[SEDXC] Low Bands are still WIP at K4JRB

[David L. Thompson]

The top half of my 3/8 wave 160 is still wrapped around the top of a tree so
I went to HRO and got 200 feet of ladderline
to re-build my MULTEE.   I found that the MULTEE as shown in both the W6SAI
Handbook and ARRL Antenna books is
or has never been tested (Bill told me so in an e-mail 5 years ago).  The
MULTEE is from W6BCX (bill Smith) who is also
credited with the Bob-Tail.   The antenna as shown in the books does work
160 but the two versions I put up actually were
set for 1919 and 1910 Khz.  Since this is not the normal Dx range I added
several feet the last time and got it down to 1834Khz.
It also says you can operate it on 80 as a flattop but I find that 80 meter
operation is way down from a dipole (10DB) and it takes
a fairly big LC in the tuner to get it down to a low SWR.  It does work on
160 about as well as the 1/4 wave L and really gets into Central and
Northern SA well...  This version will be 62 feet vertical and 70 feet flat
top.

I also have up my version of the half Bob Tail (the half square is the Bob
Tail).   I got the idea from W4RNL and an article in QST in 1977
on a 80 meter L using a 1/2 wave dipole with one vertical leg and one
horizontal.   I made up a half size (136 foot ) dipole by using the Mor-Gain
method.   I put it up as an inverted V and found that it was set to 1889Khz
but mounting it as an L (bottom 11 feet off the ground)
it tuned up on 1844 with a broad bandwidth of nearly 80Khz between 2.1
points.  Unfortunately so far its down from the old L or Multee
on RX so I have some more design work if I want to use it on 160.  At least
I can now make a few Q's. K4SQR says phase it with the MULTEE.

On 80 I got the Half square fixed but I may have a bad piece of coax
(appears lossy) as it hears real well but does not work as well to deep
South America or EM1.   The MOr-Gain 66' 80 is still up as mostly vertical
and really gets the low angle DX.  I worked a 4L4 on 75 SSB for #301 on
75/80.  This antenna worked D68C on one call when they called for 4 land
stations.    The XYL says I have reached the limit for antennas on our 1/2
acre lot....lets see I have 4 antennas on the tower and will have 4 wire
antennas plus a couple receiving antennas and I have some random
interactions plus WCNN junk on 160 (part real/part image)...the bandpass
filter gets rid of some of that.

On top of these problems the T2X rotor was turning and stuck on 75 degrees
the other night.  I looked but nothing was catching and the next day it was
moving again.  Guess its time for another round of maintenance.

The P5 was 5/5 here on 15 meters Saturday night....hope that one counts.

73 and send those CQ 160 logs to cq160@kkn.net  Dave K4JRB