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Re: [TenTec] was - "Radiates like Crazy"???? No

To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] was - "Radiates like Crazy"???? No
From: "Mike Brown" <k9mi@sbcglobal.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 02:35:07 -0000
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Bill passed away last year I believe. 

K9MI
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curt" <k3ey@yahoo.com>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 23:09
Subject: Re: [TenTec] was - "Radiates like Crazy"???? No


>I don't know if W9INN is even still alive, but that
> man knows/knew his business. He built for me a special
> balun and a special antenna configured for what he
> thought would be "perfect" for my lot without TVI/RFI/
> using ladder line.  Well--- he ended up refunding me
> saying he was surprised it didn't work and that not
> everything fits neatly into a little engineering book.
> TRUE STORY!! 
> 
> I ended up with the B&W for years after that until I
> moved to this place where I still don't have enough
> land for a full wave antenna. 
> 
> I tried the 135 foot Van Gorden and it did work ok as
> long as I ran barefoot. Between that and the fact I
> needed to have one end tied off in my neighbors yard, 
> I installed an inverted Vee and R8 Vertical the year
> of the Okalahoma City bombing. I remember listening to
> the gory details while I was installing my antennas
> back then. Since then I run 500 to 800 watts CW and
> SSB without a trace of RF using coax. Ladder Line is
> nice because is so light and cheap, but for me I never
> could get rid of all the RF problems and why my
> stance.
> 
> So there you have it, true story. Not everything fits
> like it's supposed to. We live in an imperfect world
> and that is what makes is so interesting.
> 
> k3ey
> 
> --- Robert & Linda McGraw K4TAX <RMcGraw@Blomand.Net>
> wrote:
> 
>> One doesn't need a lot of space or high supports for
>> a wire antenna.  In 
>> fact if one desires to use a wire, make it as long
>> as you have space and 
>> supports.  Feed it in the center with a balanced
>> feed line to a 1:1 balun 
>> and then to any of the multitude of tuners
>> available.  With this arrangement 
>> actual antenna length is relatively un-important. 
>> Granted, a resonant or 
>> near resonant antenna will work a bit better.  In my
>> case it's a 256 ft 
>> center fed wire at 50 ft.
>> 
>> I know one respondent on this thread said use a 4:1
>> balun.  While that works 
>> in most situations, realize that the step-down is a
>> divide by 4 condition. 
>> Should the load present a Z that is in the order of
>> 25 ohms which is then 
>> divided by 4 or 6.25 ohms, I would question if the
>> tuner has very good 
>> efficiency at the required operating Z.  I doubt it.
>>  Most will only go to 
>> 12 to 15 ohms on the low end.
>> 
>> On baluns, the basic coax coil flat wound on a piece
>> of PVC pipe makes one 
>> of the most efficient, high power handling baluns
>> available.  Cost is for 
>> the coax, I suggest some 15 to 18 ft of the RG-213
>> type, and some 3" OD PVC.
>> 
>> 73
>> Bob, K4TAX
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Curt" <k3ey@yahoo.com>
>> To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment"
>> <tentec@contesting.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 1:02 PM
>> Subject: Re: [TenTec] was - "Radiates like
>> Crazy"???? No
>> 
>> 
>> While all you guys are patting yourselves on the
>> back
>> on how well these antennas work don't forget about
>> the
>> poor souls, myself included who don't have space for
>> a
>> 135 foot dipole as well as other restrictions real
>> people live with.
>> 
>> Been there done that and YES they work, and work
>> well,
>> IF you have space which most hams living around and
>> in
>> cities do NOT have. All you are doing is inviting
>> trouble using ladder line otherwise.  Preaching with
>> zealous shouts of how well they work boarders on
