Hello Group.. I'm a Bang for the Buck guy.. and these are my views.
Feel free to tromp me.. but realize that I won't change my mind easily.
Money cures a multitude of DB loss.. that's a fact. Without doing the
Excel analysis, this is my "seat of the pants" take on where to put the
bucks based on years of doing it.
As a QRP CW DX'er (200 Watts+/- output from Yaesu DX-560 on a good day
and bought with paper route money) for the last quarter century, and as
a recent QRO guy, I must vote for Antenna Gain over Amplifier Gain. If
I wanted to "rag chew" with "locals", I'd invest in a 2 meter special,
a cell phone, or a "Handie Thingie" not in a California Kilowatt into a
snow melting, dipole on 80. (Although if I was into fishing, the
wriggling worms would be appreciated). In my opinion, anything below 40
is only good for multipliers in contests. I've RARELY talked to anyone
on 80 or 160 that I couldn't talk to better and clearer to on 40.
Antenna's don't "flash over", raise the electrical bill, don't require a
EE degree (I have one BTW) to build or fix, don't kill you (unless you
fall off a tower), don't require Nichrome VHF Supressors and other Bunk
to work reliably, much, much less TVI near field, have a built in
receive preamp that reduce QRM (that DSP vendors wish they could
emulate) to boot. Not to mention it's much quicker to tune an antenna
to another band or frequency than an amplifier. Try QSY'ing to the
other end of the band with an amplifier! HF beams are CLEARLY the most
bang for the buck!.
Now that I have the honest Key Down all day California Kilowatt (4-1000A
with 5KV on the plate) that since I was a Novice in '68 wanted, drooled
over, and saved my paper route money for.. my convictions remain.
Okay.. I'd like to have a 40 meter beam, but fact is I get by with a 4
wavelength on 40 (530 sum foot) horizontal loop, up about 40 feet in the
trees. Area required is available in a typical 1/3 acre lot.
Originally I put up a 260 sum foot horizontal loop, and after "playing
and cussing" with dipoles, there is NO comparison. The shorter 260'
version was almost as good in fact, and would fit anywhere a dipole
would (assuming you didn't live in an alley or something). Best of all,
I built the big version out of $20 of wire! It was AWG #10 THHN
stranded from the local Home Depot. Okay.. include some PVC pipe for
insulators, pulleys, a $6 balun kit, and some HD nylon rope to hoist it
up. With my 200 watts, at 4 AM, all I could hear or work was Austrailia
on 40 CW, here from DC/MD area. PLUS.. it would on 80, 20 and 15, it
was MUCH better than ANY dipole I've ever tried... the VSWR was about
3:1 worst case.. so I used a Johnson tuner.
Okay.. now to beams. Side by side.. those metallic "YAGI" monsters,
with those stoopid traps just don't work. I've had a TH-4, and a TH-6
over the years.. they work and are impressive at time, but fact is,
those traps give out. If you like something that looks like a monster
"TV" antenna, takes a prop pitch motor to turn, and a killer tower with
10 yards of concrete to hold up, then the YAGI's for you. Fact remains
that 2 elements of loop beam (Cubical Quad or Delta Loop) is marginally
better than 3 elements of YAGI in gain in directivity. I've performed
A/B comparisons with antennas at 40 to 50 feet and know tis is true (at
least on 20 meter CW). PLUS the loops are wider bandwidth, pick up less
atmospheric noise, present less of a CORONA discharge point for
lightening, and work much better at lower altitudes. Not only that, but
can be EASILY made without a hyper expensive telescoping aluminum
tubing. In fact the local "Home Depot" has just about everything that's
needed. It's almost quicker (not to mention cheaper) to build a Quad
out of the hardware store than by an overpriced "Fiberglass Spreadered
Godzilla" from Cubex..
Now the Tower: I'll match a 3 element quad at 40 feet to any 5 element
aluminum monster at 60'. The Quad is lighter, takes less rotator, if it
breaks, it's easier to fix, can be vertically polarized. Result:
Cheaper tower, better performance, less Real Estate.
