others are barely able to copy and they may be only a few
miles away.  I have had this happen to me.  I've caught stations when they
were strong for me but no one else worked them. This is a small miracle 
because I use my transmit slopers for receiving antennas.  These occasions
are rare but are a real joy when they happen.

The band is full of mystery like this.  Enjoy it!

Coy
--
Coy Day, N5OK
20685 SW 29
Union City, OK 73090
405-483-5632

Kenneth Case wrote:
> 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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