During the summer I don't operate my amateur radio station on the low frequency bands, ( 80m, 160m and 2190m wavelengths ); the atmospheric noise, mostly from thunderstorms within a radius of about 4000kms from me, just doesn't give a pleasant listening experience, as well as blotting out the weak signals which I need to hear. Conditions in winter for radio communication on these bands are much better, particularly for making very long distance contacts. My favourite time for concentrating on these bands is around the time of the autumn and spring equinoxes. I am starting to get excited as such conditions will soon be arriving again.
I use the same antenna on each band, namely a vertical, aluminium pole which rests on an insulator at its base. Over the years I have collected many useful insulators of this type, both ceramic and glass, by looking on the ground at the bottom of telephone poles.
I have just cleaned the insulator, ( a white, ceramic one ), checked and weather-proofed the connections to the antenna, confirmed that it is resonant on my preferred frequencies and impedance-matched to the 50 Ohm coaxial feeder cable from the transmitters.
The matching networks, ( a tapped coil for the 80m band, a L-C 'L' network for the 160m band ), are located inside the storage container with lid, otherwise known as the "Matchbox", at the foot of the antenna, with the exception of the loading coil for the 2190m band which is too large to fit inside.
Perhaps this year I will reach my target of making contact with 160 different countries on the 160m band.
