> Some people pay to receive messages (though I can imagine one going broke
> just on CQ-CONTEST alone). And I'm sure that 90% of the (how many, Trey?)
> subscribers don't care to see scores from each participant for every
> contest, especially for the minor ones.
Well, chalk me up with the 10% who do. I'd rather read posts containing
scores by band & mode, comments/anecdotes, and detailed equipment
descriptions -- things that don't show up any any summary -- than a
lot of the repeated debates that go down here.
Quick CQP score/comments, since I'm copying to the list:
WQ5L SO/LP/Alabama 113 CW + 103 SSB x 46 counties == 25,070 in ~8.5 hours
130 of 216 QSOs on 15 meters. Open to 6-land *only*. No non-CA QRM! Awesome!
After about 50 QSOs, the display on my FT-757GX went dead. Rig still worked
fine other than that so I went the rest of the way blind -- didn't have
any clue what frequency I was on! I figured I'd better just stick to S&P...
73,
-- ray, WQ5L, soon to be in 5-land again
>From Celia Tony Becker <becker@shell.portal.com> Tue Oct 4 05:11:47 1994
From: Celia Tony Becker <becker@shell.portal.com> (Celia Tony Becker)
Subject: Summary: Invisable Antennas
Message-ID: <199410040411.VAA14667@jobe.shell.portal.com>
Looks like we do have some ideas for the stealth antenna out there.
Here is the promised summary of constructive comments.
From: Dave G4BUO
/G=LAWLEYD/S=LAWLEY/PRMD=IBMMAIL/ADMD=IBMX400/C=GB/@mhs-relay.ac.uk
I regularly use a half square antenna on 40m (gardens and supports are
smaller over here) and I call it a half bobtail which I think is more
descriptive. It is an excellent performer and unobtrusive.
If you model the antenna over 'real ground' in Elnec the pattern is not
good, but over perfect ground the pattern is excellent. This shows that
although the antenna does not need radials, it is strongly dependent on
good local ground conditions in order to work well.
The original posting suggests that if you feed it at the bottom corner you
need radials. This is a high impedance point and you can either use a zepp
feed or an LC network. In the latter case, a ground rod or short radial is
all that is needed. A set of radials in the conventional sense is not
needed. As with any vertical, you could improve the performance by
extending radials out to several wavelengths unless the antenna is already
placed on salt water.
I saw the QST article and am a bit uneasy that coax feed at a top corner
may lead to current imbalance, depending on the position of the coax.
Feeding at a bottom corner is nice and easy. Remember the bottoms of the
vertical wire carry LOTS of voltage so should be protected from accidental
touching by children, pets etc.
From: Roy Hradilek, AD5Q, 73374.2465@compuserve.com
I have been modelling half squares with ELNEC and AO and find
them very interesting. There is no perceptible difference
between the half square and the full Bobtail using ELNEC models.
Looks like the simplest half square is corner fed at the top:
easy 50 Ohm match. I have tried this and it works.
From: Ed Gilbert, WA2SRQ
My suggestion for your antenna improvements: Forget the indoor antenna.
Get some #24, 26, or 28 wire which will be nearly invisible outside.
Run something center-fed with open wire, as high and as long as you can.
With open wire you will be able to use it on all bands with a tuner.
From: Ken Silverman, WM2C, ken.silverman@atlas.ccmail.AirTouch.COM
Wires in the trees is a good bet. You can run a nice vertical/inverted-L
up the tree. Just shoot a line over the tree, and don't care if the
inverted-L part is curved, bent etc. Will work much the same.
Use camouflaged wire! Try brown, black, or my favorite in our neck of the
woods (California), a green and yellow spiral stripe. In my area, most of
the year, the foliage is a combination of evergreen trees, and golden
dried out grasses. When hanging in the sky, the wire blends in perfectly.
Even appeased a cranky neighbor.
From: Palle Preben-Hansen, OZ1RH (OZ9EDR contest team)
Do you know the trick with antennas made of very thin wire << 1 mm?
phosphorous bronze quite strong and available as wire. I have used it once,
though the material is more often used for springs in relays ect. Try a
full size 2x20M dipole for 80M in the top of your trees. Isolators can be
small pieces of plastic. Replace the wire if it breakes/is stolen/taken
down by authorities. The wire may be errected using bow and arrow. If a
flagpole is allowed try that. Better still: move to the country side!
Contests -> QRO -> TVI/BCI!
One other possibility: telescoping fishing rods in fiber glass are
available in lengths over 30 ft, and may be put up in the dark and support
some wire. Carbon reinforced fishing rods may be conductive, this could be
a problem if you wind the wire around it to create a coil.
From: Pete Smith, N4ZR, N4ZR@netcom.com
For a number of years, I used coax to a set of dipoles fed from the same
center insulator. Had 10,20,40 (also used on 15) and 80. Radiators were
fanned out both in altitude and azimuth to minimize interaction. Should
be little problem with your tuner anyhow, if you can bury the coax and
get it under your wall and out to the trees.
If you can string wire from your home to any sort of existing support, such
as a tree, some people have reported good results with wire as fine as
#30. Of course, you'll be restringing it a lot, but an end-fed long wire
might be preferable to what you have now. You could also use such fine
wire for a half-square, if you were of that mind.
Depending on how much metal there is in the structure of your house, you
might be better off with wire strung right under the eaves, rather than
in the attic.
From: David McCarty, K5GN, dkmc@chevron.com
There was a post on here a few days ago about feeding a half square at a 50
ohm point (the corner). I bet you could build one for 20m and get it up
where it would help you. I built a full bobtail curtain for 15m and hung
it over my house roof (one story). It was about 2:1 at the resonant point,
feeding it with 50 ohm coax at the top of the center vertical element. It
was not *real loud*, but better than a dipole up in the trees, which
qualified as an improvement in my book. I expect it would be far better
than an indoor dipole.
