AM Night on 160

[K9ACT]

I was informed in QSO with George K8RRH that his bucket net on 1936 sets aside one night a year for AM.

That isn't much but it is a demonstration that we really can all get a long.

Thursday Dec 17 (this week) is said night.  Time is 8 PM CST and Freq is 1936.

This event is sponsored by the Cincinnati Radio Club

So, if you can tune up that high, check in and show your support.

Thanks,

Jack K9ACT

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Nov 17??

[flintstone mop]

It would be interesting to hear the various audio reports from that group. East Coast sound? Space-shuttle audio?
BIG BA BASS sound......no high end at all, so that it's not wide?

Fred

[k4kyv]

I have participated for several years.  It's always fun and amazing to hear all the
AM stations come out of the woodwork.  Many are strapping, good quality signals, but never heard anywhere except during this event.

Expect to spend a lot of time listening, and plan on making one or two good transmissions. Much like a huge, old buzzard style roundtable, and it may last 2 hours or more, with a post-net AM QSO continuing after the net officially closes.

I understand the (SSB) net on 1936 has been having problems similar to our 1888 problem. A group of net-haters (who are also AM haters) have reportedly been harassing the net for the past several months, so a pre-net get-together is planned, to establish claim to the frequency well in advance of net time.

[W2PFY]

I checked into that one year and I was surprised that quite a few had some good sounding rigs. I think there is also another net on 1.945 that does that once a year.

1.945 is an AM frequency in the NE. I haven't used it for years. I established 1.930 for AM but who knows what is going on there nowadays.

End of hi jack.

[Jeff W9GY]

I checked in last year, but had to wait around for about two hours until I was called to make a transmission.  They go through all the club members first with lots of buzzarding transmissions before anyone else gets a chance.  I'll skip it this year.

[steve_qix]

Lots of people showed up for the AM night.  Out here in New England, I could hear about half the stations.... most were weak, and a few were reasonably strong.  George K8RRH was one of the strongest out here.

Some slop-buckets jammed the 'net for the last hour and a half or so.  They knew EXACTLY what they were doing, and actually talked about it.  Someone out in the area should record them and sent the recording to the FCC.  The evidence was amazing.  The jammers were quite West of Ohio - weak here, but very strong out there.  I think some big signals from the AMers out in the area would also be quite effective at quelling the interference.

Other than the slop-bucket jamming, the net was very good, and there were almost 70 check-ins.  It went on to well after 11:00pm - maybe to midnight (I signed out at around 11).

Nice job to everyone who set it up!

Regards,

Steve

[K9ACT]

I checked in before the net started but got restless after about an hour and went down the band to run my CQ robot.  It seemed like the entire AM community was on the net judging by how long it took to hook someone.

Had a nice QSO with K5UB and later joined by AB9MQ who said I was called up on the net at about 10:10 which was 2 hrs and 20 minutes after checking in.  Not my bag.

What was interesting was that as a SSB band net, I assumed that it would just be the same bunch pushing a different button on AM night.  I didn't listen closely but what I did hear was mostly vintage equipment.  Where are these guys the rest of the year?

I seem to have pulled out before the QRM started.  It was a clear channel for the first hour.

Jack K9ACT

[KA7WOC]

Copy was extremely difficult here in Puget Sound.  We had severe static issues making even our regular 1.945 gathering a short one.  I could here the occasional AMer get out and heard KL7OF give it a shot but the SSB pretty much destroyed the event for us in the PacNW.
woc

[k4kyv]

I had planned to participate, but Thurs. evening I was feeling like crap.  Headache, chills, sneezing, stopped up nose, etc.  I just didn't feel like sitting for hours out in the shack in 50° temp.  I was afraid I was coming down with a cold or flu, but felt FB OM when I awoke this morning.

Considering the situation on 1888, looks like the 75m slopbucket virus is getting a foothold on 160.

Look for me on 1885 this evening.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Don, if your shack is only 50 degrees with the big rig running, there's something terribly wrong.. 

I'll join you on the big 85 tonight.

[N0WVA]

I have participated for several years.  It's always fun and amazing to hear all the
AM stations come out of the woodwork.  Many are strapping, good quality signals, but never heard anywhere except during this event.

Expect to spend a lot of time listening, and plan on making one or two good transmissions. Much like a huge, old buzzard style roundtable, and it may last 2 hours or more, with a post-net AM QSO continuing after the net officially closes.

I understand the (SSB) net on 1936 has been having problems similar to our 1888 problem. A group of net-haters (who are also AM haters) have reportedly been harassing the net for the past several months, so a pre-net get-together is planned, to establish claim to the frequency well in advance of net time.

I guess the "Billie- Bobs" and "Ray-Bobs" are moving up in the world with larger trailer lots . So much for the idea of "just turning the knob if you dont like it".  They are all over the place.

