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Re: Topband: active antenna height

To: Topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: active antenna height
From: "Gary Smith" <Gary@ka1j.com>
Reply-to: Gary@ka1j.com
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2016 16:56:38 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Folks,

Hopefully I've answered all the direct emails to me regarding this 
and if I missed someone, my apologies, I have been having multiple 
Blue Screens over the last week. I deleted several recent updates and 
so far it seems like all is working properly.

As to my question; I'll order the tubing from DXE and will make the 
elements 23' tall.

I do have a bugger of a problem to deal with though; where I need to 
put this antenna is unfortunately dead on a pile of rocks that extend 
a very long way and they are only a few inches below ground. I put up 
a K9AY in that area and I had to try at least 10 times to find a 
place to pound in a 4' ground rod most of the way down and even then, 
I had about a foot left to go when I hit stone and the rod started 
bending.

Since it is critical the elements be placed in the proper positions, 
I've given it a lot of thought and am leaning towards fastening two 
boards in a + pattern, figuring some way of anchoring the antenna to 
the center and putting rocks on each leg to hold it in place in the 
winds on the coast and put screen underneath to act as a capacitively 
coupled ground.

If anyone has a better mousetrap, do let me know.

Thanks again for the suggestions as to antenna height.

73,

Gary
KA1J


> I've decided to make the plunge and buy one of the 8 element active 
> arrays for 160M-40M. Looking at the price for the antenna kit, it's 
> just too much considering the cost of the electronics, so I need to 
> roll my own.
> 
> I was thinking of getting the Telescoping Aluminum Tubing that comes 
> in 6' lengths from Texas Towers; .375", ." & .625". If I slide each 
> inside 6", that'll come to a 17' tall element. Is that sufficient 
> height? Would adding another 2-3 feet make any difference with these 
> kind of active antennas?
> 
> 73,
> 
> Gary
> KA1J
> _________________
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
> 



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