DX-Operating on the Low Bands V
ON4UN, John Devoldere
17. THE SURVEY
During the early months of 2003 a new survey questionnaire was sent out by e-mail to nearly 500 active Low- Banders. Other volunteers were able to download the questionnaire from Nick’s (VK1AA) website, which lists 160-meter DXCC standings. I would like to thank the 270 low-band DXers who contributed to the poll and who made it possible to do some statistical analysis.
17.1 Age and Activity
Instead of concentrating on peoples’ ages, I asked how long they’d been DXing on the low bands. Nearly 60% of the active DXers have been active on Top Band for less than 20 years. The average 80-meter DXer has been at this game for somewhat longer, 35% for 20 years or less. It looks like Top Band still must be attractive for newer DXers. The continuous growth in the number of participants in the CQ WW 160-meter contest over the years confirms this trend.
Based on the survey, the average low-band DXer has been on 40 meters for 35 years and on 80 meters for 26 years, but has only been on 160 meters for 22 years. Comparing these figures with those of my last poll (6 years ago), the average age has gone up by approximately 6 years, which would seem to indicate that there are no young newcomers. Going by the average age of 50 determined 6 years ago, it seems to be safe to say that the average age is now approx 56 years. Where is any young blood coming into the hobby itself?
17.2. Time Spent on the Low Bands
What is the split for time spent on the 40, 80 and 160-meter bands by low-band DXers? A large number (almost 1/3) operates 40 meter only occasionally (less than 10% of the time), while less than 10% work 40 meters more than 50% of their time. I guess this means that 40 is not really a low band: Perhaps there is not enough challenge! While a similar percentage of diehards (< 10%) can be found working more than 50% of their time on 80 meters, the picture is very different for Top Band: Over 30% spend more than 50% of their time on 160 meters! The “average ham” in the poll spends 45% of his “low band time” on 160 meters.
Average Time Spent on Each Band
40 meters 24%
80 meters 31%
160 meters 45%
17.3. Time Spent on Each Mode
Top Band is a CW band: More than 80% operate more than 80% of their Top-Band time on CW and almost 2/3 say they spend 90 to 100% of their time on CW. Actually all three low bands are CW bands. There is a little more SSB activity on 80 meters, with 33% of the respondents working phone 50% of the time. However, this still means that 67% of the respondents spent 50% of their time working CW.
If we examine the split for stations with a high DXCC score, meaning >275 countries on 40 meters, >250 on 80 meters and >225 countries on 160 meters, the preference for CW becomes even more pronounced. In this category, averaged over the three low bands, 33% work CW 90% of the time or more.
On 160 meters 70% of the stations responding say they work CW at least 90% of the time.
Average Time Spent on Each Mode
Total Group
Band CW SSB
160 meters 90% 10%
80 meters 70% 30%
40 meters 79% 21%
The reason for this CW/SSB split are obvious—CW is by far the more efficient mode when it comes to dealing with weak signals under marginal conditions. On 40 meters the percentage split is higher even than on 80 meters. This probably reflects the presence of strong interfering broad cast stations in the US phone band that drive DXers to the quiet of the CW subband.
17.4. Achievements
The achievement figures are listed in Table 2-3. The listing is alphabetically by call. Columns 2,3 and 4 give the year that the station started chasing DX on 40, 80 and60 meters. The DXCC status shown is the all-time status. WAZ status is shown as well.
17.4.1. Achievement summary
Percentage of Respondents Holding Award
5-Band DXCC 5-Band WAZ 160-m WAZ
68 % 38 % 38 %
Average All-Time DXCC Count:
40 meters 2 6 0
80 meters 225
160 meters 164
Average WAZ Count:
40 meters 38.2
80 meters 36.2
160 meters 31.0
The purpose of the listings is not to give an accurate DXCC status report, but to show what some of the leading low-band DXers have achieved and what they are using to do it. A few well-known DXers are missing in the tables. They have chosen not to reply to the questionnaire or could not be reached via e-mail. Rankings of Top-Band early award winners can be found in K1ZM’s excellent book DXing on the Edge (Ref 511).
