For chimney straps, probably "nobody," or certainly nobody I've ever found. I'd find chimney straps having large brackets with enough metal area to re-drill for 2" U-bolts, to accommodate a 2" mast,
Mirko, I've used He-filled WX balloons several times. They work great on a very calm day (no wind), and not so great when it gets windy. The problem with "guying" of any sort is that any horizontal t
Hi Mirko, I've paid about $200 for a kiteoon, locally. The 8-to-9 foot diameter WX balloons are usually about $30 each, so a kiteoon is definitely more expensive -- but, the kiteoon is reusable, wher
Well, do whatever is right for the time! I was with a group in the early 1980's who wanted to become more competitive in the ARRL 160m Contest, an early-December, CW-only event. None of us had the re
One thing I haven't seen mentioned here (I don't think)... ...normally, if a home has *any* use restrictions that seem out of the ordinary, there's a nearly 100% chance that antenna/tower restriction
Guy, that was a great discussion -- thanks. When I think of "self supporting," my first thoughts go to crank-ups, since those are the only self-supporting towers I've ever owned. Even the crank-ups a
It is from those very same cows that we get Condensed Milk. "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill
Homebrew switches using relays do not fare well at VHF, and less so at UHF. Relay and wiring reactance takes over pretty quickly. Even using small form factor relays interconnected by a good circuit
[Steve Katz] Hi Sherm, I looked at the photos and I don't see why this design would work at VHF or UHF -- lots of series inductance shown there (buss wiring between rotary switch and SO-239 connecto
Hi Chuck, I don't know who Paul is (my name is Steve) but I think this was directed towards me. I agree with you. Any time I see someone using a soldering "gun" for a PL-259 installation, I cringe. 7
Hi Paul, It doesn't have much to do with "wattage." It has to do with thermal mass. A large soldering IRON, the type with a 1/2" wide or larger chisel tip made of copperclad iron and attached to a hu
Hi Howard, I get them from any local electronics hobby shop, and they are surely plentiful around here (L.A.). However if you don't have a local source, Granger (catalog, mail-order outlet) has them
Hi Mark, Nobody told me anything, I make my own measurements on relays and switches using a network analyzer. My comments about poor performance specifically related to VHF-UHF, not HF. I use a c. 19
Hi Jos ON4KJ, I agree with you, too. Regarding the "PL type" N connectors (2-piece, screw on & solder like a PL-259), I've used thousands of these by now and they are fine; however, they don't work l
Hey John (K5MO), I sure don't recommend filing PL-259 bodies to expose base metal brass. This should never, ever be necessary if you use good quality PL-259's such as Amphenol 83-1SP (silver-plated c
What Jos ON4KJ says is very true, especially about there being so many variants of Type N connectors. Within a single brand like Amphenol, there are a dozen varieties (maybe more) and they are not di
[Steve Katz] Hi Blake, funny you should say that. I use hundreds of the silver plated PL-259s annually and have never, ever seen one "corrode." They do oxidize and slowly tarnish (turning from shiny