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Re: [TenTec] What makes the 238 good or any other tuner good?

To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TenTec] What makes the 238 good or any other tuner good?
From: CATFISHTWO@aol.com
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 22:41:42 EST
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
 
for a quick 160 antenna look at the Gap Voyager. I got mine used for $150  
and am pretty happy.
 
 I also have a AD sloper that will go on 160. the Gap has a capacitor  you 
can order to "center " you freq, mine does from about 1.845 to 1.920 on 2:1  
and 
the sloper does about 1.890 to 1.960 so between the two the gap is much  
better on rx and tx, better ears..  not the best in the world and really  
"bendy" 
on the way up and needs 2 sets of rope guys, (I recommend 3 sets) in 6  months 
 
My best so far is Jamaca from Northern CA ,  It works good for me  for casual 
contesting , rag chewing, and is great on 80 and 40, and although it  tunes 
almost flat across 20 m, it is dead on rx there.. Hope this helps, a good  
choice for a smaller lot..
 
tom N6AJR
 
In a message dated 1/18/2006 7:27:35 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
K9RB@bellsouth.net writes:

I  certainly won't disagree with you and I am also fortunate enough to  not
require an antenna tuner on any band but 160 (didn't get the built  in
antenna tuner in the Orion as I don't need it).   Not all hams  though are
lucky enough to have antennas or the space for antennas that  will present a
descent match across all of the amateur bands, and an  antenna tuner is the
only option.

My question to Rog is:

What  type of antenna do you use on 160 mtrs that will allow descent coverage
of  the band without a tuner?   I would think that most 160 mtr antennas  that
can be erected by the average ham would require a  tuner.

Personally, I have two phased verticals that are 66 ft tall and  linear
loaded.  Each have 120 (+ or - a few) radials that are 135 ft  in length.
My 2 to 1 bandwidth is 40kc with a  resonant freq of  1840.    A good ant
tuner is the only answer I know of short of  putting remote tuned matching
networks at the base of each tower.   Granted, there is some loss in the coax
as the antenna is used above or  below 1840,  but it is not something I can
not live with.

Dick  K8ZTT

Hi Dick, I have two transmitting antennas for 160 meters at  present. One is
a 5/16 wavelength inverted L  that is 68 ft. tall and  about 98 ft.
horizontal fed with a remotely tuned vacuum variable at the  base of the
insulated vertical section. This antenna also has a vacuum  relay at the top
of the vertical section to isolate the horizontal wire and  while also
simultaneously shorting out the series vacuum variable at the  base by means
of another vacuum relay. This allows operation on 80 meters  as a quarter
wavelength vertical. The relay at the top has the coil wires  fed through the
center of the 2" mast tubing. I also have a rotary inductor  inline at the
base to adjust the resonant point on 80 meters while it is  self resonant at
3,870KHz., about as far up the band as I care to operate.  To QSY down to
3,505KHz. requires only about 3 1/2 turns of the 3" diameter  motorized ribon
inductor. On 160 meters I can cover the entire band with  the vacuum variable
remotely tuned with a 3 RPM DC motor and gear drive.  For reasons really
unbeknownst to me, with the vacuum variable relay  energized to short it out
the series capacitor and just about 1/2 turn of  the ribbon coil in series
with the inverted L, I get a flat match and  excellent performance on 30
Meters also. This was a suprise discoverery and  unexplained bonus! This
system was not perfected in a weekend, but took  lots of trial and error with
both relay and mechanical problems to  overcome, but it has been operational
to my satisfaction for it's fourth  season now. I have approximately 3500 ft.
of  #6 Ga. solid copper wire  stretching to 


 
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