DX101X Corrections and Additions

Except for manuals already shipped to Ham Stores, all of the below comments, additions, subtractions, errors are included in the manuals as shipped. We print on demand.

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-28 Cleaning aluminum tubing change to read:

For cleaning aluminum tubing, an antenna guru recommends the use of #0 steel wool, along with dishwashing detergent. First wet the aluminum tubing with water and wet the steel wool. Add a small amount of dishwashing detergent to the steel wool and then scrub the aluminum. Rinse out the steel wool periodically with water. Then add more dishwashing detergent to the steel wool and clean again. Rinse off the aluminum tubing periodically. Other methods are Scotch Bright, vinegar and baking soda, wet and dry emery cloth - 600 grit, Cameo Aluminum Cleaner. After cleaning a piece of aluminum tubing, rinse it thoroughly with clean water and then dry it off with a clean rag. Unless you totally disassemble and clean the traps, never attempt to clean the outer aluminum shells of antenna traps as water and steel wool fragments can enter the traps causing shorts and excessive trap moisture content. Another suggestion is to clear coat the assembled antenna with clear spray paint. This also goes for the antenna connections as well. Tape them well with scotch 88 electrical tape and then clear coat the assembly. The paint seals the aluminum from the elements and seals any tiny holes that may be in the  wrapping job.

When assembling any aluminum antenna, put a thin layer of based-based anti-seize compound on all aluminum-to-aluminum joints. These are Penetrox-A from the Burndy Corporation or another is Noalox. Never varnish any antenna - the varnish penetrates into the joints and causes continuity problems. Painting antennas for stealth can be done. Disassemble the antenna, apply paint, then scrape away any paint where the aluminum makes an electrical connection. When restoring an old antenna, consider replacing all the hardware (nuts & bolts) with stainless steel.

Change, Add, Or Delete The following Prefixes In Appendix A10 And A11 - The Prefix List and DXCC Checklist

ITU prefix for Montenegro
      Thursday, 17 May 2007
      Since 11. Mai 2007 official ITU-Call prefixes:

     4OA-4OZ Montenegro (Republic of)

        a.. YTA-YTZ Serbia (Republic of)
        b.. YUA-YUZ Serbia (Republic of)

      Following Prefixes given back to ITU:

        a.. 4NA-4NZ
        b.. YZA-YZZ

      (Source: ITU - Operational Bulletin #885)

ADD THE FOLLOWING NEW BAND PLANS

The new 60 Meter band has characteristics similar to the 80 and 40 Meter bands.

Typical winter time results are:

1] daytime, 9:00 am through 3:00 pm ... up to 300 miles
2] sunrise/sunset up to daytime ... up to 1000 miles
3] night ... up to 3000 miles

All Manuals -- add 2 new DXCC Countries in Prefix Appendix and Appendix for DXCC Country Checklist

Montenegro YU/YT/YZ/4O (New Prefix To Be Determined)  ITU 28, CQ 15 Effective June 28, 2006

Swains Island KH8, ITU 62, CQ 32 - Effective July 22, 2006

All Manuals -- add new DXCC Country in Prefix Appendix and Appendix for DXCC Country Checklist  -- VP6D Ducie Island CQ Zone 32 - effective June 1, 2002

_______________________________________________________________

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-18. Add
Band Stackable Registers. The newer solid state rigs use storage registers to allow ham band selection at the push of a button or by up or down buttons. The up button will take you to the next higher ham band or lower band with the down button. In some rigs, the register remembers the last tuned frequency on that band and certain settings see your operating manual. On some rigs the ham band switching can be changed to 1 MHz steps handy for SWL listening.

Power Level Control On solid-state rigs, adjusts the power output from the maximum rated power output down to minimum 5 watts on my Kenwood. So I am a QRP station at minimum power. When driving a linear initially REDUCE power so as not to overdrive the linear even though you use ALC around the exciter-linear loop. Tune the linear, then increase the exciter power for the desired linear output, retuning the linear as necessary. See linears below. ALC is Automatic Level Control used for feedback from a linear amplifier back to the exciter to prevent overdriving. Note that some DXers DO NOT use ALC in the exciter-linear loop as it may change somewhat band to band.

Chapter 4, Paragraph 4-2. Add text reference. (3) The New Shortwave Propagation Handbook by Jacobs W3ASK, Cohen N4XX, and Rose K6GKU available from CQ Communications.