>> psychotic. They should rename these antennas
>> "Nightmare Generators" for the masses who don't have
>> farms and that live where most of the human race
>> lives, among others of the same species.
>> 
>> 
>> For the newbies reading this thread. It's like the
>> good book, you get out of it only what you believe
>> and
>> even that is arbitrary because of the bias slant
>> that
>> was indoctrinated into your mind while it was still
>> malleable.
>> 
>> Try it yourself, if it works, great, if not do what
>> most normal hams do, use coax.
>> 
>> 
>> k3ey
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --- Carl Moreschi <n4py@arrl.net> wrote:
>> 
>> > I also agree.  A 135 foot dipoe as high as
>> possible
>> > (50 feet or more in the
>> > center, inverted Vee is fine) fed with open wire
>> or
>> > ladder line works very
>> > well on 80 to 10 meters.  I also suggest using an
>> > outdoor tuner such as the
>> > LDG RT-11 mounted right under the antenna on the
>> > ground.  You then run coax
>> > from the tuner into the house.  This is a great
>> > multi-band setup.  I have
>> > used these many times and I'm always impressed
>> with
>> > them.
>> >
>> > Carl Moreschi N4PY
>> > Franklinton, NC
>> > ----- Original Message ----- 
>> > From: "M. P. Haynes" <k4beh@juno.com>
>> > To: <tentec@contesting.com>
>> > Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 11:53 AM
>> > Subject: Re: [TenTec] was - "Radiates like
>> > Crazy"???? No
>> >
>> >
>> > > Hi Jack,
>> > >
>> > > Welcome to the club!  My suggestion from many
>> > years of experience is to
>> > > put up a 135 foot dipole as high as possible.
>> > Feed it with ladderline
>> > > and a tuner with a 4:1 balun. It will work all
>> > bands and give you great
>> > > results.  You can buy it prepackaged for about
>> $40
>> >  It is made by a
>> > > company called Van Gordon and is sold by most
>> > radio distributors (Amateur
>> > > Electronic Supply, Ham Radio Outlet,etc.)  If
>> you
>> > have room for more
>> > > antennas later you can make or purchase more
>> > elaborate and complex ones
>> > > that will work with additional gain and
>> > directivity in a specific
>> > > direction (beams, quads, etc.) but as a first
>> > antenna you'll find the
>> > > dipole hard to beat!  Pick up an antenna
>> handbook
>> > at a hamfest somewhere
>> > > and it will give you lots of ideas and insight
>> > into antennas.
>> > >
>> > > 73,
>> > > Pat Haynes-K4BEH
>> > > Hamming since 1954
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 09:42:01 -0500 "Jack Rubin"
>> > <jack.rubin@ameritech.net>
>> > > writes:
>> > > > Excuse me for jumping in here, and really, I'm
>> > not trying to pour
>> > > > gasoline
>> > > > on the fire!
>> > > >
>> > > > I'm a new Tech with an Omni D waiting for me
>> to
>> > pass my code test;
>> > > > in the
>> > > > meantime I'm reading this list and a few
>> others
>> > and soaking up a lot
>> > > > of
>> > > > information (including the fact that various
>> > folks have had varying
>> > > > experiences and often have divergent
>> opinions).
>> > > >
>> > > > I'm especially interested in this thread
>> because
>> > I've yet to install
>> > > > a
>> > > > "serious" antenna - I've been SWL'ing with a
>> > slinky - and I'm
>> > > > looking for an
>> > > > antenna with the magic combination of low
>> cost,
>> > low visual/spousal
>> > > > impact
>> > > > and good performance. At this point, something
>> > like the folded
>> > > > dipole might
>> > > > make some sense for space reasons, but here's
>> my
>> > specific question -
>> > > > has
>> > > > anyone had experience with the Isotron line of
>> > antennas?  They are
>> > > > at
>> > > > http://www.isotronantennas.com/ - not an
>> > all-band product but
>> > > > definitely
>> > > > "stealthy".
>> > > >
>> > > > Thanks and 73s,
>> > > >
>> > > > Jack
>> > > > KC9HVE
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
> === message truncated ===
> 
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