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Re: [TowerTalk] Adding 15 meters to a 204BA

To: wa5rtg@gmail.com, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Adding 15 meters to a 204BA
From: Leeson <leeson@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2025 23:47:27 -0800
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Yep Stan, you have that derivation right. As you note, for a clamp around the boom, the clamp electrical half-length includes 0.3 x the boom radius, while the physical length to determine the exposed inner section length is just the 2-5/8" length of the tubing insertion. That 2-5/8" subtracts from the full inner section tubing length to determine the exposed length.

Although it has the correct exposed section lengths and clamp equivalent diameter, the table I posted shows a clamp electrical length of 3.125", 0.2" larger. I'm not sure where that would have come from. Fortunately, at 20 meter wavelengths that difference hardly seems to have affected the outcome of calculations.

Some last notes: In several places I see the cylinder diameter for calculating equivalent diameter of the Hy-Gain clamps is (correctly) the clamp OD, 1.5" for the #13 clamp. This could be misinterpreted as the inserted section tubing size itself, or as the length of the inserted section.

When I calculate the Hy-Gain driven element setup, I recognize the 67 pF capacitance of the tubing and its insulator, in parallel with the element impedance. See Table 9-5 on page 9-9 of my Yagi book.

The original Excel spreadsheets that accompanied the book were updated to xls format, with the ones with "F" updated in 1999 to the EIA-222-F wind force model. These are posted at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qevnshmw9m3jm88/AABSn1iVhh1Q6qrPEYgwcq83a?dl=0

I was surprised to find the 1995 note I wrote on 204BA mods, still online at https://www.qth.com/ka9fox/hygain_204ba_mods.txt

Dave, W6NL/HC8L

On 11/5/25 5:19 AM, Stan Stockton wrote:
Thanks, Dave!  I had forgotten all about the great book you wrote 30+ years
ago.  Also, my wife and I are watching a series on TV that we watched 10
years ago and it's almost like we had never watched it.😀

So in the chart it shows the equivalent diameter as 2.14" and the length as
2.925".  I am assuming from what I read that the half length of the clam
shell clamp that extends out from the edge of the boom is 2-5/8" with an
overall length of 7.25" (5.25" + 2") and that the length of 2.925 is
derived by adding .3" for half the electrical length of the boom diameter?
Hope that makes sense and is correct?

Thank you so much for reminding me of the book.  A lot of it is way over my
head but it's full of practical information as well.

73...Stan, K5GO/ZF9CW

On Wed, Nov 5, 2025 at 12:52 AM Leeson <leeson@earthlink.net> wrote:

Modeling of the HyGain element clamp is derived in Chapter 9 of my 1992
book, "Physical Design of Yagi Antennas,"

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hmhkeofz0igrg1e/Physical%20Design%20Of%20Yagi%20Antennas%20D%20B%20Leeson%20V2.pdf?dl=0

  From page 9.3, the equivalent diameter of the HG204BA clamp is 2.14
inches. This clamp model is used in K6STI's YO and other Yagi software.

Dave, W6NL/HC8L

On 11/4/25 5:43 PM, john@kk9a.com wrote:
Maybe easy for you, Stan  I have not done well designing multi-band
Yagi's although I have not tried doing so with AutoEZ.  I would be
interested in seeing your WEQ file for this.  Hy-Gain uses a large formed
aluminum element clamp so you might have to make some guesses for
modeling.  Insulated elements are easier.

GL
John KK9A


Stan Stockton K5GO wrote:

Dave,

This is pretty easy to do.  Would probably end up being 3 on 20 and 4 or
5 on 15.  The difficult part is inputting exactly what the lengths and
diameters you are going to use for each element.  AutoEZ will do the rest
of the work using one feedline.

If you give me the exact lengths and diameters of the first 3 elements
on your 20m antenna and same info for what you want to use for the 15m
elements, I’ll do it for you.

No 10 meters?

Stan, ZF9CW

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 3, 2025, at 11:40 PM, dave arruzza via TowerTalk <towertalk at
contesting.com> wrote:

Has anyone successfully added, non trap, 15 meter elements to a 204ba.
73
Dave
W1CTN / NC4DARADIO GASTONIA203-906-6209


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