NOTOM 005: Contest bits. Italian 40/80 contest

 Yesterday, I participated in the Italian 40&80 contest for a couple of hours. It was an enjoyable experience, even though I could only dedicate limited time to it. The objective was to contact as many Italian provinces as possible on the 40m and 80m bands. Despite operating with low power (100W), I had no trouble breaking through the pileups.

This success was largely thanks to my end-fed antenna configured for NVIS propagation. NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) is a technique that ensures reliable communications on low-frequency bands, typically between 2 and 10 MHz. By directing the radio wave vertically, it gets refracted back to the ground, covering an area of approximately 500 miles.

Given the local nature of the contest, the antenna performed exceptionally well, allowing me to achieve excellent signal reports, even from stations up to 800 miles away.

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