And one of the big problems with such antennas for contest use is that the 3 degree bandwidth is too narrow for optimum coverage in Europe, where you need to "bathe" as many potential contacts with a
And one of the big problems with such antennas for contest use is that the 3 degree bandwidth is too narrow for optimum coverage in Europe, where you need to "bathe" as many potential contacts with a
Yes, and 21+ dB (including ground reflection) is hard to come by any other way. I was thinking more in terms of a contester making the choice between, say, 16 dBi from a long-boom yagi versus the sam
I understand the point you're making -- the old water balloon analogy -- some fussy detail about the conservation of energy...hi But doesn't it come out of higher-angle secondary forward lobes? That
I have just downloaded the latest versions of these two programs, and am very impressed. MultiNEC 2 does all the good things that the earlier versions did, plus an absolutely spectacular interface wi
I think that's right. How about EA4TX's interface? See www.ea4tx.com. 73, Pete N4ZR The World HF Contest Station Database has just been updated. Are you current? www.pvrc.org/wcsd/wcsdsearch.htm
I've seen some fairly interesting claims recently for the efficiency of yagis with coil loading. I'm not quite sure what efficiency means in this context -- is it simply the percentage of the driving
I am about to replace the Heathkit antenna switch I've used for the last 5 years with a TopTen 6-way relay box, to give me more options. My question is -- is it worthwhile to install 1.5 megohm resis
On the other hand, I have consciously opted for the "disconnect everything" method of lightning protection. Given that, couldn't I simply shunt an RF choke to ground inside the relay box at its outpu
If budget were no object, then I'd probably do as you say, Jon. The point of asking the question about the safety RF choke was static drainage, not strike protection. I am fairly well convinced that
Hi Jozef -- well, I'm feeling dumb. I never looked at the schematic before writing my previous message, but you're quite right. So nothing to worry about. It will be interesting to see what happens a
Oh? You're about to hear something else. The K-factor they use to rate them is VERY protective of the hardware, because it pretends that the whole weight of the antenna is at the turning radius. I ha
Well, it sure isn't all the way out at the full radius. K-factor uses the turning radius, which for HF antennas tends to be the circle described by the tip of the longest element. That badly overstat
I've bought them at Lowe's or Home Depot. As I recall they had both. 73, Pete N4ZR The World HF Contest Station Database has just been updated. Are you current? www.pvrc.org/wcsd/wcsdsearch.htm
For whatever it's worth, I recall threads here in past years recounting concern about galvanic corrosion involving copper-plated ground rods and the galvanized coating on Rohn guy wire anchor rods. T
I think this is kind of a bum rap, considering that Steve spends a lot of his time (and some of his money) keeping this list up and running. It's a tremendous resource, and I don't think he's overdon
Sorry, I probably short-handed that a bit too much. My models showed the TH-7 with ~18 dB F/B on 20m and nearly 25 dB on 15 and 10, when measured above ground (at 97 feet). Since the TH-7DXX has a 2-
With respect, things have changed a lot. Natan, W6XR (force12e@lightlink.com) is the customer service guy now. Going direct to the factory will rarely buy you anything, while Natan gets things done,
I have seen this behavior when the Cinch plugs in my Yaesu rotator control lines were flakey -- fixed them with an application of Caig R5. The notion that lightning fixed a control box full of semico