Rotator: Generally Smaller.. I turn my 3 element Quad with a yard sale
alliance with thrust bearing. Been up for 5 years. It's overloaded,
but still works just fine.
FeedLine: Quads work great with either COAX or Balanced line. In
fact.. the Quad (if properly cut for a single band) is theoretically
much closer to 50 ohms than a YAGI. Okay.. when was the last time you
had a perfect match? Admitedly.. my 40 meter dipole was my "perfect
match". Nobody's perfect. But the Quad is wider bandwitth, and if you
have to climb the tower to adjust it.. it isn't quite as scary. Plus
Wire is much easier and cheaper to adjust the length of than aluminum
tubing.
Finally My Ideal "Bang for the Buck" Station:
1) RIG/Exciter: ICOM Does it for me!
a) all the filters in BOTH IF's: CW, SSB. A Doubled up 250 Hz
filter does it for me on CW.
b) Auto tune PI-Net output.. Single tune up with an amplifier
c) IF passband tuning/Notch.. Gosh.. Gotta have THAT!!
d) No DSP to pollute performance at the "most bang for the buck"
RF/IF/Detector stages
e) Solid state, 100W output all bands
f) Computer controllable
2) Accessories
a) DSP audio filter.. NIR-12 is the best in my view. Amazing what
can be pulled out of the noise with enough computer power.
b) Tuner.. does Coax or balanced line. Roller inductor etc. I'd
pick the MFJ-989 since I can't afford a NYE Viking, plus at lower
VSWR's (AKA Voltage.. Sorta Tuned Antennas like the Quad or Loop), it
DOESN'T matter at all. The high buck tuners give you HI V
capabilities.. HV is high VSWR. Keep VSWR below 5 to 1 without the
tuner, and tune up carefully. High voltage kills first, heat (High
Current/Power) later. They used to say the Johnson Matchbox 300 watt
tuner was good for a KW if carefully tuned.
c) Keyer + Bencher Paddle: I just like the feel of a bencher..
whatever you like
d) IF "Panadaptor" for finding those "hens teeth" stations: Gosh
gotta have this!! Okay, maybe a $3K ICOM with DSP panoramic display is
worth it.. but then again.. $3K would buy another couple antenna
elements.. I'll stick with either a ham fest spectrum analyzer for
$300 or a used scope/addon for about the same. .
e) Communications Headphones: Those "Stereo" Radio Shack specials
DON'T WORK!!!!!!! Truth hurts, doesn't it?? I would possibly invest in
a infrared headphone attachment though.
3) Amplifier
Okay.. whatever you like. The DB per buck per feature tradeoff is
easy here. I'll stick with a military amplifier with Silver plated
roller inductors, a leaf blower fan, Broadbanded tuned input circuit,
vacuum variables, transformer/capacitors that migh/probably do have
PCB's, and can't fit in a front wheel drive car without being taken
apart. A reliable and honest KW output will beat a "How long have I
been yacking" 1.5KW special everytime.. band changes, tune-ups and 10
meters kill them all.. it's nice to relax and know that if you take your
eye off the grid/screen current meter nothing will happen.
4) Antenna
you heard it before.. a 3 element quad at 35 feet minimum. Higher
the better, but remember to include the feed loss with the angle of
radiation into your "equation". I'd do the open wire thing and just
about eliminate the feedline loss factor. Okay one additional tune
thing, but with the broad band aspects.. it's right off the wall chart.
5) Attitude
Listen before you shout!! CQ'ers NEVER get a rare DX contact. Those
you do get are after a "Radio check", and don't QSL. Those that are
rare know it.. and their dummy load is worth any amplifier you could
afford. Wait your turn, and fight, but DON'T obliderate the pile up.
Stomper's are always last.. and in general won't get through.. fact of
life.
'73 KI4Z
Seat Belt is Buckled
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