One caveat about such an antenna: the high voltage at the ends of the wire,
which is usually in reach of unsuspecting neighborhood kids.
From: Dan, (no call given) PEMS_ST_DK@noeca.ohio.gov
I have used the half square and would highly recommend it. I modeled many
versions of it and have found the following:
1. It cares not about a ground system. The ground effects are determined
by the general condustivity in your area - FORGET RADIALS.
2. It doesn't have to be straight - it can be bent and run along the ground
to make up missing height (ex. 20 feet vertical and 10 horizontal.)
3. Spacing is not real critical. You still get some low angle radiation if
the top part is not 1/2 wave.
4. CAUTION: The bottoms of the vertical ends are HOT so should be kept away
from human contact !!!!
5. Feed with a parallel tuned network at the bottom of one vertical elemant.
You can load it on more than one band using a switched network. I used
a 40 meter job on 160 with good results (this use DOES call for radials)
6. In short, if you can get one up, even bent and twisted, do it. I used one
from an apartment and it worked fb.
From: Jim, KD0AV, JimKD0AV@aol.com (we used to do FD together ed.)
I too am condemned by restrictive CCR's to stealth antenna: I use a center
fed zepp @ 40 feet in large maple trees, a biodegradeable set up that can
come down occasionally due to proximity of the Windy City. Hard to get
through on SSB with low power. Also, I have been looking at half-squares
and other goodies that show up in ham mags.
Editorial comment and semi-humorous further challenge
So, fellow hyper-texted, hyper-competitive, hyper-testosteroned, type-A,
aerial-aerially-challenged condo-commando-contesters ...
draw breath :)
It seems clear that the conventional wisdom (or could it be just a passing
fad) calls for AE0M and his spin-casting rod to be over the garden wall and
up in the trees with a half-squared length of two-toned litz wire before
the NCCC bored drums him out for sub-standard SS scores again.
BUT! How to feed the beast? Digging a trench deep enough throuth 40 feet
of the adobe hard clay (are these just rocks are did someone put re-bar in
here?) we make due with for soil in the west Santa Clara Valley is more
than this swivel-chair cowboy is willing to attempt with this level of
evidence. I want PROOF!
Well, I'll settle for anything I get. Just how does one go about this fed-
at-the-corner method. Can I just let the coax drop down along one vertical
side of the half-square, or will the RF induced on the outside of the coax
be enough to curl my mustache? How about if I use one of those "current
baluns" at the feed point?
Remember, we are the best of the best here, so any further comments?
E-mail me, and I'll summarize for the reflector.
AE0M - Tony Becker - becker@shell.portal.com - Silicon Valley, U.S.A.
>From Eugene Walsh <0004504465@mcimail.com> Tue Oct 4 07:56:00 1994
From: Eugene Walsh <0004504465@mcimail.com> (Eugene Walsh)
Subject: Pack It??
Message-ID: <02941004065620/0004504465PK1EM@MCIMAIL.COM>
What's all this I hear about "Pack It"?
(Credit to K6NA for that line, some years ago)
(He may not even remember, but I do)
What's the big deal??
Anyone who wants to use packet can do so
already. Why ruin it for those who want
to do it themselves? Is there no value in
that? Do people cheat? Yeah! So what.
Contrary to what I've seen on here, not many
people cheat. From more than 2 decades of log
checking my feeling is that very few people cheat.
If most people cheat, then this is a worthless and
incredibly stupid activity. Just because someone
beats you, has developed skills which take alot
of effort to learn and worked long hours building
a station that works well, does not mean that they
are cheating. Most of us just love it and treat it
as such. Usually the cheaters are known by their
peers (Not really peers but superiors), and if they
can live with that, they are to be pitied. Do you
really want to structure things around a few dorks
who are not real people?
I don't like packet, only use it in Multi-Multi.
Otherwise I like to do it myself. If anyone dictates
that packet is to be included in all categories (For
what reason I cannot fathom, why they would need that),
I will probably still do it myself. I grew up hunting
mults, I enjoy it immensely, and dont think much of those
who cannot do it unless they have an army of quasi-
disinterested folks calling out spots. It's one of the
tools you need to compete; one of the measures of a
competent operator. For Heaven's sake, learn something
about the bands that you use, and what can be done with
them. The yelling comes from those who do not want to
have to learn how to do it. Either that or they want to
run Europe non-stop unless someone else tells them that
there is something on the long path, without having to do
the work (Or having the ability) of looking for it. Up
here we have a host of BIG DXERS who never show up unless
they see something that someone else has found for them,
(On the Tri-State they even call out lists!) and then bray
about their prowess, after asking "What direction are you
beaming?". It's as if "Leveling the field" really means
SPOON FEEDING the uninterested! Whatever spins your top,
I guess.
One of my favorite games, when I had packet here, was to
call out something nice I found and wait around to see
all of the "Showups" who never called out anything on
their own. Even in contests, you can hear hordes of
people hit a frequency where TA3XYZ was called out and
they all work LZ3ZYX, who is not signing his call too
often, and go away with TA3XYZ in their log. And some
folks want to make this "Mandatory" in all contest
categories?? Nuts!
G4BUO hit it right on the head. If you need to
have packet, you've got your own yard to play in.
Stay out of mine.
I really have no problem with SOA as a category.
Several accomplished folks like K3WW and K1DG,
for example, occasionally prefer doing things this
way. Others may prefer this mode all of the time and
compete with similar minded folks. My problem is
with people who want to include the use of packet
in all categories. Why on Earth would they need that?
73 N2AA All Flames subject to "Credibility
of source" test (If you're not "Of
the body", pack it!).
Little smiley thing here (Love that!).
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