Work the World on 100W and a Wire

1
Work the World on 100W and a Wire
2
Introduction

• You dont need to have a kW amplifier and a 5
  element beam at 100 Ft to make world wide
  contacts.
• This presentation will show you how to use a
  standard HF station and some wire antennas to
  make contacts world wide.

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Heres How.....

• Get your station together.
• Find the DX.
• Have some patience (and good operating skills).
• Get excited and have fun.

4
Build a Station

• Get an HF Rig.
• About anything will do from Heath Kit to the
  modern super rig.
• Should have at least 100W.
• But if you want a real challenge, 25 W is only
  about a 1 S-unit reduction. A better antenna
  can make up for this.

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My Station
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Build a Station

• Now for an Antenna.
• First some formulas.
• Length of a full wave loop 1005/Freq.
• Length of a half wave Dipole 468/Freq.
• Length of a quarter wave vertical 234/Freq.

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Build a Station

• Wire antennas can be used on all HF Bands.
• Wire antennas come in several forms
• Full wave Loops.
• Half wave Dipoles
• Inverted Vs
• Trap Dipoles
• Slopers
• Long Wires
• Quarter wave Verticals.

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Build a Station

• Antenna Hints.
• Dont worry about building the perfect antenna.
  Its an imperfect world. Experiment and have
  fun.
• Get your antennas as high as possible. (Mine are
  only at about 25 Ft) If your antenna didnt come
  down in the storm, it wasnt up high enough.
• If using Verticals or Slopers, make sure you have
  a good grounding system for the antenna.
• A good tuner never hurts.
• Traps, coils, and Open wire feedline can help
  shorten overall antenna lengths.
• Commercial models are also available.

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Build a Station
65 feet
80M
40M
20M
15M
10M
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Build a Station

• See how effective a wire antenna can be.
• Stations worked with 80M dipole at 20 Ft (With
  Drooping Ends)
• HC8A worked on 10/25/98 1127 UTC
• NH7A worked on 10/25/98 1131 UTC

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Find the DX

• Easier said than done? Not really.
• Just look for the contests.
• You dont have to be a contester to work a
  contest.
• DX Stations WILL be on they want to work you!
• Only 1 or 2 hours of operating can provide many
  opportunities for contacts.
• Some contests only allow DX to work Stateside
  stations. This helps improve the odds.
• CQ WW DX, ARRL DX, CQ WW PREFIX, ARRL 10M, ALL
  ASIA, OTHERS....

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Find the DX

• Not into contests? Try a DX Packet Cluster!
• Several are available on the Internet via Telnet
  or on the WWW.
• Give a quick view of who is on and where.
• You may not hear them, but at least you will know
  where to look.

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Find the DX

• Also try ARRL DX bulletins or other publications.
• Or...
• Just tune around... You might get lucky.
• Easiest stations to work are the ones that have
  just come on the air. No Pileups!

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Skill Patience

• You have the station.
• You have found the DX.
• Now Work em. But...
• It might not be easy. You still have to break
  the pile of those kW stations using the 5 EL
  Beams at 100ft.
• Thats where SKILL and PATIENCE come in. Make it
  easy for the DX station to work you.

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Skill Patience

• Listen, Listen, Listen.
• Make sure you are on frequency.
• Some stations run split to keep their listening
  frequency clear, or due to International
  frequency allocations.
• Make sure he wants to talk to you.
• Some DX stations prefer to work by call district
  or may be looking for non us stations. Be
  courteous and wait your turn.
• Make sure you have her call right!

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Skill Patience

• Subtle Points.
• Note the US stations being worked and how they
  are operating.
• Are they jumping right in, or are they waiting a
  second or two.
• Are they a little higher or lower in frequency.

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Skill Patience

• Your Turn...Jump in with your call but....
• Use Standard Phonetics..
• Nothing harder for a DX station (who only know a
  touch of English) than trying to identify a 100 W
  signal calling near 9 mighty super guys in a
  pileup.
• Try to use your whole call. Saves everyone time
  in the long run.
• No need to YELL. Doesnt help you get heard, and
  may distort your signal.

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Skill Patience

• Be courteous but aggressive.
• You may be small, but dont be meek. Take
  advantage when she asks is there a mike golf
  station. Throw in your N9MSG. It might be you he
  heard!
• Cant get in? Try the listening points.
• Adjust Frequency, Call slower, Call Faster, Wait
  a second....

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Skill Patience

• Still cant get in?? Note the frequency and try
  later.. Propagation changes, Pileups diminish. 15
  or 30 minutes can make a BIG difference.
• Besides there may easier stations youre missing!

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Skill Patience

• Dont get discouraged and keep trying. Band
  conditions and propagation are not always
  cooperative. But your signal will hit somewhere.

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Skill Patience

• Remember you are probably competing with BIGGER
  stations. This is especially true at the
  beginning of some of the major contests. Let the
  Big Guns get their work in while you rest your
  voice. Towards the end of the contest, the DX
  stations will be begging for anyone, including
  YOU!

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Get Excited and Enjoy

• Remember the work required to get your license?
  And how exciting it was getting on the air for
  the first time?
• Try the thrill of breaking the pile on Eastern
  Europe or Australia on 100W and a Wire.
• And just wait until those DX QSL Cards start
  rolling in.

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Conclusion

• Working DX with minimal station equipment may not
  be the easiest time you ever had on the radio,
  but the challenge isnt without reward.
• Improved operating skills
• Experience with antenna design and construction
• Greater sense of accomplishment
• Thrill of working the NEW ONE and getting the
  rare QSL.
• AND JUST PLAIN FUN.
• DXCC Here We Come.....