17.5. Antennas and Equipment
Table 2-4 at the end of this chapter gives an over view of the antennas used by the participants in the poll. Since a number of respondents mentioned more than one antenna for any particular low band, the sum of the percentage in each group is not necessarily 100%. In all of the data below the term “total group” refers to all respondents to the poll (270).
40-Meter Antennas
Antenna Type Total Group Top Group
Yagi/Quad 49% 56%
Dipole 23% 22%
Vertical Antennas 16% 15%
Vertical Array 8% 3%
Delta Loop 5 % 3 %
Horizontal Array 3 % 6 %
Other 3 % 3 %
Note: The category Vertical Antennas includes shunt fed owers and inverted Ls. Dipoles include inverted Vs;
Horizontal Arrays includes Double-Extended Zepps, for example. Top group: Stations with at least 300 countries confirmed (86 stations in our poll). Many stations use 2-element reduced-size 40-meter Yagis (eg, Force 12, CushCraft); one is using Rhombics up 30 meters.
Special Receiving Antennas Used on 40 Meters
Antenna Type Total Group Top 100
None 72% 73 %
Beverages 21% 20 %
Flags 4 % 5%
Other 1 % 2 %
Note: The category Flags include EWEs, Flags, Pen nants, K9AY arrays, etc. The big guns have rotatable Yagis of Quads, and generally do not use separate receiving antennas, although a few big guns few use
Beverages occasionally. One says he’s using his gutter as a receive antenna!
80-Meter Antennas
Antenna Type Total Group Top Group Vertical
Antennas 33 % 24 %
Vertical Array 20 % 40 %
Dipole/Inv V 30% 20 %
Yagi/Quad 8 % 8 %
Sloping Dipole 5 % 2 %
Half Sloper 10 % 13 %
Delta Loop 5 % 7 %
Other 5 % <1 %
Top Group includes stations with at least 300 countries confirmed on 80 meters (45 stations). If we compare the results with those obtained 6 years ago we see a substantial increase in the use of Vertical Arrays. In the Top Group this rose from 23% to 40%.
Special Receiving Antennas Used on 80 Meters Antenna Type
Total Group Top Group None
None 41% 31%
Beverages 43% 65%
Flags 10% 11%
Magnetic Loops 5% 0%
Low Dipoles 3% 0%
Other 2% 1%
Note: The category Flags include EWEs, Flags, Pen nants, K9AY arrays, etc. The number of 80-meter respondents who do not use special receiving antennas has gone up remarkably. The reason is that more are using directive trans mit/receive antennas (shorted Yagis, arrays of verticals, etc).
160-Meter Antennas
Antenna Type Total Group Top group
Vertical Antenna 26 % 33 %
Inverted-L/T 24 % 18 %
Shunt-Fed Tower 15 % 16 %
Dipole/Inv V 24% 14 %
Long Wire 2 % 2%
Vertical Array 9 % 16 %
¼-Wave Sloper 9 % 7 %
Delta Loop 2 % 0 %
Other 4 % 6 %
Notes: Top Group means stations who have worked at least 225 DXCC countries. Verticals in all shapes and forms (dedicated verticals, inverted Ls, Ts and shunt-fed towers) make up 66% of Top-Band antennas.
Special Receiving Antennas Used on 160 Meters
Antenna Type Total Group Top Group
None 25 % 14 %
Beverages 52 % 68 %
Flags 14 % 16 %
Magnetic loops 9 % 4 %
Low dipoles 6 % 7 %
Array vert. short ele. 2 % 4 %
Other 2 % 2 %
Notes: The category Flags include EWEs, Flags, Pennants, K9AY array, etc. It’s obvious that Beverages are the secrets to success for most 80 and 160-meter DXers. Many of those not using Beverages say: “…I wished I had enough room…). Although sophisticated arrays of short verticals can equal the performance of the best Beverages, only few actually use them. As we will see in Chapter 7 these antennas are much more complex to put up and get working than Beverages.
