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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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