[TenTec] It's getting cold. Perfect antenna weather for a OCF dipole

[Mike Bryce]

The antenna I’m planning on installing, the off center feed dipole, will be replacing the 132’ on a side center fed zepp feed with 600 ohm open wire that up there now.

After all the work I put into this antenna, it simply won’t perform at my QTH.

Either I’d have to move the shack out into the middle of the back yard, or somehow wrapped an extra 100’ of feed line someplace. I’m not about to move the shack and even MY neighbors would raise a bitch if I strung up an extra 100 + feet of open wire so the feed point impedance would make me a happy camper.

Today, the UPS guy dropped off the HYTOWER 160 meter inverted L upgrade. so, that’s what I’ll be using on 160 meters this winter. I’ll let everyone know how it works.

So, for 80, 40 and perhaps 30, I’ll try the OCFD. 20 and up, I have the beam.

If it won’t work on 30, that’s cool, too, as I installed a bazooka two weeks ago for that band.

I didn’t get the chance to call the torroid guys out in W6 land, but will tomorrow. I’ll see what they have in stock for the CMC baluns.

I have a 1:1 current balun in the shack from the center zepp experiment, I’m thinking of putting it in a new box with a SO-239 connector instead of the screw terminals. 

I read someplace that to counter common mode currents, the addition of a 1:1 balun on the shack side of the coax helps along with one on the antenna end.

I’ll let everyone know


Mike, WB8VGE

Mike, WB8VGE
SunLight Energy Systems
The Heathkit Shop
http://www.theheathkitshop.com/ <http://www.theheathkitshop.com/>
J e e p
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