17.6. The Low-Band DXer’s Equipment
Transceiver Total Group Top Group Top Group Top group
160 meters 80 meters 40 meters
Yaesu 51% 60% 59% 60% FT1000 (*)
Yaesu 5% 4% 1% 2% (other types)
Kenwood 20% 12% 21% 20%
Icom 27% 21% 22% 21%
Ten Tec 7% 2% 3% 3%
Other 4% 2% 4% 3%
Notes: The category Total Group 160 includes stations with at least 225 DXCC countries. Total Group 80 includes stations with at least 250 DXCC countries. Total Group 40 includes stations with at least 275 DXCC countries.
(*) includes FT-1000(D), FT-1000MP and FT-1000MKV. Other category includes Collins, JRC, and Kachina.
It’s interesting to see how these figures change over the years. Yaesu has made remarkable progress in popularity through the different Editions of this book. Ten years ago Yaesu ranked only in third place, with a mere 12% score. Six years ago this had grown to 44% (52% in Top 100) and now Yaesu has reached the 60% Total Group score.
The number of Kenwood users has dwindled from 30% to 20% in the Total Group. The TS-830 is still considered a very good Top-Band transceiver by many (good tuned front end selectivity, low first IF making for good close-in IMD performance). The TS-850 and TS-930 also remain popular radios, while the TS-2000 was used by only one station.
ICOM has made significant progress, especially in the non-Top Group (17% to 27%), while it remained at a constant level in the Top Group (20% to 21%). The percentage for Ten-Tec remained constant but with the new Orion trans ceiver, a real breakthrough in many aspects, I expect them to take an important slice of the cake in the near future.
The number of Kenwood users has dwindled from 30% to 20% in the Total Group. The TS-830 is still considered a very good Top-Band transceiver by many (good tuned front end selectivity, low first IF making for good close-in IMD performance). The TS-850 and TS-930 also remain popular radios, while the TS-2000 was used by only one station.
ICOM has made significant progress, especially in the non-Top Group (17% to 27%), while it remained at a constant level in the Top Group (20% to 21%). The percentage for Ten-Tec remained constant but with the new Orion trans ceiver, a real breakthrough in many aspects, I expect them to take an important slice of the cake in the near future.
17.7. Why Does the Low-Band DXer Operate the Low Bands?
Since I asked that general question in the last survey as well, I knew the answer: “For the challenge!”
• DXing on the high bands is like shooting fish in a barrel. (AA4MM)
• Low-band DXing is the greatest challenge in amateur radio. (ABØX)
• I love a good “static salad.” (K1UO)
• Anyone can do it if it’s easy. (K4PI)
• I experience the same thrills as 40 years ago that hooked me on radio, high bands are too easy. (K4TEA)
• Top Band is the only band that still gives me a thrill. (K6ANP)
• 160 is an addictive band, 160 is not easy to be good at. (KO1W)
• Worked a new one on 160 is not so cut-and-dried. ( KX4R)
• On 160, CW shines. (VO1NA)
• Fewer lids than on high bands. (WØGJ)
• See how much pain one can endure before taking the headphones off. (W7TVF)
• Fun. (WB9Z)—These two guys should get together.
