160 meters band is known as the “Gentlemen’s band”. It is right next to the AM commercial band, known as medium wave.
The 160-meter band is the radio frequencies between 1.8 and 2 MHz. For many decades it was the lowest radio frequency band allocated for use by amateur radio, before the 630 and 2200 meter bands were introduced.
Amateur operators often refer to the 160 meters as the Top Band because it was for some time.
The 160-meter band is the oldest amateur band. Antennas are usually huge in size due to the wavelength at this frequency, making the higher bands a lot easier to get into given they have shorter wavelengths, requiring smaller antennas. Small antennas lead to less space required and less cost.
During the day propagation is limited to local contacts, but long distance contacts are possible at night, especially around sunrise and sunset.
How it started for me
The hobby started for me on Medium Wave, where I was shocked to receive long distance AM radio signals from interstate radio stations. The distances were huge, across countries if I was in Europe. As a kid I loved listening to interstate radio and sometimes phoned them to let them know. They were shocked I could hear them and often mentioned me by name soon after my phone call.
My Antenna’s
I’ve tried several antennas on this band. They include:
- A horizontal dipole antenna. This worked really well though it was huge. The problem I had with this antenna was most people in my area use vertical antennas so they couldn’t hear me well.
- A horizontal long wire antenna. This antenna was also huge, and also not vertical. So it worked well for close contacts, but not as good if I tried to contact a few suburbs away.
- An inverted L antenna. This worked the best as my local contacts used vertical antennas. I tried to get the vertical part as high and as long as I could before doing that horizontal part. Given the length of the wire needed, most of the wire was still horizontal, but at least the first but was vertical. Though the secret to this antenna was the ground wires. I started with two of them and ran one around the house about 2 feet from the ground. The other was around the fence. I will put at least two more out which should also help improve things.
Summary
Getting on 160m was a bit of a challenge due to the wavelength. I could be heard on SSB, but AM was the biggest challenge. With AM, my radios would put out less watts so I had to rely more on my antenna.
Below is a small video of my 160m antenna and how I made the inverted L. With amateur radio, there will always be improvements and I am sure this setup isn’t the best, but it is a start and I learned what I could from the other amateurs who had already mastered this band.
Below is an extended video which goes into a bit more detail of how and why I did what I did. I adjusted all my HF antennas to make this 160m antenna work while not upsetting any of the other bands.
As I mentioned in both videos, I am not a professional, but an amateur radio operator and as keen to learn as anyone else. If you have any thoughts on this, I would value them in the comments below. It will not only help me, but others reading this. So don’t forget to have a look at what others have to say.
160m Coffee Break Net
Each weekday in Melbourne, there is a 160m Coffee Break Net. This net is a bit of a challenge to get onto because you must:
- Have a full licence
- Have a vertical antenna (which is the biggest challenge for 160m)
- Have a radio that does AM, and puts a few watts out
As you can see above, I was able to make a 160m vertical antenna, so once I got this working, I was on the air! Many people try their dipole antenna, as did I at first, but on AM, it just doesn’t go far, and since everyone on the net is vertically polarised, they couldn’t hear me. I saw this as a challenge, and one worth trying.
Don’t forget to subscribe to this page, as I am sure I will have a version 2 of these antennas out one day!
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