[TenTec] OT Use of external keyer with an Omni and hex beams

[Roger Rippy]

Thanks for the feedback from Idaho on antennas Gene (K7TXO). I plan on reading over your comments again
since you have given me pause to think about the choice of antennas. I have not had a yagi tri-bander since
1983 when I was stationed at the Marine Corps Base in Albany, Georgia and I talked the Base Housing Officer
into letting me install a tower in my back yard! My current QTH has a small backyard because of an irrigation
canal on the south side of my property, so I was looking for an antenna that I could mount on an aluminum 
pole (probably a Penninger radio mast) at about 35 feet or so. If the situation were otherwise, I would love 
to put a tower in the ground again with something like a 6 element Optibeam or Force 12 yagi. Just day
dreaming on my day off for Memorial Day. Whatever I decide to use to replace my Force 12 vertical dipole,
it will need to be an antenna at a relative low height and probably on a pole and not a tower. I have had 
the Force 12 vertical dipole up now for almost 5 years with a single set of dacron guy lines and it works 
well and has made it through four Montana winters. At any rate, I do appreciate your comments about
the DX Engineering hex beam; the great thing about this site other than trading information about Ten Tec
radios (and I have several) is hearing about what has worked for others whether it be a keyer or an 
antenna. Tnxs Gene & 73s   Roger Rippy  W7RIP
 
P.S. There are some manufacturers in Germany that make a very stout pole for antennas including rotator
brackets on top and the pole is acutally squared off; they appear to be quite strong. I first saw them on the Opti-Beam
web site. I do not think they are sold in the US and would probably be pretty expensive to import if not impossible
because they appear to be a single piece and not joined with clamps such as a Penninger Radio pole.