[TenTec] OCF antennas evolution

[Carter]

On 7/10/2013 11:33 PM, Michael Tortorella wrote:

 > I feel compelled to weigh in here....back in the late '70s I used an
 > OCFD design from Ham Radio magazine which was pretty straightforward.
 > It was 135' long, fed with 44' of 300-ohm open wire to a 4:1 balun
 > and then a run of RG-11 into the shack. It was superb. Never had any
 > stray current problems. Worked about 150 countries using a Johnson
 > Navigator, 40 watts input. Would like to reproduce that next time
 > out. Don't pooh-pooh the OCFD design, be careful and it works well.
 > 73 Mike W2IY

I smile when I see everybody describing their favorite wire antenna, so 
let me jump in with my comments (asbestos suit on). <grin>

Mike, not to deny your success nor picking on you or anyone else 
describing their favorite wire antenna...but with ANY antenna, the RF 
has to go somewhere.

I'm using a dipole about 130 feet long and maybe 25 feet off the ground 
fed entirely with ladder line (and a Johnson Matchbox) and worked a LOT 
of DX  including Indonesia on 80, the VK0IR dxpedition and even North 
Korea on RTTY with that antenna.

Heck, Kurt N. Sterba wrote in 'World Radio' magazine that he used a 
SHOPPING CART as an antenna during a DX contest and worked 17 countries! 
Again, the RF has gotta go somewhere.

Bottom line: DX performance seems more attributable to the Propagation 
gods rather than what flavor of wire antenna is being used.

73,
Carter   K8VT