Your Best 160m DX

Main Entry: an*ti*pode
Pronunciation: 'an-t&-"pOd
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural an*tip*o*des /an-'ti-p&-"dEz/
Etymology: Middle English antipodes, plural, persons dwelling at opposite points on the globe, from Latin, from Greek, from plural of antipod-, antipous with feet opposite, from anti- + pod-, pous foot -- more at FOOT
Date: 1549

1 : the parts of the earth diametrically opposite -- usually used in plural; often used of Australia and New Zealand
2 : the exact opposite or contrary

- an*tip*o*de*an /(")an-"ti-p&-'dE-&n/ adjective or noun
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I think they mean antipodean but then this is how language changes over time... use it enough and it will become ... just become...

 

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1 : the parts of the earth diametrically opposite -- usually used in plural; often used of Australia and New Zealand
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Sorry, my error: I meant "antipodal" or "antipodean" as the ability to reach the opposite side of the world.
Your dictionary mentions about Australia and New Zealand cause it must be an Oxford english dictionary.
US antipodean areas must fall elsewere, in Asia...
So if you have a nice tale DX-Tale where, from US, you've reached your antipodean areas on 160m, go ahead with full details

Ciao

Fab (IK4VYX)

 

Thank for the replys

De TED N3OWM

 

"The ship I was on was entering the Mediterranean Sea at about 3 AM local time. I was standing watch on 500 kc/s when I heard a traffic list announcement BOOMING IN from Chatham Radio/WCC. I was listening on a Mackay Marine MSR-5030 receiver"

Any chance of this becoming a ham band? I think this band is no longer used for maritime ops.
73

 

I've worked VK6HD during the grayline with 100 watts.

 

Reply to N3HGB

What you're talking about is the old Maritime MF telegraphy band - 410 - 525 kc/s.

That band is not used too much for CW anymore, BUT there is the international NAVTEX frequency of 518 kc/s, the regional NAVTEX channel at 490 kc/s, maritime coastal stations STILL (believe it or not) sending weather and safety broadcast on that band, and coastal stations for differential GPS use.

No chance the amateurs will get the band, because it is still used for distress alerting, navigation, and safety purposes in the Maritime Service.

 

I was first licensed in 1965 as G3UXB in England and 160 was the only band I worked, I remember staying up all night so that I would be awake just before dawn to find that exclusive cw dx on my homebrew transmitter and an old military R206 receiver. I remember working Stew Perry W1BB and many other east coast stations as well as Sao Paulo Brazil on an inverted L antenna strung over the house .. I remember those times with much affection

 

The following story came via email from Carl, K9LA.
Thanks Carl!
------------

There's no doubt that 160m DXCC is not an easy task but it certainly is not impossible.
In fact, almost one thousand amateurs have achieved this award.
Just like everything else in life that is tough to achieve, it takes a commitment to do it.

I started going after my 160m DXCC in late 1995. It took me six years to work over 100 countries (more properly called entities in the DXCC world), and another year or so to receive all the QSL cards for the award. I received my 160m DXCC certificate in September 2002.
My station is not a superstation, it's 1kW to an inverted-L with a short low-noise receiving antennas (I do not have the room for nice long Beverages). And being in the Midwest (Indiana) usually put me at a disadvantage in the pileups with respect to those on the East Coast and West Coast.
The effort included staying up later than normal and getting up earlier than normal when necessary.
But the satisfaction of achieving a tough goal made it worthwhile.
I'm sure this is a common thread for all those on topband.

Carl K9LA

 

The following tales came via email from Garry, NI6T.
Thanks Garry!
------------

I live in a deep canyon on our major earthquake fault near San Jose, CA.
I have low horizons only to the NNW (the mouth of the canyon, toward SE Asia).
My high horizons in most directions, expecially to the SW, make DXing difficult on all bands, but worst on the low bands, where 80m long path is usually impossible, and where our natural geographical advantage to the South Pacific is not available to me.
In these worst directions, it is often impossible to hear any DX, except at local sunrise, when the incoming angles become higher for a very short time.

There is no room for a topband vertical system (mostly because there is no room for a radial field), and the TX antenna is an asymmetric bent-end inverted vee I call a Perverted Vee.
About half the antenna is horizontal at all and the highest point is at about 40 meters.
The radiation pattern must be fairly high-angle, but that coincides with the physical limitations previously mentioned.
For RX I have two short two-wire Beverages, which follow the contours of the steep hillside.
The NE/SW Beverage slopes 200 feet in its 400 foot length (SW is really uphill).