• The low bands are where you can test the station and the operator’s skills. (UA3AB)
• Challenge of hearing, silence the utility poles, be ready all the time. (N7RT)
• Best demonstration of operating skill, station design and knowledge of propagation (like 6 meters). (W4DR)
• Pushing the operator and the station to the limits. (N4KG)
• 160: No nets, no lists, no deliberate QRM, moving on the edge, alone with QRN… (IV3PRK)
• 160: This is a new mountain to climb (the tallest one). (N6RK)
• 160 requires more technical skills and operating skills: The ultimate DXing challenge. (K9RJ)
• On the low bands success comes through knowledge (antennas), not money. Few do it well. (K1VR)
• It’s not that easy but I like difficulties (easy things are for everyone). (RA3AUU)
• DX nets on high bands make many contacts phony; play ing field on low bands is more level. (ZS6EZ)
• Why do you climb mountains? …because they’re there. 160 is the highest mountain with no worn path. (KØHA)
• Try to get the impossible, work all countries on all bands. (HB9AMO)
• I like difficult things, and… if you can’t hear them you can’t work them. (ON7TK)
• 160 is like the BC band, I was a BC SWL as a child. (N5SV)
• 160-meter DX requires the best of everything: antennas, equipment, QTH, operator skills. (4X4NJ)
• I think I was dropped on my head when I was a baby. (K4SB)
• On 160 you can be competitive using your hands, not your checkbook. (NW6N)
• Doing the impossible from a city, camaraderie on WestCoast. (K6SSS)
• Satisfaction of achieving the seemingly impossible. (PA3DZN)
• The intellectual challenge of dealing with all the odd variables of propagation makes it a thrilling activity. (NØAX)
• I feel more at ease with my fellow low-band DXers than some of the “stuffed shirts” that hang out on 20 meters. (WØFS)
• Ties with early pioneers who did so much with so little. (K8MN)
• 160 is the absolute end in DXing, the last frontier. (K9UWA)
• To make the impossible possible: 160 DXCC from the worst place on earth. (YB1AQS)
• K6SE got infected at an early age: “As an 8-year old in Detroit I would stay up late at night do DX on the AM broadcast band.”
• Chance to do something everybody thinks is impossible. (G4DBN)
• 160 is more a gentleman’s band: Lids are too lazy to fight QRN. (W9WI)
• No pain, no gain, and no nets on 160 yet. (GW3YDX)
• Creates great friendships. (W6KW, ex-W6NLZ, ex-K2RBT)
• It helps to be insomniac. (W8RU)
• I am a man whose life begins after sundown. (AA4V)
• The challenge both on the technical side (antenna design and propagation) and DX techniques. (CT1EEB)
• More difficult and more value for each QSO. (EY8MM)
• You tend to find better operators on LF. (GM3YTS)
• Because it is FUN… (HAØDU)
• For contest multipliers that are harder for others to get. (K1TTT)
• Operating skill as important as hardware. (K2RD)
• The challenges make it fun. (KØXM)
• Unusual and unexpected propagation and openings. (K3NA)
• Unpredictable! Fun! (K4CIA)
• Success is not automatic… (K4TEA)
• The challenge of the fight. (K6EID)
• It’s a challenge! Plus it gets back to the roots of ham radio DXing. (K8BHZ)
• On 160 most operators are DX oriented gentleman, good camaraderie. (K9FD)
• The engineering needed to be competitive on these bands. (K9JF)
• The sense of accomplishment, especially for my limited antennas and real estate. (K9KU)
• It’s not something the average ham can do well, with the high noise, strange DX hours required, the skill and dedication needed to be successful. Nothing like working a new one” on Top Band (except for receiving the QSL!). (KG6I)
• The challenge doing it from my mobile. (W6/KH6DX/M)
• Results indicate antenna competency and operator savvy. (N4JJ)
• The lower the frequency, the higher the challenge. (NX4D)
• The challenge of propagation, the valuable awards. (S5ØA)
• Frees up some daylight time! (VE7BS)
• ANYONE can work DX on the high bands. (WØGJ, W1JZ, VE7ON, etc)
• 160 is the most challenging in terms of propagation and technical. (W4ZV)
• Working the seemingly unworkable. (W9AJ)
• Testing antenna systems. (WXØB)
• Is there any challenge left in high band operating? (ZS6EZ)
• The challenge on the low bands reminds of my early days as a new ham. (K4UEE)
• It has a charm of its own, and reminds me of early days with W1BB and W2EQS. (WØAIH)
• The lower the frequency, the higher the challenge. (NX4D)
• It’s the only challenge left. (K2UO)
• I was inspired by W1BB; Stu gave me my Novice license test when I was ~12 yrs old. (AJ1H)
Trying to break up the answers of the 2003 poll into categories I came to the following overview:
• 68% mentioned the challenge.
• 17% mentioned the fact that you had to home build and design antennas.
