40 Meters Anyone?

[K1JJ]

Moved to 7160 after 2300Z when the BC station signed off. FB conditions for over an hour. K1JJ and N8ITF joined too.

It was an amazingly low angle night tonight!

When listening to John in Louisana and Paul in the Midwest, they came up about 15-20 db louder on the Yagi than the low dipole.
This is due almost totally to vertical angle of radiation. That's cuz the dipole is at an average height of 35' = high angle. The Yagi is at 65' (1/2 wavelength high) = all low angle with suppressed high angle. Exact opposites.

Earlier in the day, I saw a local NJ station 15db louder on the low dipole - very weak on the Yagi. (High angle daytime)

When modeling them both and seeing the overlay, there is an easy 15-20 db difference in certain vertical angles.

My point is for FULL coverage, it would serve anyone well to have up TWO antennas for 40M...  a dipole at 65' and a dipole at 35'. They both have their advantages and complement each other well.

T

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Saw a big difference when you did the switch - something like 10-15 dB in favor of the Yagi.

Band was much quieter after you signed. We moved to 7160, no slopbuckets and no BC station.

[w3jn]

I finally fingered out the tooner settings for Farty.  The tracking generator in the HP 8935 and reflected power bridge made it easy.  I was previously unable to find a sweet spot using a MFJ SWR analyzer.

One problem, that cheapassed mike amp/mixer puts a nice 5% modulated 120 hz square wave on the audio.  Yep, that's the same one that put detected foreign BC audio on my signal once.

Time to get rid of that POS.

[W3SLK]

John said:

One problem, that cheapassed mike amp/mixer puts a nice 5% modulated 120 hz square wave on the audio.  Yep, that's the same one that put detected foreign BC audio on my signal once.

You gotta be kidding me??? That had to have been a hoot to figure out!

[w3jn]

No, I kid you not    Was testing a new audio setup with HUZ and he aksed why I was mixing in some other audio.

I fingered it out.  The mixer had some kind of JSed auxiliary power supply assembly.  I pulled the wires out by the roots and all is good now    SHoulda done that a long time ago, I had forgotten about that abomination.

[w3jn]

Over the weekend I'm going to get the 32V station set up and get the 40m dipole temporarily lashed up soze I can join in the fun.

How's this project progressing?  I b lissenin on farty right now

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Yes, you were receiving Radio Deutsche Welle fine business on your audio mixer.

No, I kid you not    Was testing a new audio setup with HUZ and he aksed why I was mixing in some other audio.

I fingered it out.  The mixer had some kind of JSed auxiliary power supply assembly.  I pulled the wires out by the roots and all is good now    SHoulda done that a long time ago, I had forgotten about that abomination.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Yes, you were receiving Radio Deutsche Welle fine business on your audio mixer.

No, I kid you not    Was testing a new audio setup with HUZ and he aksed why I was mixing in some other audio.

I fingered it out.  The mixer had some kind of JSed auxiliary power supply assembly.  I pulled the wires out by the roots and all is good now    SHoulda done that a long time ago, I had forgotten about that abomination.

Hey, isn't there a rule about re-broadcasting? Not the Baxter rule, the real one. 

No progress yet Johnny due to the power outage Saturday, clean up yesterday, and pretty much constant rain since Friday. Got most of the red clay off the new carpeting (wife was not happy with that) and the rest of it dealt with, so I'm gonna haul the gear out tonight and at least get all the interconnections lashed up. Then I'll just need to sling up the dipole. Won't be high, but it'll get me back on the air, at least. Need to figure out a way to get the feedline in through the wall until the ant bulkhead is made. Aluminum siding is a pita...

[w3jn]

Cut a piece of plexiglass to fit the window, width wise, but shorter height wise than the pane.  Open the window, insert the plexiglas, then close the window on it.  Some weatherstripping and a bulkhead double female SO-239 and yer set.

Works for open wire line too!

[w4bfs]

got on 7290 today between 12:30 and 14:00 ....worked 5 or so stations most of which were fairly new to am ... I am going to fire up shortly and see who is ota ...73 ...Beefus

[W1AEX]

Heard you on 7290 John, around noon, looked like the band was going long on us though. I'm messing around on 7295 right now (8:30 EST) if you are still in that area of the band.

Rob W1AEX

[w4bfs]

sorry Rob....it was no go here ...mucho splatter from oriental broadcash station ....kills off everthing here at 3 pm

73 John

[W1AEX]

Yah, there was a broadcaster sitting on 7300 that was quite strong and quite grossly modulated. I ended up working W9BFO, John, who was giving his Knight T-150 a workout into his 572B amplifier on 7290 at about 9pm EST. He was 20dB over S-9 at this location and very easy copy for about 30 minutes, and then the propagation cards were shuffled and it all changed quickly.

Catch you another time.

73,

Rob W1AEX

[KX5JT]

7.290 this evening?  7.160?   7.190?  I'll be checking and calling around those +/- QRM.