Chapter 4, Paragraph 4-3. All of these propagation prediction programs are based on a correlation between smoothed sunspot number (SSN a 12-month running average) and monthly median ionospheric parameters.  As such, the outputs of propagation prediction programs (usually MUF and signal strength) are statistical in nature they are not absolutes.  The reported values are median values, meaning that the reported MUF or signal strength should occur on at least half the days of the month.  Since the model of the ionosphere in these programs is based on SSN, it or the equivalent smoothed 10.7cm solar flux should be used for best accuracy.  Using the daily 10.7cm solar flux reported by WWV compromises prediction accuracy, as the ionosphere really does not react on a one-to-one basis to the small daily variations of the sun.

Chapter 4, Paragraph 20 METERS PROPAGATION
For example, from San Diego, California to South Africa the Short Path bearing is 103 degrees (9,908 miles); the long path is 283 degrees (14,972 miles).

Chapter 4, Paragraph 4-10. For example at 14.100 MHz at the start of the hour, the United Nations beacon 4U1UN in Switzerland transmits for 10 seconds,

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-26. When assembling any aluminum antenna, put a thin layer of based-based anti-seize compound on all aluminum to aluminum joints. These are Penetrox-A from the Burndy Corporation or another is Noalox. Never varnish any antenna - the varnish penetrates into the joints and causes continuity problems. Painting antennas for stealth can be done. Disassemble the antenna, apply paint, then scrape away any paint where the aluminum makes an electrical connection.

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-34. 

Rotors. Rotors are rated as to wind load, turning power, brake power, brake type, and bearing type. Needless to say, if buying used, dont rely on the previous owner to have selected the right model. Check the rotor specs in view of the antenna to be turned - favoring the heavy-duty models if you expect to do a lot of contesting or rapid fire DXing. Use a high quality thrust bearing above the rotator. Rotors can suffer greatly during a contest - they may do more work in one contest than in several months of normal operation. Rotors which cover more than 360 degrees by allowing the antenna to move past the normal end-stops can be a real time saver.

  With some rotors, operators may tend to release the brake switch before the antenna has stopped moving resulting in possible damage to the wedge brake. An electronic mod fitted to the control box will perform the proper sequencing. Maintenance of rotors and coax is a necessity every few years. Check the coax for excessive loss and lubricate the rotor as per the manufacturers manual. If you wait until it fails Murphys law sez it will fail during a contest or while swinging the beam to North Korea!!!

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-40

Coaxal Cable. DX and contest stations usually use coax as opposed to open wire feeders which have very low loss. Open-wire feeders require an antenna tuning unit to match the 50-ohm unbalanced output of the transmitter to the 600 ohm balanced open-wire feeders. It is difficult to construct an antenna tuning unit which can handle the power levels used at contest and Dxers stations. Open-wire feeders are also mechanically tricky, and need to be separated from other feeders and metal objects to perform properly.

You should be concerned with coax cable losses. Use the best coax that you can afford paying attention to the dB loss per 100 feet at the frequencies of operation. It's easy to test for losses and it should be done periodically to keep your station in top operating condition. Keep a note of the results and you can quickly determine if water has seeped into the coax or it has increased losses. Use a power meter, 50W dummy load, and a low power transmitter 30 MHz is frequently specified in cable charts. Connect the 50W dummy load to the antenna end of the coax. Then adjust the transmitter for a measured 10W into the coax at the transmitter side, then move the power meter to the antenna end near the dummy load and measure the power arriving there.

Typical results for good coax are:

RF Input power to coax cable = 10W at 30 MHz

RF Output power from Heliax 100 feet of LDF4-50 = 9W

RF Output power from coax cable 100 feet of RG213/U = 7W

RF Output power from coax cable 100 feet of RG58A/U = 5W

Well now - does that make a good case for using the best coax??? And Heliax offers a solid outer conductor instead of a percentage of braid like RG213 with 90 or 95% braid.

But heliax is hard to handle and install, nevertheless, it is popular with the big guns. Also be aware of the coax power ratings. RG58 cable is rated at 300 to 400 watts at 30 MHz. But also be aware that coax power handling capabilities should be de-rated as the SWR goes up. 

Chapter 5. Paragraph 5-14. When you discover a rare DX or medium rare DX station ragchewing, dont insert a break unless the DX is asking for specific information that you can offer. There are probably 100+ others who would like to break in. For breaking into a domestic QSO or into a common DX QSO, use common courtesy, if the QSO is between two old friends talking more or less about personal items, breaking in is usually not welcome. If the QSO is interesting to you and you have something to offer, breaking in is common enough, just break and when acknowledged, ask if you can join the QSO. Often a question is posed that neither have the answer for, and a break info would be in order.