[K9ACT]

Look for me on 1885 this evening.

1883 would make it a lot nicer for everyone.  You are wasting a sideband on 85.

js

[k4kyv]

Look for me on 1885 this evening.

1883 would make it a lot nicer for everyone.  You are wasting a sideband on 85.

But then you are clashing with the AM QSO on 1880. I spent over an hour to-night with Bill, KD0HG and David W6PSS (in Kansas City) on 1885.  The slopbucketeers that are usually such a PITA came on, but they used 1890.  I was getting as much QRM from the 1880 AM group as I was from them. Maybe common sense has finally prevailed.  Looks like the frequency in the vicinity of 1885 is crowded, just like in the Ghetto on 75.

[K9ACT]

>>1883 would make it a lot nicer for everyone.  You are wasting a sideband on 85.

>But then you are clashing with the AM QSO on 1880.

That is the other side of the problem or  "the hard place", the slop buckets being the rock.  An 85 QSO has no where to go if there is one on 80.  My solution is to start a QSO on 75 unless there is already one on 80 and sort of coax the guys who usually use 80 to use 75 instead.  Solves the whole problem.

>I spent over an hour to-night with Bill, KD0HG and David W6PSS (in Kansas City) on 1885.  The slopbucketeers that are usually such a PITA came on, but they used 1890.

That is good news but nothing to go to the bank on.

>I was getting as much QRM from the 1880 AM group as I was from them.

That is why I am proposing 75 as a better choice.  75 and 83 would work out well.

>Maybe common sense has finally prevailed.  Looks like the frequency in the vicinity of 1885 is crowded, just like in the Ghetto on 75.

So let's not do it again. Forget 85.  For all practical purposes it is taken by the slop buckets.

It is even a worse problem on 160 because the stations tend to be more local so the 5kc spacing just does not work.

Every time I start a QSO on 83 or 75 and go away for a while, they pop back on 80 and 85 like mushrooms.

If you and a few of the other regular mine sweepers would lead the way, the problem would go away.  If the buckets creep down then declare war.

Jack

[K9ACT]

One other thing occurred to me.

Why not start on 1888 instead of 85 if you know the buckets are going to show up there later?

If they are already there, they own it and starting on 85 is pointless.

js

[Bill, KD0HG]

I had an excellent 1 hr QSO with Joe, W7ISJ in Tucson on 1890 prior to joining Don and David on 1885.

Wow- It's been years since I last talked to PSS..

Frankly, band conditions weren't all that great last night and if there was any other activity, SSB or otherwise, I sure didn't hear it. 1890 was clear to the noise floor here.

[Jeff W9GY]

I don't think it is productive to play "musical chairs" on 160.  We're better off just using the normal AM frequencies.  Moving around will just give the QRM'ers a reason to cause more issues.  My two cents, anyway....

[kb3ouk]

But if we use the normal frequencies it is just going to turn into something similar to 75, the qrm is everywhere. At least if we move around to different frequencies we shouldnt have as much of a problem with qrm from slopbuckets that claim a frequency.
Shelby KB3OUK

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Sorry I missed it! I guess I was a "day late and a dollar short", as they say.

Hopefully next year I'll be able to participate. It would be great to work you Don (and hoipe your back gets better!) and others.

Many thanks for the post and hope to catch you on the aether!

Joe Cro N3IBX

[k4kyv]

I listened to-night but the group was large and some of the signals were marginal, so I didn't try to join in.  Same for the 1880 group.  So I moved down to around 1810 and had a couple of CW QSOs and then called it a night. But it sounded like there was enough activity on 1885 to keep the slopbuckets at bay.

I have been temporarily laid up physically and can't easily get down to the tower and bend down to make all the adjustments necessary to change over the antenna to 75, so I'm pretty much stuck on 160 for a while.

[KF1Z]

Lots of people showed up for the AM night.  Out here in New England, I could hear about half the stations.... most were weak, and a few were reasonably strong.  George K8RRH was one of the strongest out here.

That's good!   

[W3GMS]

We had a great time on 160 last night on 1.885.  I went up to 1.888 and nicely asked the SSB ops to move up since they were causing some interference.  They moved up to 1.897.  Some stations that were on last night were: K1BF, N3IBX, W2GEZ, K2DGM, K1KBW, W1MPY, W1UX (with Chuck's K1KW's old valiant), N1MND, WA2DTW, WA1GFZ, N3WWL, W1VD, K0UL and W3GMS.  I hope I did not miss anyone on my listing.  People would check in and out and most kept their transmissions short so it got around the horn pretty fast.  Lots of fun indeed.  Great top band radio on a snowy night is tuff to beat.     
Joe, W3GMS

[WA1GFZ]

building rigs and talking 160 on a cold winter night. A good thing to do when you have your clothes on.