SEP 2026 - Season starts...

 So season is here, or isn't it?

or perhaps, was it there already and all the time? ;-)

As you are all aware my issues with local QRM took a turn to worse, with my neighbor installing expensive filters from Germany, but since he doesn't believe in grounding anything, results are somehow mixed. It helped a lot on 160,80 and somewhat 40 and made it worse on higher bands, mainly 30/20 are a mess if I listen locally on TX antennas. 

So my plan was simple. I played with CAT5e ethernet cables for a while and so did Steve VE6WZ and I decided to move everything away from the soures of noise as possible.

Results are:

The main 245m beverage@3m bi-directional, 120 / 300deg  NA   LP/SP stayed.

2nd - BOG  90m long @ 5cm above GND - 155deg (reversible) in the forest.

3rd BOG - 90m long @ 5cm aboveGND - 0deg/180deg reversible.

2 x LZ1AQ Loops - 12m spacing

as you see 9 Circle has been put down. It is great array, dont get me wrong but needs lot of space and is sensitive to any metal objects nearby. T-Mobile / 5G tower which resonates close to 1950kHz was pulling it apart (pattern-wise) on 160m. 

I then moved to short VLBs or BOGs and I am surprised at how well they seem to work! OK, they need preamp, but vy clean pattern, goog F/B  and F/S. On my long BVGs I do struggle with side pickup when they are too long. So good compromise seems to be short ones, compensate and phase / combine.

Anyway, on TX Side I put 4 SQ up for 40m. 

I used K3LC design and got 8 directions of fire. What a machine that is. Sometimes it hears better than any RX ant I have. But local noise is just way up so I use the RX Ant anyway.

On 160/80 no changes. Sorry.

I look forward seeing you on 160-80-40 soon.

73 Jiri OK2IT