Chapter 5. Change to read: Lass Too or calling with only the last two letters of your call may be against the FCC rules, never the less some operations take on this characteristic. But it has been suggested that as long as you ID within the rule time limits, it doesn't matter how you call, even with two letters, so long as it is not deceptive, of course. The problem is where a station only IDs with their suffix, never getting the opportunity to give the full call within the time limit. But why not give your full call, followed by calls of lass two until the 10 minute rule applies??? 

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-1.           TRANSCEIVER OPERATING CONTROLS   Change to read:
Following are discussions of a modern transceivers operating controls in the way they are used in DXing. These are oriented around Kenwoods nomenclature, for others, check your op manual for corresponding control names. For example AIP is IPO on a Yaseu. RIT is a CLARIFIER on a Yaseu.

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-18. Change to read: FULL OR SEMI CW Break-In . In FULL (QSK) the transceiver is returned to the receive mode as soon as the key contacts open. Thus it is possible to hear if another station wants to break-in or hear any interference. In SEMI, return to receive is similar to FULL except a delay is introduced as determined by the DELAY control. Note however when using linears, modification may be required for fast response; see linears paragraph below. Transceivers vary considerably in their full break-in characteristics. Ten-Tec has a well-deserved reputation for superb QSK operation.

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-26. 

Although the triband trapped Yagis are very popular, monoband Yagis are essential if you want to be a big gun. Add: With the advent of computer-designed antennas, the newer trapless designs can rival a monobander. See Publications at URL: www.championradio.com/

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-39. Add: In contesting setups, it is typical to have toroids on virtually EVERY cable connected to the computer and audio isolation transformers on audio cables connecting the computer soundcard and the rig.

Chapter 3. Paragraph 3-2. Add "Logger" and "BV6 QSL Label Generation" also "DX Packet Telnet  On The Web". 

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-18. DUAL RECEIVE. Some of the more expensive rigs have Dual Receive capability; this is especially useful for contesting. Dual receive for contesting allows you to tune the second receiver in between CQs and pop a new contact when you find another guy calling CQ. Also, for rigs that can receive another band (TS950 receive same band only, FT-1000D receives same or another band) you can either pop someone calling CQ on another band if you don't violate a 10 minute stay on one band or 6 multiplier per hour rule). Also, you could check propagation on one band while you're  working another. Lastly, you could use the second receiver in a DX pileup when the DX is operating split and follow where the last person worked was at  - instead of  having to shift A/B VFOs on a single receive rig and not have to keep punching the T-F button on Kenwood rigs like the 940 and others.

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-21. Add:

Follow the manufacturers directions for dipping and loading an amplifier, then to achieve a cooler running amplifier with a cleaner output, once you have tuned for maximum output by dip and load, reduce the grid current, by increasing the loading. Loading is increased by reducing the load capacitance, this properly couples the RF to the antenna. This will reduce the grid current considerably with a small drop in RF output power -  about 10 percent. The drop in RF output is a small price to pay for lower grid current, which will greatly increase the life of the tube(s), especially metal/ceramic type tubes. The drop in grid current should be somewhere in the area of 30-50%, (i.e., full drive grid current of 200ma, can be reduced to 150-100ma.). If you turn the load control one direction and the RF output peaks and the grid current remains high, turn the load control in the other direction until the RF output drops slowly and the grid current drops quickly.

Some use the duty cycle method of tuning an amplifier; using a commercial pulser or cricket (Centaur Electronics and MFJ makes them), or a CW keyer set for 40-50wpm, this reduces component stress and overheating and excessive power supply loading.

Chapter 6, page 6-18. Add Libya - two green stamps and registered mail.

Chapter 2, Page 2-39. Add -- A favorite with some operators is to wire the two phones out of phase or use a switch to select either in phase or out of phase headphone operation. For some this makes copying high speed and low signal strength CW much easier. For more see Hearing CW in Noise by Chuck MacCluer, W8MQV.   see URL:  www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/br_cpy.html

Some operators use stereo phones with a variety of filters in each earpiece to create a pseudo stereo effect. This uses a low cut filter in one earphone and a high cut filter in the other without phase reversal.  Use a low-pass filter to one ear and a high-pass response to the other with the corner frequency of both filters being equal, e.g. 1000Hz.  Then 1000Hz signals seem to be in the middle of your head with higher frequencies on one side and lower frequencies on the other. Experimentation is in order!

