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History of 160 meters DX (W1BB Stewart Perry DX-bulletins)
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| 21.09.2010, 15:06 |
PREFACE
Note: as you read this, you may want to check the photos at the very end of
this material, which bear straight relationship with this introductory text.
It was in 1961 while doing a lot of SWL-ing on 75 and 80 meters that W1BB´s
column in QST, "Top Band DX” (or something to that effect) caught my
attention. Stew was reporting QSOs between the USA and Europe, and I very
correctly assumed that if contacts between N.A. and Europe were possible on
160m, prop also might exist elswhere. Well, I boldly sacrificed the 10m coil in
my 5 band converter and made one for 160m, and what wasn´t my surprise
when, on the very first try, on Feb 5 1962, I heard vy clearly W0GBV in QSO
with K8BBI. Needless to say that was the jumpstart to my 160m carreer, a
virus that would never let go of me, till today, in spite of being off the band
due to space limitations for more than 10 years.
I immediatelly got in contact by mail with Stew who from the very beginning
made me feel extremely welcome to the then very small Top Band community,
even me being only an SWL. Of course Stew also had a hidden agenda in the
situation: He, like eveyone else then active on the band, needed Brazil for a
new country!
Being unable to aquire a PY license because of me not holding the brazilian
citizenship, I tried to coax some of the locals into getting on Top Band. I was
mostly met by total disbelieve in the band´s possibility to yield any contacts
at all. But eventually, tries were made by PY1NFC, Fred, but with frustratingly
little success. Having no technical knowhow and noone to consult in the matter,
the ½ wave end fed wire was hooked directly to the 50 ohm output ! Herb,
W0VXO (now KV4FZ), who was visiting Brazil repeatedly in those days,
learned about our difficulties and presented us with a home made antenna
matching unit. That’s when contacts became a little easier, and Herb of course
was the first US contact, eventually to be followed by Stew.
In 1965 I was taking computer training in Detroit, Michigan, the end of which
coincided with the Easter Weekend, which I was very privilaged to be invited
to spend with W1BB near Boston. What a thrill it was to be in the company of
Mr. Top Band himself ! A visit to the famous tower QTH was part of the
attraction as well as live demonstrations of Stews spark-gap rig from the pretube
days, as well as his retired HF rigs featuring separate finals for each
band, all in working order. And then, of course, endless conversations about
Top Band in general.
Over the years I had the opportunity to visit with Stew several more times,
especially when I started to work for Mass. based Digital Equipment Corp. in
1974. I even got to stay at Stew´s country QTH on the Maine shoreline with
its own private, centuries old, abandoned cemetery in the backyard forrest !
In 1972 I finally became licensed as PY1DVG and a year later as PY1RO, and
Top Band operation began in full swing, eventually resulting in Top Band DXCC
# 14 as well as WAS, after 7 years of total dedication – both being the first
of those awards issued to a station outside of North America. Today DXCC on
Top Band can be worked in a single contest weekend, but in those days most
countries didn´t allow Top Band operation, turning the countries to choose
from very scarce. Just to give an idea, European activity before WARC-79 was
limited to OK, DL, HB9, HB0, LX, EI, PA, OH, OH0, ZB2, 9H and the U.K.
Stew´s bulletins, for which he only accepted SASE´s, were instrumental in
maintaining interest in Top Band high in those years when rigs in general
didn´t have a 160m position on the bandswith. The first commercial rig to
finally come out with 160m was the Drake 4 line. Before that it was mainly
"rock bound” transmission, and Stew of course was instrumental in getting
Xtals out to all who showed interest in getting on the band, including myself.
As a result, split operation was natural in those days, and the observance of
the DX window 1825 – 30 was mandatory.
It is in the light of the above outlined scenario that Stews bulletins should be
appreciated so the reader can gain a full understanding of how the band
evolved from those early days to the Top Band as we know it today.
As for the technical quality of the documentation, please bear in mind that
these bulletins have been kept over decades in 3-ring binders, and not always
in the most controlled of environments, which of course has affected the
preservation of the originals to some extent. Variations in coloration and
clarity of certain editions are also the result of differing quality material used
in producing them at the time. Stew always aimed at maximizing the space
available and as a result he didn´t observe any margins, which further
complicated Ronald´s work in scanning the material. It also seems that the
collection is lacking at least two bulletins (80/81-2 and 75/76-2). If any
reader by chance happens to have these or other (earlier) bulletins or related
material, and would like to see them included in future editions of this
collection, please contact……
Last but not least, Ronald – PY2FUS deserves a very big THANK YOU for his
selfless and time-consuming effort to get this material scanned and organized!
Enjoy !
Rolf Rasp – PY1RO
May 2004.
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