Topband: Topband Digest, Vol 162, Issue 21

[dick.bingham]

Hello Mike

You do not mention anything about the local electrical distribution system. IF you do not have to worry about antenna wire contacting local power wires, you could use a half-wave vertical suspended by a balloon. EASY to feed such an antenna.

Two 160-meter contests ago I tried such an antenna using ~#30 magnet wire. At 100-watts in my early evening it was working stations to my East (CN97uj QTH)  quite competitively until the rain arrived and weighted-down the antenna. Too late to buy a second party balloon to keep it in the air. Next time I will use _several_ balloons instead of one.

Good luck with whatever you employ for the contest.

73 Dick/w7wkr CN97uj  and CN98pi
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  1. Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?
>      (Mike Smith VE9AA)
>    
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2016 22:29:35 -0300
> From: "Mike Smith VE9AA" <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>
> To: <topband at contesting.com>
> Cc: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Subject: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?
> 
> Upcoming IARU contest this summer.  I'll be away from home. No access to outside world from shack. None. Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada. 
> 
> Small Tribander (1 coax)
> 40m and 80m inverted Vees.
> Separate coaxes.  All runs are likely 100' long.
> 
> How to get on 160m for mults?
> 
> Mults and Q's are very small potatoes on 160m in this contest, but certainly
> there's 5 or 10 mults possible.  I'd rather not give away some of my score.
> 
> Would like to come up with something really quick (so I can check band
> often) and not have to plug/unplug coaxes or mess with jumpers etc.
> 
> No ground radials possible.  No more coax runs or control cables possible.
> No access outside the shack. Just the 3 coax runs. That's what I have to
> work with.
> 
> Maybe a plastic switchbox of some kind that shorts the 2 leads of the 80m
> vee together (to give you a radiator-The center)
> 
> and another switch to short the 40m vee together for one raised radial-The
> braid?  Can I match this mess with the tuner in a K3?
> 
> Rather not mess with other tuners.

> Looks messy on paper. Might not even work.  I don't even have 40m and 80m inverted vees here at home to trial anything.
> 
> Surely someones done it when they've travelled somewhere on a Contest
> DXpedition to some residents DX location at some point in the past?
> 
> Ideas? Tnx
> 
> Mike VE9AA
> Mike, Coreen & Corey
> Keswick Ridge, NB