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-18
FULL OR SEMI CW Break-In . In FULL (QSK) the transceiver is returned to the receive mode as soon as the key contacts open. Thus it is possible to hear if another station wants to break-in or hear any interference. In SEMI, return to receive is similar to FULL except a delay is introduced as determined by the DELAY control. Note however when using linears, modification may be required for fast response; see linears paragraph below. Transceivers vary considerably in their full break-in characteristics. Ten-Tec has a well-deserved reputation for superb QSK operation. While Dxing, with QSK, you can follow a DX-station much more closely and you can stop transmitting the instant you hear the DX-station start to transmit.

QSK operation  (full break-in) in CW allows you to hear in between Morse dits and dahs, which is great for Net operation, contesting, and allows the other station to instantly break-in to alert you to slow down or wait for a bit. QSK operation is usually accomplished with silent electronic switching and is essential to high-rate CW operating, since you waste less time. A tip off is if somebody is trying to send at the same time you are. If your contest exchange isn't being received for some reason, you can immediately respond, rather than waiting until you have sent the entire exchange. High-speed traffic handling uses QSK for the same reasons. You can probably do without QSK for general DXing; it's certainly nice to have, though. But it can be difficult to be competitive as a CW contester without it.

Chapter 6, QSLing.  Direct QSLing into Russia -- all letters sealed with transparent tape are supposed now to be "suspicious", especially stateside ones. Most of them come opened. Dollar bills do not come through, IRCs are OK. Dennis, RZ1AK.

Chapter 6, Paragraph 6-21. second paragraph two -- change to read: The coupons are redeemable for postage stamps in any country, which is a Member of the Universal Postal Union. Here is a list of countries who do not accept IRCs: Abu Dhabi, Anguilla, Antigua, Netherlands Antilles, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brunei, Cayman, China, C.I.S., Czech Rep., Dominican Rep., Dominica, Falkland, Gilbert, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Korea North, Korea South, Lebanon, Lesotho, Nepal, New Hebrides, Montserrat, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, St.Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tonga, Hungary, Vatican City, Vietnam, Virgin Island, Yemen, Zimbabwe. However, IRCs are sometimes accepted by hams in these countries, because they can use them as return postage for their own letters.

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-2. Add -- For some favorite transceivers of contesters and DXers see Contest Archives  www.contesting.com/FAQ/.

Without endorsement from the author, you may want to read rig comparisons/enhancements on the Elecraft pages at URL:  www.elecraft.com/   And eHam Reviews at URL:  www.eham.net/reviews/  Also see Sherwood / Drake R-4C  www.sherweng.com/ham.html     
And INRAD at URL: www.qth.com/INRAD/

Appendix A1, Paragraph A1-2, Step 2: Change to read

1. Know how to zero beat a CW signal. Many stations have very narrow filters and you want to be in their bandpass. Refer to the operating manual for your radio. However one CW pro advises, The assumption that replying at zero beat is highly desirable is incorrect.  Good and competitive CW operators know that calling as much as 200 Hz off frequency is usually much more productive in pileup situations. The XIT control is useful for this. A disadvantage of razor-thin filter selectivity is that this very useful strategy does not work well. A good operator uses his "ear" as an adaptive filter and lets the receiver cover a few hundred HZ.

Chapter 8, Contesting, Add

Note that during a contest, unfamiliar reports are given 594345  is a serial number, 5906 is a zone see contest rules at URL:    home.online.no/~janalme/hammain.html

 Chapter 6,  last checklist item. Add:

 ____ Print Asia, Europe, Africa, South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Caribbean, etc. as the last line in the address on some of the more obscure islands/countries.

Note that some of the French Islands such as Reunion Isle go VIA FRANCE. . Pitcairn Island should be addressed Pitcairn Island, South Pacific, Via New Zealand.

Chapter 5, Paragraph 5-8. Operating split, change to read:

2) Determine the pattern that the DX station is using for working the pileup. The DX may be tuning up in 2 kHz increments, so you want to transmit up a bit from the last successful caller. Or tail end by being right on the responding stations frequency and throw in your call as a tail-ender. If the DX station is tuning at random, best pick a clear frequency and stay there. But catch this: Some DX stations with a very large pileup say Im listening up 5 when he is really listening up 10. This method divides the callers into two groups - the SMART ones who know how to LISTEN, and the other ones, who don't. Guess which group usually gets to work the DX?

Chapter 2, Paragraph 2-26. Under Yagi Antennas, add: For protection during high winds, when you can tell which direction the winds are coming from, or a storm is approaching, point the element ends into the direction of the approaching winds. Wind load on the boom is minimal compared to 3 or more elements facing the  wind.

Chapter 5, Working DX, Paragraph 5-11, Working Contests, add: Contacts made during a contest do count for awards. Send QSLs the same as you would for a DX contact including contest info such as the serial number. Contesters are good QSLers and DXCC entities such as Western Sahara, ZC4, and others quite often appear during a contest but otherwise may be infrequently heard.

