I had a similar Q. While I do NOT recommend this, the KAT500 can only bring the 100 meter dipole (EDZ on 80M) to 4.57:1 so I used the internal K3 tuner to bring it down further (1:1) and gave or a shot on 160M.
At only 35-50' above dirt, it's a cloud heater but day-yam if they didn't hear me on CW. No joy on SSB later last night but I'm happy. And that's how I made my first ever contact on top band. Ugly describes it. Bonus: no release of the magic smoke from the abuse of the KAT500 input. (ALL of the downstream meters went nuts from the rotten SWR.) I now have (confirmed with the real time log) 160-10 CW; 80-10 (minus 30) on phone; 30, 20, 17 on RTTY for 21 contacts (2 dupes, one wasn't logged, another was dodgy). All this in casual DX mode (time available). If I only had a real antenna and Africa were this easy... ;-) Elecraft: that's American speak for making contacts. I think it made a huge difference that both ends are using K3's. The only problems I've heard from them this time was occasional poor audio (wrong TX filter making pinched audio, Luis had a mike issue last night with lots of random distortion). What a great effort by the team! Rick wa6nhc Tiny iPhone 5 keypad, typos are inevitable On Mar 8, 2013, at 1:57 PM, eric norris <[email protected]> wrote: > Like many others I have been chasing TX5K around the bands. I have an HF-2V > vertical for 40/80/160 (with 160 resonator), though it is far too short at > 31' to be effective on 160m. A couple of years ago I upgraded the radial > system from 6 to 66 radials, and it works pretty well on 40m. I have trouble > making contacts even a couple hundred miles out on 160m. > > One night while TX5K was working endless Europeans on 80m, I tuned on to > TX5K's 160m QRG and found silence. I started doing something else in the > shack, then I heard QRL? Then CQ CQ de TX5K UP 3. No one was there! I > frantically put the K3 into split mode (so easy), and started to call with > 100 watts, forgetting that the antenna was tuned 20 KHz higher up for digital > work. The KAT500 started tuning, and I frantically hit TUNE on the K3 and > the KAT500 made a margarita. He started working other stations and my heart > sank because I knew the only way he would hear my pipsqueak ERP signal would > be with no one else there. With the pileup growing I kept calling, and by > SOME MIRACLE he came back to me! Amazing! It gave me quite a giggle to see > the green square on 160 in DXA while trying to get him on 40 and 80 the next > few nights. You just never know! > > 73 Eric WD6DBM > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
