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

[JAMES HANLON]

Jack,

I second Pat's recommendation below.  I've used the "Center Fed Zepp" that Pat recommends in one form or another for many years.  You can't beat it for simplicity, low cost, and good operation.  If you don't have room for a full 135 feet, put up something shorter.  Just feed it in the center and use a tuner and it will load up on all bands for which the flat top is at least a quarter wavelength long.  For many years I used a 67 foot flat top antenna very well on 80 meters and of course on the higher frequency bands.  If possible, use a true balanced tuner rather than one with a balun.  The "transmatch plus balun" will work OK, especially if your power is not too high.  But baluns work best when they are looking into their designed impedance level, and the impedance presented by an open wire feedline (ladderline) will vary widely depending upon the other antenna dimensions, the feedline length, and the operating frequency.  So a "matchbox" type of tuner that is designed for balanced lines is a better bet.  

73,

Jim Hanlon, W8KGI
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: M. P. Haynes<mailto:k4beh at juno.com> 
  To: tentec at contesting.com<mailto:tentec at contesting.com> 
  Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 9:53 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 at ameritech.net<mailto:jack.rubin at 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/<http://www.isotronantennas.com/> - not an all-band product but 
  > definitely
  > "stealthy".
  > 
  > Thanks and 73s,
  > 
  > Jack
  > KC9HVE
  > 
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