TopBand: Re: Home Depot Special

[Scott Cowling]

Hi Trey,

Nice talking to you the other night on topband.  Just wanted to comment on
your post.  I read with interest the description of your vertical.  Someone
earlier had suggested Home Depot as a source for wire for Beverages.  The
smallest wire that I can find at my local HD is 14ga. (Except for bell
wire.)  A BIG local hardware store does not sell anything that small either.
Since the wire is for "house wiring", 14ga is as small as they go.  I
haven't tried the distributors yet, I'm sure I can get it there.  I was just
hoping to do a quick pickup at the local HD, since I go there about every
week :-)

>Home Depot is the name of the hardware store in Salinas (birthplace 
>of the American writer John Steinbeck) where I bought the spool of 
>wire.


Do you have a circuit for a bridge to measure the kharmic balance of my antenna?
:-)

>K6NA has since advised that the antenna would have a better 
>kharmic balance if I had bought a spool of wire at a surplus store. 


As far as radials go, if they are elevated I wouldn't bother with more than
4.  I only use 2 on my balloon vertical.  There was a presentation at Dayton
last year by a guy that does antenna work for BC stations.  He did FS
measurements on antennas with 120 buried radials vs 4 elevated ones.  After
listening to his presentation, I conclude that ONE is sufficient for
loading/matching concerns, but PAIRS are required in order for the
horizontal radiation components to be cancelled out (unless,of course, you
have so many that it electrically looks like a solid sheet).  I think it is
MUCH more important to prevent feedline currents (by ferrite beads, resonant
trap, etc) than to add more elevated radials.  I have my flame-proof suit
on, so fire away, guys :-))))

>3) Add more radials to the HD-Special if anyone can convince me 
>   it will *really* make a difference


Sure wish I had some trees out here taller than 35' :-)

Scotty, WA2DFI
Tempe, AZ



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