Somebody's recent post on here reminded me of this experience and article I
wrote nearly 25 years ago.

GROUND WAVE?



                               By

                          Phil Scovell

                              K0NX



     After pulling down the tower and antennas, I moved to a new
location with a big yard.  Since it would be awhile before
everything could be reinstalled, I decided to hang a wire so I
could at least make a few contacts.  I tied one end of my long
wire to the corner of the house, ran it forty feet across the yard
to a pole about fifteen feet above ground, and then tied the other
end off on the fence post at the back of the yard.  I had a good
120 feet of wire stretched out.  Digging around in my junk box, I
unrolled a few feet of 300 ohm TV ribbon and attached it to my
long wire.  Slipping the ribbon under the window screen, I screwed
the ends on to my tuner and fired up the transceiver.  It worked!
I began making contacts that night on 40 CW with fair signal
reports.  That would hold me until the tower could be installed.

     Stepping into the shack one evening, and flipping on the
radio, I called CQ a couple of times with no response.  As I
began tuning the 40 meter CW band, I heard a signal, none to
strong, calling CQ.  Following his transmission, I called.  He
called QRZ.  I called again.  He called QRZ.  I punched my call
out a few more times and he repeated his QRZ with half my call
sign and several question marks.  I retransmitted my call a few
more times and he finally returned my call but said the copy was
poor; giving a 449 report.  The QSO proved to be a short one and I
was puzzled.  "He must have a lousy antenna," I concluded "or
can't copy code."  Just to make sure, I stepped out the back door
and in the darkness of the night felt for the 300 ohm ribbon
hanging out my window.  There it was!  I trailed the thin
transmission line out into the blackness of the yard until
suddenly it slipped right through my fingers.  You guessed it!
The dumb thing had fallen off the long wire.  I had just worked
California from Colorado with 30 feet of 300 ohm ribbon laying
flat on the ground.  Not bad!  Maybe that's what it means to work
somebody ground wave?

Phil.
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