No doubt. But most of the serious 80M dxers in those days ran "suds", a
lotta power, not just a lotta power but 'WAY too much power. Back then
the max allowable power was one kW input vs. today's 1.5kW output.

Have heard what is likely an urban legend of a ham (who was
also a broadcast chief engineer) using the 50KW AM transmitter in his
charge to work some rare DX on some HF ham band. Late at
night when it was off for maintenance. Seems unlikely as the
power amp would have circuits tuned for the MW AM broadcast
station's frequency and low pass filters to block harmonics
in the SW spectrum. That's not something one can modify
in a few minutes.

Oh, you could connect a ham transceiver to the broadcast
antenna tower to work some 160m DX, but that would be
legal.

robert casey wrote:


No doubt. But most of the serious 80M dxers in those days ran
"suds", a
lotta power, not just a lotta power but 'WAY too much power. Back
then
the max allowable power was one kW input vs. today's 1.5kW output.

Have heard what is likely an urban legend of a ham (who was
also a broadcast chief engineer) using the 50KW AM transmitter in his
charge to work some rare DX on some HF ham band. Late at
night when it was off for maintenance. Seems unlikely as the
power amp would have circuits tuned for the MW AM broadcast
station's frequency and low pass filters to block harmonics
in the SW spectrum. That's not something one can modify
in a few minutes.

It would be pretty easy to pull off so it wouldn't surprise at all me
if somebody really did put an AM b'cast station on 160.

Oh, you could connect a ham transceiver to the broadcast
antenna tower to work some 160m DX, but that would be
legal.

A similar stunt absoulutely was pulled off and I know the parties very
well. There were two young hotshot DX conetesters back around 1965,
Paul WA3FFR and his buddy Doug whose call I can't remember. Paul was an
EE co-op student engineer at my alma mater and worked at the USCG
electronics labs in Cape May NJ. Doug was a CG ensign or maybe a Lt JG
and worked with Paul. Those labs were the headquarters for the vast
USCG Loran system which operated on 160 along with the hams who could
find holes in the Loran QRM. Paul and Doug decided to put a Loran
antenna system to work in a 160 DX contest. And they did. They blew the
lid off the band and came up with a score which which rewrote the 160M
dxing record book, worked something like 68 countries in one
weekend.'Ole Stew Perry never knew what hit him. Unthinkable back then
and not bad at all even today.

w3rv

wrote:

Those labs were the headquarters for the vast
USCG Loran system which operated on 160 along with the hams who could
find holes in the Loran QRM. Paul and Doug decided to put a Loran
antenna system to work in a 160 DX contest. And they did. They blew
the
lid off the band and came up with a score which which rewrote the
160M
dxing record book, worked something like 68 countries in one
weekend.'Ole Stew Perry never knew what hit him. Unthinkable back
then
and not bad at all even today.

w3rv

This is the part where K4YZ demands a letter from "thier" Commander.

"Sorry Kelly, USCG LORAN IS Amateur Radio!"

Hi, hi!

robert casey wrote:

Have heard what is likely an urban legend of a ham (who was
also a broadcast chief engineer) using the 50KW AM transmitter in his
charge to work some rare DX on some HF ham band. Late at
night when it was off for maintenance. Seems unlikely as the
power amp would have circuits tuned for the MW AM broadcast
station's frequency and low pass filters to block harmonics
in the SW spectrum. That's not something one can modify
in a few minutes.

Oh, you could connect a ham transceiver to the broadcast
antenna tower to work some 160m DX, but that would be
legal.


The late WB8LUA was chief engineer at WNOP, a Newport, Kentucky 1,000
watt daytimer with transmitters in suburban Cincinnati. They used a
three tower critical array and all three towers were about 295 feet
tall. Len would disconnect the feeders after sign-off and fire up on
160m through a Dentron tuner at the base of one tower. His barefoot
sigs were incredible. Unfortunately for him, his TS-820's receiver was
eaten alive by broadcast band overload.

An old time W2 in New Jersey (still living) was nailed by the FCC for
running 35 KW from his home in the early 1970's. He beat the rap on a
technicality and is involved in "hi-fi" SSB audio on 20m in his dotage.

Dave K8MN

bb wrote:
wrote:

Those labs were the headquarters for the vast
USCG Loran system which operated on 160 along with the hams who
could
find holes in the Loran QRM. Paul and Doug decided to put a Loran
antenna system to work in a 160 DX contest. And they did. They blew
the
lid off the band and came up with a score which which rewrote the
160M
dxing record book, worked something like 68 countries in one
weekend.'Ole Stew Perry never knew what hit him. Unthinkable back
then
and not bad at all even today.

w3rv

This is the part where K4YZ demands a letter from "thier" Commander.

Why would I?

"Sorry Kelly, USCG LORAN IS Amateur Radio!"

It's a darned shame that you can't handle more than one concept in
a 12 calendar month period, Brain. But then it does makes it a lot
easier to keep you on a leash.

Heel, boy.

Steve, K4YZ

K4YZ wrote:
bb wrote:
wrote:

Those labs were the headquarters for the vast
USCG Loran system which operated on 160 along with the hams who
could
find holes in the Loran QRM. Paul and Doug decided to put a Loran
antenna system to work in a 160 DX contest. And they did. They
blew
the
lid off the band and came up with a score which which rewrote the
160M
dxing record book, worked something like 68 countries in one
weekend.'Ole Stew Perry never knew what hit him. Unthinkable back
then
and not bad at all even today.

w3rv

This is the part where K4YZ demands a letter from "thier"
Commander.

Why would I?

"Sorry Kelly, USCG LORAN IS Amateur Radio!"

It's a darned shame that you can't handle more than one concept
in
a 12 calendar month period, Brain. But then it does makes it a lot
easier to keep you on a leash.

Heel, boy.

Steve, K4YZ

Nurse, heel thyself.