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CQ WWW 160m phone contest

Discussion in 'Contests, DXpeditions, QSO Parties, Special Events' started by N0NCO, Feb 28, 2015.

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  1. N0NCO

    N0NCO Ham Member QRZ Page

    Just busted a pileup on 1.889.900 MHz phone & talked to ZF2AM in the Cayman Islands! Then I busted another nasty pileup on 1.878.500 MHz phone & talked to HK1T in Columbia - running 100W SSB into my 100' inverted L! Made it through all of the legal-limit stations! Yeah, I am pumped! [​IMG]
     
  2. W7UUU

    W7UUU Director, QRZ Forums Lifetime Member 133 QRZ HQ Staff Life Member QRZ Page

    Wow!! How high is your "L"? Can you describe it more?

    That's pretty cool... I only have a 270' end-fed wire topping out at 50 feet. I'm working a few - got Da Cow in ND just now and a few more or less West Coast locals - but a ZF2 is just a pipe dream for me LOL!

    Local QRN is S9+10/+20 one end of the band to the other

    Dave
    W7UUU
     
  3. N0NCO

    N0NCO Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks!

    My antenna is an all-band, remotely-tuned inverted-L: 50' vertical x 50' horizontal radiator, sixty 65-foot ground-mounted radials + ground rod, with an SGC 230 L-network autotuner mounted at the feedpoint, and 100' of LMR 400 in conduit running to my FT-950 w/MD 100 mic.

    Contrary to popular belief, many short ground-mounted radials will provide a more efficient radial system than fewer long radials. Also, there is no benefit to using different length ground-mounted radials for each band when you're running an end-fed multiband vertical or inverted-L. The most important thing is the distance between the tips in terms of wavelength on the lowest band. Hence, why a bunch of short radials will outperform a few long ones.

    I used the formula in ON4UN's Low-Band DXing book to calculate the most efficient length & number of ground-mounted radials. I modeled the antenna in EZNEC to determine the length & vertical to horizontal ratio of the radiator that would provide the lowest angle of radiation & fewest nulls on the primary bands I wanted it to cover. I wanted to have decent low-angle performance on 160-20m, and figured I'd consider anything above 20m to be a 'gift'. I didn't want the antenna to be so short on 160m that the real component of its feedpoint impedance would be so low that most of my power would be wasted in heating-up the radials, but I didn't want it to be so long that most of my power would be wasted in useless high-angle radiation on the upper bands. I also wanted to use existing trees to support the radiator, and wanted the antenna to be supported only from the ends of the vertical section.

    Based on the above criteria, I chose a 100' radiator with a 50/50 height to horizontal length ratio. Given that there is only a few percent difference in efficiency between a full round of 120 130-foot radials & 60 65-foot radials on 160m, and given that a full round requires three times as much wire, I chose to go with 60 65-foot ground-mounted radials. Of course, I mounted the SGC 230 at the feedpoint.

    The result has exceeded my expectations. Most people think I'm running an amp (even on 160 & 80/75m), and are usually quite surprised to learn that I'm running 100W. I have DXed all over the world on 40-10m, running 100W on SSB. I can reach any part of the world on 40-17m, along with most parts on 15-10m - although there are quite a few nulls in the pattern on 15-10m. Despite the nulls, I routinely talk to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe, Africa, and more on the upper bands. I rarely have trouble getting through moderate to heavy pileups on 40-10m. I had no trouble working FT5ZM on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10m with 100W on SSB. That's 11,743 miles with 100W & a wire on every band from 20-10m. I also routinely talk to Australia & other distant parts of the world on 40m - including Antarctica. I have talked to Slovenia, Hawaii, Nicaragua, and Jamaica on 80/75m - also running 100W on SSB. On 160m, I've talked as far as Honduras, and now the Caymans & Columbia - again running 100W on SSB. [​IMG]
     
  4. KQ9J

    KQ9J Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Got the ZF2 but the HK1 never heard me. Got C6ANA as a consolation prize :) This loaded dipole just doesn't cut it. I want to do an inverted-L too; actually sitting here this morning figuring out where to put it.

    I got 7,920 points so far. When I see single op scores like 350,000 I guess I won't be winning anything :p
     
  5. W9JEF

    W9JEF QRZ Lifetime Member #571 Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

    My turn to brag

    The thin layer of snow on the ground changed the impedance
    of the cage umbrella mode of my 80 meter turnstile on 160,
    so that I'm only running about 350 watts. Guess I need to
    fashion some sort of antenna tuner for that band.

    I think last winter, it was, I worked Christmas Island on 160 CW.

    Forty has been good lately. Nice QSO with JA1NUT the other morning, barefoot.
    Also OK1AY, both on my quarter wave inverted "L" wire (off the NW leg of the turnstile).

    On 30, got PWØF on second try, through a big pileup, also ZS2I in South Africa.

    The Caribbean is like shooting fish in a barrel from here.


    .
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2015
  6. KQ9J

    KQ9J Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Worked about 30 new contacts last night and a couple this morning. Mostly, I heard stations I had already worked, but I got a few new multipliers. Log submitted - all 12,390 points LOL

    Got a year to come up with a better transmit antenna. :)
     
  7. W9JEF

    W9JEF QRZ Lifetime Member #571 Platinum Subscriber Life Member QRZ Page

    I logged about 20 altogether.

    As my hearing gets worse, it's getting harder to understand the phonetics.

    Alpha sounds too much like Delta. Even worse: non-standard--Nancy sounds like Yankee.

    The reason I, nowadays, stick mainly to CW.
     
  8. KQ9J

    KQ9J Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    There were a few who need to have their voice memory recorders taken away from them. Prefixes and/or suffixes that were spoken so fast or run together that I had to listen half a dozen times before I was sure what they said. If you're gonna use those toys, at least make sure your recorded message is intelligible.

    In the end, it was fun. I can see myself pulling all-nighters on it when I retire. Could only make it to about 0630 UTC Friday night and pooped out even sooner the last night. I heard you working a few :)
     
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