• 15% mentioned the unpredictable propagation on 160.
• 13% mentioned the competition aspect (including getting multipliers in contests).
• 11% mentioned thrill and excitement.
• 7% mentioned they like the company of the low-band operators better (160 is a gentleman’s band).
• 6% mentioned that better operator are required to work the low bands.
• 3% mentioned they operated the low bands because they are night bands.
• Only3 % mentioned it was MORE FUN.
Isn’t fun essential to any hobby?
17.8. QSL Cards
About 87% of the Low band DXers in the poll said they collect QSL cards vs 96% six years ago). This time the same 87% said they answer all cards received. Only 15% uses E-QSLs.
To me an E-QSL is to QSLing what lists are to amateur radio. I want to be able to hold the card in my hands. In my questionnaire I asked if the addressee was using electronic QSLs (E-QSL). No one did. Maybe the low-banders are a little old fashioned, or are most of them just very straight?
17.8.1. Logbook of the World (LoTW)
On September 15, 2003, ARRL announced the on-line availability of the “Logbook of the World” (LoTW). See www.arrl.org/lotw/intro and www.arrl.org/lotw/faq. ARRL states: “ARRL’s Logbook of the World (LoTW) system is a repository of log records submitted by users from around the world. When both participants in a QSO submit matching QSO records to LoTW, the result is a QSL that can be used for ARRL award credit.” LoTW incorporates an elaborate set of safeguards to ensure that QSOs are secure. Each and every QSO is automatically ‘signed’ electronically to prevent fraud or manipulation.
Answering a frequently asked question concerning printed QSLs: “Logbook of the World is initially de
signed to create awards credit, that is to say, that if your QSO matches that of another station, either you or the other operator may be able to apply that confirmed QSO to various awards. Creating an image based in part on the QSO information for the purpose of making a file that can be printed, or creating a QSL card, is not presently part of LoTW. There are other services available that can do that. LoTW goes a step or two beyond the conception of a QSL card (which is essentially a one-sided request for a confirmation from the other side of the QSO) by verifying that a QSO occurred between two stations, based on the ‘signed’ data submitted by each.”
In the first month of operation approximately 15 million QSOs were uploaded to the LoTW database. For active con test stations, who often make tens of thousands of QSOs each year, Logbook of the World promises to relieve much of the burden of sending physical QSLs to bureaus around the world.
18. THE SUCCESSFUL LOW-BAND DXER
If we want to analyze what’s required to become a successful low-band DXer, we must first agree on what is success. Success can be very relative. If you have only a 1/8-acre city lot and you want to work the low bands, your goals will have to be different from the guy who’s got 10 acres and a well-filled bank account. But you can be successful just as well, in your own way, relative to your own goals.
There are a few essential qualities that make good low band DXers, I think. They apply even to the low-band DXer with a modest setup.
Knowledge of antennas: For the low bands, it is not like opening a catalog and ordering an antenna. You have to understand antennas—the Whys and the Why Nots. You will have to become an antenna experimenter to be successful, even more so if you’ll have to do it from a tiny city lot!
Knowledge and experience in propagation: Don’t expect to turn on the radio any time of the day on 80 or
160 meters and work across the globe. You must under stand that you are trying to do something that is
very difficult, something that requires a lot of experience to be successful. You’ll have to be able to predict
openings, sometimes with an accuracy of minutes. The successful low-band DXer must build up his propagation expertise over a long period of time.
Willingness to learn: Isn’t improving our technical knowledge and ability what our hobby is all about? Working DX on 160 meters makes you feel like you are doing it like Marconi!
Equipment and technologies: Receivers are getting better at every vintage, even if the evolution isn’t moving as fast as we might like. The successful low-band DXer uses the best equipment available and he uses it in a professional way. He gets involved with the latest technologies in radio communication, such as packet radio and DX Clusters. These provide real-time information about activity on the different low bands.
Good QTH: Successful operators work DX from excellent QTHs. They are not all mountaintop QTHs, but each success story has been written from an “above average” QTH. This does not mean that a successful low band DXer has to be a rich land owner. I, for one, have just over half an acre, but my location is excellent. The neighbors are nice and I can use their fields in the winter for my Beverage antennas.
