All week I tried to copy 3B9C on 1822, most of the nights hearing just a dot
or dash or so about 1 hr or so before their sunrise. I was using a inv l for
both tx and rx and was hearing a lot of qrn/noise that made copy next to
impossible.Today, while enjoying our first taste of spring here in northwest
PA ( just south of Lake Erie), I noticed an antenna I used to use on 160, a
coaxial inv l, laying in the corner of the garage. Figuring I have nothing
to lose, I replaced the wire inv l with the coaxial version and noticed
right away the line noise/qrn was several units down. Tonight, 3B9C was an
honest 579 and knowing they usually listen about 5 kc down, I dumped my call
in....and they came back with WW3S and a signal report!!! It couldn't be
that easy, could it? So after they worked 2 or 3 more, I called again and
they came back WW3S WW3S R R R ...WOW!!! I can't remember why I replaced the
coaxial L with the wire version but I don't think it will come down again.
It's quieter on receive and I can honestly say I've worked everything I
heard with it. I only wish I had put it up sooner. Scotty, WK3N, gave me the
plans for it several years ago but since it came from an April issue of CQ,
I thought it was a hoax. I thought that because the shield of the coax
antenna gets connected to the center conductor of the feedline and vice
versa. The antenna is 125' long and 37' from the far end, you short the
shield and center conductor together..mine is suspended from the my 60'
tower from a standoff, so goes up 60' and the rest is almost horizontal out
to a tree. Oh, one more thing. Originally I used 3 radials....that worked so
so,. The next year I put down 6 which worked much better and now have 24
130' radials. My lot is 80x180 so I just run the radials out until they hit
my lot line and then bend them around to fit. Good luck and keep trying.
73 Jamie WW3S
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