Google Earth is simpler, it's free to everyone, and at my QTH in the
boondocks of southern Arizona it will pinpoint my tower to the nearest
second.
Dave AB7E
On 3/3/2012 9:16 PM, Gene Fuller wrote:
> RE your exact tower location -
>
> Small handheld hikers GPS units that give Lat. and Long. can be had on eBay
> for cheap. I found several Magellan Blazer 12 units in the $25-$50 price
> range . They were among the earlier designs for hikers and don't have as
> many fancy features as the newer units so the hikers are unloading them. I
> find them ideal for my simple minded boating because they give you just what
> you need to get from here to there and don't complicate it with a lot of
> stuff I'm nor interested in, but they do also give you lat and long, so you
> can just take it to the base of the tower and read degrees, minutes and
> seconds, which should be close enough and can easily be converted in decimal
> equivalents that can be entered into the HFTA program.
>
> I agree that it is a PITA to use HFTA but it does give a lot of good info
> for those who persist. Even if you have already committed to your
> installation it's interesting to see what kind of performance you might
> expect. Or, if your looking for a place to buy or build it's a good
> evaluation tool and you'll learn lots about the ups and downs of the
> neighborhood within a radius of a couple of miles.
>
> Gene / W2LU
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:<dotravel@aol.com>
> To:<towertalk@contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 9:48 PM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Where to get HFTA Software
>
>
>> Jim, if you did build a simplifiied way to enter the exact location of the
>> antenna to import into HFTA you would be a hero to the masses because
>> Microdem is a true PITA!
>>
>> Note that unless the site is on flat ground just entering the QTH location
>> would not be enough. For the data to be of value, the location of the
>> tower needs to be within feet if not inches prior to importing into HFTA.
>>
>> Regards, John NA6L
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jim Lux<jimlux@earthlink.net>
>> To: towertalk<towertalk@contesting.com>
>> Sent: Sat, Mar 3, 2012 10:09 am
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Where to get HFTA Software
>>
>>
>> On 3/3/12 9:55 AM, Richard Thorne wrote:
>>> Where can the software be obtained? Is it downloadable or do you have to
>>> by the ARRL antenna book to get a copy?
>>>
>> Need to get a copy of the ARRL antenna book.
>>
>>> I'm in the middle of installing my tower and I'd like to run some
>>> numbers.
>> I'd say it would be easy for someone to run it for you, but the real
>> value comes from having the terrain data, which is a somewhat complex
>> process and location specific.
>>
>> (although, I've thought about making some sort of web server that could
>> take a call sign or lat/lon, generate the terrain files automatically.
>> Seems like you could build some interface to Google Earth, for instance.
>>
>> That's way down on the list of software projects though...
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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