Perseverance, persistence, dedication: If you are not prepared to get up in the middle of the night five days
in a row to try to work your umpteenth country on 80 or 160, you will not be successful. If you think it’s too hard to go out at night, in the fields or through the woods, in the dark and roll out a special one-time Beverage for that new country you have a sked with in a few hours, then you better forget about becoming successful in the game, or rather the art, of low-band DXing!
Operating proficiency: Your “know-how-to-do-it” is probably the best weapon that can make or break a low-band DXer with a modest station. Willingness to become a good CW operator. I don’t think this needs to be explained!
19. THE 10 LOW-BAND COMMANDMENTS
Mark Twain once said: “If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.” How true this is for low-band DXing—And for most other human endeavors.
Jeff, K1ZM, published in his excellent book DXing on the Edge (Ref 511) a set of rules, from the hand of Bill, W4ZV, and which had been published earlier on, on the Top Band Reflector. It goes without saying that these rules equally as well apply to the other low bands. A chapter on operating would not be complete without these rules, which I like to call the 10 Low-Band Commandments:
Rule #1: When the DX station answers someone else, listen; do not call. Instead try to find where he is listening. Most good operators spread the pileup over at least 1 to 2 kHz. If you listen for the station he is working, you will maximize your probability of being heard since you will know where he is listening. You may also recognize the pattern the operator uses. That is, is he slowly moving up in frequency, down in frequency or alternating picks on either side of the pileup? You will also know when to transmit (ie, when he is listening). It’s very hard for him to hear you calling while he is transmitting!
Rule #2: Listen carefully! He may change his QSX frequency or QSY. If you’re calling continuously, you will never know it. I can’t tell you all the good stuff I’ve worked easily because I was one of the first on a new QSX frequency. If you’re transmitting continuously, you’ll be one of the last to know. For those of you with QSK, you have an advantage here. If you don’t, use a foot switch so that you can listen between calls and stop sending when he starts.
Rule #3: Do not transmit on the station answering. Why? Because a good operator will stay with that station until he finishes the QSO. Repeats necessitated by your QRM just reduces the amount of time you will have to work him before propagation goes out. The name of the game is for the DX to work as many stations as quickly as possible. Continuously calling only slows down the whole process and reduces your probability of a QSO. It might also encourage some DX operators to make a mental note in their head to never “hear”
you again!
Rule #4: Learn your equipment so you know how exactly to place your transmit signal properly on frequency. No, this does not mean exactly zero beat on the last listening frequency where all the other guys are. It’s far better to offset by a few hundred Hz based upon which way you think the DX is tuning (see Rule #1). Also please learn to use your equipment so you don’t transmit on the DX frequency inadvertently. This only slows things down for everyone and wastes precious opening time on 160 meters.
Rule #5: If you have limited resources on 160, focus on your receive-antenna capability. You will work far more 160 DX with good ears than with a big mouth. Being an “alligator” that cannot hear anything is not productive on Top Band.
Rule #6: Send your full call. Partial calls only slow things down on Top Band. (From Rolf, SM5MX, XV7SW)
Rule #7: Use proper and consistent spacing when sending your call on CW. There are some very well known DXers who don’t understand this. They will break the cadence of their calls with pregnant pauses—this can confuse the DX station trying to decipher your call through 160-meter QSB and QRN.
Rule #8: Send the DX station’s call if you are in doubt whom you are working. You will not be happy if you log a DX station while you actually worked another station! This is especially important if more than one DX station is listening QSX in the same general area of the band. (From 4S7RPG)
Rule #9: Listen to the DX station’s reports and match his sending speed. If he is giving 459 at 18 WPM, don’t reply at 35 WPM! If the DX station is missing part of your call, or if he has incorrectly copied part of your call, repeat only that part of the call several times, at a constant pace. (From 4S7RPG)
Rule #10: Listen, … listen, … listen!
ON4UN, John Devoldere