Compared to big gun QTH's on open farmland or coastal marshes, this is not a very good QTH!
Moreover, as with everyone else in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, the paths to Europe are rarely open, even when the Midwest and the Great Plains report good conditions, due to high absorption related to the Auroral Oval.
Working Europe on 160 is a rare treat, and I have heard not a single European this season, nor has there ever been propagation in that decade to compare with the end of 1997.
Compared to 80 or 40, Africa and Central and South America are much more challenging on 160 from here.

Nonetheless, in about ten seasons, I have worked 190 DXCC counters and 36 zones.
Since only a very few stations on the West Coast have achieved over 200 counters, and perhaps none have yet achieved 160 WAZ, these are, I think, amazing numbers.

To achieve such numbers requires considerable persistence, and the awareness and good luck not to miss the rare openings!

I have had my share of incredible QSO's on Topband.
Here are several that I immediately recall:

* VK0IR, Heard Island, 24jan97, 11,113 miles. I never expected to hear that DXpedition at all.
Since the antipode was in Southern Canada, we would have only perhaps 15 minutes of mutual darkness near our sunrise.
The "line of silence" (no mutual darkness) was just south of me and would run to the NE toward the antipode (Southern California was locked out).
Of course I was QRV anyway, along with my friend Ted, KA6W, whose QTH is at the top of the ridge at 1000m, about 12 km north of me!
We were hoping for a miracle!

The first clue of an opening was hearing W6AJJ, very QRS as usual, sending a 339 to a station.
Lloyd is in the Sierra Nevada mountains, perhaps 200 km NE of here.
I heard nothing on Lloyd's frequency, which was 2 kHz above VK0IR's announced QRG, but tuned down and weakly heard the end of the QSO.
I did not hear the VK0IR callsign, but immediately judged it to be that station, and became very excited.
I waited to see how deep the pileup of callers would be at the end of the QSO---and no one called.
I sent a 3x3 call.

On the other end, N6EK and K4UEE were at the 160m position at VK0IR.
According to K4UEE, N6EK was not hearing well through the QRN, but both heard "NI6T" come through.
N6EK told me later that it was the most exciting moment of the DXpedition for him.
We quickly completed an exchange, and I excitedly telephoned KA6W.
Ted had not heard the station at all, and asked if I had heard the VK0IR callsign.
I had not, but I was confident that I would, although Ted insisted it was not a valid QSO.
I said "we will both hear it very shortly", and, sure enough, I heard "VK0IR' during the next QSO.
Ted was in the log less than ten minutes later.
His antennas and QTH allow lower angles--and we think that the sunrise bump, which favors me, was the reason I heard Heard first.

Over a twenty minute period, propagation marched up the terminator to the NE, toward the antipode.
I believe the last successful caller was in Spokane, WA.
About a dozen stations achieved the QSO, and that was the entire story on that path, as there were no other openings.
The dead zone--no mutual darkness---included all of North America between us and Kansas City.

*ZS8IR, Marion Island, 18Mar97, 11,190 miles.
Chris had worked East Coast stations on 160, but no West Coast.
I do not remember many details, except that I was extremely surprised to hear him short path at 0347Z--at almost antipodal distance---and to be the only caller.
In fact, I believe I was the only West Coast station to log him.

*UN5J, Kazakhstan, 28Aug97, 6772 miles. 1997 was a tremendous year, but we did not expect long-haul DX in August!
N6TR and N5KO, who was visiting Tree in Oregon, reported hearing UN5J the day before.
Some had worked that station the previous January, when I was in Mexico on vacation.
It seemed highly improbable to make a QSO three weeks before the fall equinox, but I got up the next morning to listen.
I was stunned to hear UN5J CQing with a Q5 signal on a grayline path, and easily made the QSO.

*XZ1N, 22Nov96, 7690 miles. Zone 26 lies in my best direction, and I have been very fortunate to have worked every counter in that zone that has been QRV in the past decade (VU4 has not been QRV&#33.
This is in part due to the path not being polar! The QSO with XZ1N was due less to my efforts than to the skill and commitment of Robin, WA6CDR, who was the operator on the other end.
I was also able to work the return DXpedition, XZ0A, on 18 Jan00, where I believe Robin was again the operator.

Note that all of these QSO's were between November, 1996 and August, 1997.
I also worked more Europeans during November and December, 1997 than in the rest of the decade.
During this period, conditions on topband were the best they would be during the solar cycle.
There is no substitute for having good conditions!

Garry, NI6T

 

This 160m DX-Tale came via email from Al, PY3CEJ.
I see that Al ranks #12 in the topband world wide
TopBand
with *289* confirmed countries on 160...
Thanks Al and Congrats!!!

