Posts from — November 2007

In the ever-changing world of DX spotting networks and nodes, it’s nice to know someone is keeping track of all the sites. For those of us who travel the world to the next contesting DXpedition, having a resource for the closest node can be critical for achieving multi-operator nirvana.

So surf on over to DX Cluster. Take your drop down option right in the upper center of the home page and pick your country for the closest DX Cluster near you. You should be able to find one you like — there are 441 one of them listed.

Sweet!

Scot, K9JY

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I don’t know about you, but I used to think that great contesting stations with all those big antennas heard everything — and heard them clearly.

Nope.

I’ve been very privileged to operate from some great multi-operator stations and one of the most fascinating things that I learned was that big antennas help you hear more stations — of course — but you still have to work the noise floor.

In a somewhat controversial post, I noted in “Contesting to the fourth level station” that big antennas simply allow you to hear more stations. Level one stations will be loud; no doubt about that. Big antennas also allow one to hear “fourth” level stations — those with dipoles in attics running perhaps 100 watts.

But those “dipole in the attic” stations will simply be at your noise level and you have to work them just like someone with a dipole at 20-feet needs to work some station that is at their noise level.

Contesting, in many ways, tests your skills as an operator at working stations at the noise floor. Can you get the call sign and exchange when the static and noise are at the same level as the station calling? Can you get it at the first exchange? Do you need repeats and slow down your rate?

Many contesters believe that, because you have big antennas, big stations effortlessly work stations using no contesting skills. Not true. We all work the noise floor. The stations worked may be different, but the noise floor is what tests our skills as contesters.

Scot, K9JY

Seventeen pages of how to build beverages — using the KISS method. Tom, OH2BEN, notes:

Because I am not an engineer or technically oriented person, this is also a learning process for me. I am good to solder PL259’s, but all electronic stuff is beyond my understanding. But I am learning. And I can assure you, that it takes a lot of time to understand all technical nuances and there are still a lot of things what I cannot understand. Therefore all notes are just how I understand it and in a KISS way. And therefore you cannot expect to see some nice or new ideas

This is my kind of article.

Check out Building a Reversible  Beverage Array.

Scot, K9JY

Thanks ARRL Contest Newsletter.

I’m biased towards big antennas — knowing how incredibly difficult they are to maintain. But show me a big ham radio station for contesting and I’m there.

Today one of the reflectors I belong to provided this link to Radio Arkala, the contest station by OH6KN and OH8NC. I’ll tempt you with just one picture of one tower — but there is a lot to see and learn from this site.

I was drooling…

Scot, K9JY