Chapter 2. Paragraph 2-27, Vertical Antennas. Add: One vertical guru has this to recommend for installing radials. Use anywhere from #12- to #16 stranded and double coated house wire to resist breakage and corrosion. Users report having these type of radials in the ground for up to 14 years and still in like new condition. For on the ground surface installation,  tack them down every 10 feet. Over time, the grass will grow over the radials and the lawn mower blades will be well above the wires. For on the ground installation, schemes are aluminum stake pins available at hardware stores, or with U-shaped wire fasteners made out of old metal coat hangers. For buried radials, installations use a lawn edger, roto-tiller, or a chain saw to create the grooves

Studies have shown that radial effectiveness diminishes as the radials are buried. Experiments on 160 meters have shown that radials in the form of a counterpoise 15 feet above ground produces the best far field strength, followed by a counterpoise 5 feet above ground, then radials on the surface and then radials installed in the ground. Your results may vary depending on ground conductivity.

The "chicken wire" approach could potentially cause some problems over time, if you use inexpensive material, as it will corrode ... also, joints between sections should be bonded well electrically, not just overlapped. Professional installations use copper mesh -- not galvanized chicken wire.

Glossary -- add : WFWL -- DXing term used when the validity of a DX station is in doubt. "Work First Worry Later" 

Chapter 4. Change Pagargraph 4-21 to 4-22. The add new paragraph 4-21.

         4-21. 6 METERS PROPAGATION

The six-meter band is called the Magic Band with good reason, as it can be very unpredictable. This band like 10M can be very exciting, using low power and reasonable antenna heights and even ground mounted verticals. Excellent results can be obtained using a vertical dipole of wire about 9 feet long, center fed with 50-ohm coax. Of course, beams at 20+ feet and power can give better results but it is primarily a propagation game. The magic band is subject to just about every propagation mode, tropospheric, sporadic E, meteor scatter, Aurora Borealis, trans equatorial, backscatter, and the biggie - F2. For tropospheric propagation see Paragraph 4-8.

Sporadic E propagation can occur any time but especially in the months of May through August. Double hop Sporadic E is not unusual between the east coast of the US and Europe. Multi - hop Sporadic E, that is three or more hops, is less common but allows fairly long haul contacts.

Sometimes called short skip, sporadic E propagation has little relation to the solar cycle and occurs regardless of F-layer conditions. It can provide single hop communication from 190 to 1400 miles and multiple-hop opportunities of 2800 miles and more.

Meteor scatter is the reflecting of signals off the brief ionized trail left by a falling meteor. These can last for up to a minute or more on rare occasions, but more usually for fractions of a second. The operating practice, ranges achieved etc. are the same as for two meters. Hams will tape-record high speed CW and play it back at a lower speed to copy.

Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights is capable of reflecting signals from the HF bands up to 70 cm. Six meter aurora tends to differ from 2M in that the distortion of the received signal is usually less, making copy that much easier. Interestingly, if the aurora is strong enough sporadic-E develops which is known as Auroral-Es.

Trans Equatorial Propagation or TEP, seems peculiar to six and two meters only, and is common for stations located in a band around the tropics. For higher latitudes, contacts can be made over paths several thousand miles in length between stations on either side of the equator particularly around the months of March and October.

Backscatter is caused by a small portion of the radiated signal being reflected or scattered back in the direction of the originating station from the F2 layer or a sporadic E cloud. Signals tend to be weak and watery, but are usually quite readable.

F2 Layer Skip. This is the most common long distance propagation mode at HF and can also result in some tremendous DX openings on six meters. Over the years observations have shown that for us in the higher latitudes, when we are getting high MUFs, the best months for 6M centers around December. In the last part of 2001 and early 2002, the east coast of the USA was routinely working into Europe, while west coast USA stations were working into the Caribbean and sometimes into the Pacific and Japan.

In addition to the favorable months, check for high solar activity which can result in propagation above what might be expected from the MUF. A good source for checking openings is the DX Packet Clusters or just set your receiver for scan mode around 50.110 MHz. Also monitoring 28.885 MHz will find stations with six meter reports and requests for possible contacts.

During periods of high solar activity, the Solar Flux will typically be in the two to three hundred region, sometimes greater. Good 6M conditions are generally, but not always, associated with a high solar flux and a low A index. That is a flux above say 180 units and an A index below 8 units. The K index tends to give an indication of the direction of propagation. Incidentally a high A index, say 30 up

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