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One of the best contacts in 160 meters that I keep in my memory was with VK6HD.
The Zone 29 to Brazil is very difficult in any band.
I already knew that "Mike" (VK6HD) had already been trying to work "PY" (Brazil) for almost 25 years, without obtaining success.
I think we were already in the month of June, practically the only possible month of propagation in low bands between VK and PY, we changed e-mail, we marked frequency and approximate schedule, everything would depend on the blessed propagation.
I began to call "CQ VK" on June 22, 2001 the 2200Z and I didn't obtain success.
The following day 23, the same thing, without answer.
On the 24 (Sunday in Brazil and Monday in Australia), I began to call the 2230Z, and dozens of stations of Europe, America answered me, but I continued to only call "CQ VK", because if assisted a station, it would be in the obligation of assisting all.
I saw on that moment that the propagation was good.
When it arrived exactly at 2300Z o'clock, I got to listen to VK6HD and to accomplish QSO.
It was very touching, because the following day I received e-mail of gratefulness of "Mike", where he said that that contact had been your largest birthday present, because in the previous day it had commemorated together your 70 years with your family.
We changed QSL's, and the most incredible happened months after.
I received a phone call of a friend of my city, Miguel PY3MM, telling me that in the site of OH4MFA, it was my contact with VK6HD recorded in Finland.
I was for the Second time moved when hearing my signs and the one of "Mike".
Congratulations to OH4MFA for the good reception and for the beautiful surprise.
We had made an exact triangle among Brazil - Australia - Finland.
This is one of my histories, of a hundred of happiness and surprises that I had in TopBand.
Each contact DX is a new history.
Thank you. Hugs to all.

73,

Al PY3CEJ.

 

Emotions about DX on 160 eh?   I finally put up a full sized 1/2 dipole for 160M yesterday at 50-60 feet up.  Last night had a ball working EU/Africa/Caribean.  14 new countries for a total of 50.  This morning I woke up and worked #51...VK6HD...got a 479.  Emotion?  Its as thrilling as when I first got my General class license and could operate with a VFO instead of a crystal...what excitement!  Also...pure amazement and gratitude for the numerous stations who stood by on freq while VK6HD repeatedly asked K2?? again (and again).  Not one dit from anyone.  No complaints.  No callsigns.  Pure courtesy.  I think the best emotion I have gotten from working 160 is gratitude for those gentlemen who showed courtesy in the face of a rising sun.  Who stood by and waited while a K2 got his callsign acknowledged.    I am happy that the hobby still has such people.  I try to show courtesy to others in pilueps (not zero beat, send callsign twice then listen etc) ... What a wonderfull feeling to know I'm not alone.

 

Hi

Back in the old days, we 'Gs' were permitted a maximum of ten watts input on 160. It was an ambition of mine to achieve WAC on 160 - legally.

It took me 5 years, which was hundreds and hundreds of hours of listening, calling and sweating tears. Several times I was on the point of giving up but I stuck with it.

Then, on one magical evening, at about sunrise in VK6 land, I called CQVK and back came VK6HD to give me my WAC. That was, and still is, the greatest thrill of my ham life, and I treasure the VK6HD QSL card.

The antenna? A quarter wave sloper top fed by a 60 ft vertical. Oh yes, plus about 100 radials ranging in length from about 50 to 150 ft.

I don't have the real estate nowadays to work 160, but I often listen and am amazed at the level of activity today. And, in my day 300 countries on 160 was impossible - there weren't 300 countries licensed for 160 operation.

The real reason for my eventual success was the continuing support and encouragement that I got from Stew, W1BB. Here was a true giant of a man, and us 160 fans owe him an enormous debt. May he rest in peace.

73

Phil

 

Hi Fab

Hi Fab

Contrary to what some tout as being required for 160M operating DX (i.e. Beverage antennas, acres and acres of wire strung everywhere, etc.), you need a half way decent transmit antenna and some sort of receive antenna set up. That can be accomplished from a city lot or gobs of acres if you wallow in money that is.

Most of the 16 ops, like 90% don't have countless beverages. Sure, it makes it easier plus where you are located (i.e. E. Coast, northern states, etc.) but anyone can work DX on 160 with a modest set up.

I have worked into JA and FK, quite a haul from here, but it also depends largely upon propagation. Because someone in NC says the signal is loud, doesn't mean it is loud across the entire US.

It also takes some skill to learn how to use your radio correctly (and a good radio with two receivers that is) to pull and dig out the signals which may be no stronger than ESP. It can be done.

I have a very modest set up and I am very pleased with what I can hear and work. I don't hear everything and sometimes don't hear what others are hearing but that is largely to do with noise and/or propagation more then anything.

Anyway, GL and hope to work you on the band.

73 and GB!

Chris