First big steps on 160m

 It isn't easy.  160m looks like a separate world (as it is on the 6m magic band).

I'm still in my experimental era, testing the TX antenna and learning how to work with separate RX antennas.

First positive conclusions :

1. My TX antenna works fine.  

During the WW contest I was able to work 66 countries; E2A (Thailand) and PJ2T (Carribean) found me while I was running CW.

Even better was a good copy (-18 dB) by a VK3 station of my FT8 signal transmitted with 350W and also detected by a ZS station.

2. A windom antenna can be used as a RX antenna.
The pattern looks omnidirectional, I didn't remark any difference between this one and the inverted L, although signals arrived more qrm-less.  Only one station felt into the windom that I couldn't copy on the vertical : WA7NB, Arizona, arrived with a nice signal and passed away few minutes later.

This is what is mentioned in literature : sometimes DX stations arrive unexpected on a low dipole antenna.

3. A BOG works !  I have installed a Beverage On Ground, 60m long, and it works.  But, I need the preamplifier of the transceiver.  It has also directivity and a nil on the backside.  Installed SW to NE, RA stations entered very well, but EA was practically unhearable.

On FT8 I did a test listening to callers to a 5R DX station.  A my inverted L 5 callers were detected.  On the BOG 33 (!) callers appeared on the screen.  

First negative conclusions :

1. I need more directional receive capacity.  No only to hear better the DX, but to eliminate European QRM of callers who don't listen.  This is really a problem.  Due to this, I missed a lot of Carribean multipliers.  

I can install 4 BOGs on my own property, and I'll do someday because it is almost invisible an easy to do, but...

2. I'm not sure that a BOG is able to perform well on long-distance DX.  Imo a normal beverage will do this job much better.

For that reason I ordered the necessary beverage stuff with preamplifier (DC over coax),  at the antenna.  Only to install in case of an expedition (read : Bouvet)

Listening is not cheap at all.  Today, 100m of Ecoflex-10, the coax I normally use for all antennas, costs 555 €.  For RX purposes on 160/80m I prefer RG213 for price reasons...