Posted by
Jim Brown-10 on
Aug 11, 2017; 5:43pm
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/Is-it-my-KX3-antenna-or-is-it-lousy-band-condx-tp7633243p7633252.html
On 8/11/2017 9:33 AM, Mike Parkes wrote:
> I took my setup to a nearby park and the bands were
> definitely quieter. So the local manmade noise level is an issue (and one
> reason I chose the KX3 was the hope that its rcvr and filtering could help
> with that.)
>
> Have yet to make a single contact, so I am just wondering if I just
> happened to choose a really lousy period of solar conditions for HF? Or is
> the base loaded vertical a joke?
Band conditions ARE lousy, virtually all residential and industrial
areas are full of noise from electronics of all sorts, especially
switch-mode power supplies, the antenna you've chosen requires radials
or a counterpoise, and short base-loaded verticals are seriously
compromised antennas.
A wire thrown into a tree with another wire a few feet off the ground
connected to the rig chassis is a far better antenna. I use #22 for the
kind of operation you do in the park.The same wire can also be taped to
a telescoping fiberglass pole if there are no trees. The closer the
length is to a quarter-wave the better. :) If there are hills or
mountains around you, head for the top of one of them. The ground slope
will help your transmitted signal, and if there are no buildings or
radio towers around, it will probably be a lot quieter.
Another problem is that, except for contesting and DXing, CW band
activity has fallen over the years. 30M is a very good band for QRP, and
sometimes has more daytime activity than 40 CW; 20M daytime activity
tends to be greater, but the higher you go in frequency, conditions get
worse. :)
As to noise -- you're probably going to have to give up on operating
from your apartment. The likelihood is that every apartment has at least
a dozen nasty noise sources, and many have a lot more.
73, Jim K9YC
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