Stations worked here over the weekend on 136kHz using normal speed CW:
Friday 23/7
GM3YXM/P (13.43UT: gave him 579, he gave me 579), EI0CF (18.05: 579, 569).
Saturday 24/7
GM3YXM/P (06.59: 57/89, 57/89), PA0SE (07.10: 57/89, 57/89 [-83dBm]).
Sunday 25/7
GM3YXM/P (08.00: 57/89, 579).
I was fairly inactive again this weekend and when I was about, activity
seemed very low. This was a pity 'cos Dave was back up in Southwest
Scotland, putting out an excellent signal but having to work hard to get
contacts.
Static levels were lower than they have been recently, but I am suffering
with some low-level buzz from what appears to be a SMPSU close by, so my
background noise level varies quite a lot at the moment and I can't always
hear the weakest DX. I found Finbar's beacon on Saturday evening just above
136.700kHz at around S4/5, and it was still audible above the SMPSU early
Sunday norning. Apparently this was running QRP with about 1A antenna
current. Later when he moved it to around 136.165kHz it came up to a nice
S6.
I was very interested in the comments from Bob ZL2CA last weekend about
horizontal antennas on LF. Probably the most successful DXer on 136kHz
(especially when you take into account TX power) is Reino OH1TN, and as
most of you will know, he uses a very long and predominantly horizontal
wire (although it is reasonably high too).
As I have now been heard in HS6.... (!! - no, it WASN'T me who put that
spot on the cluster, but I will gladly QSL...) Seriously though, I have
always used mostly horizontal wires on 73 and 136kHz and my earliest
configuration had almost no vertical component, despite a number of people
at that time suggesting it wouldn't work. It's interesting that I was using
this when I was the first person outside the Baltic area to receive Reino,
back in December '97. The DX QSOs I've been making with my present antenna
(which is still quite low and mostly horizontal) show that even relatively
short horizontal antennas do work well on LF. In addition, I've noticed that
my receive signal to noise ratio often seems better than that of stations
using big vertical antennas, although there could be other reasons for this.
Traditionally, the horizontal sections of LF antennas have been considered
a necessary evil to provide loading, but I feel that, especially for amateur
work, horizontal antennas can provide extremely good results in their own
right.
Regards John G4GVC near Leicester, IO92JP
** TX: Synth + 400W RF from modified 'G3YXM' Mosfet PA **
** RX: TS-850S with 3 x CW filters and 0.5ppm TCXO **
** Ant: Inv-L 60m long, 6m high at feed end, 12m high at far end **
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