No subject

WCS Gallon Jug galljug@btl.net
Tue, 19 Nov 1996 07:02:23 -0600


Antenna GURUS....

Here's a chance to share you knowledge and make a guy out in the bush very
happy.  Radio is a break from saving the rain forests...

I am way out in the bush and there are no antenna folks or other help
resources around to ask questions and get my station really set.

I have the ARRL 95 handbook and volume 1 of the ARRL antenna compendium but
can not find details on wire antennas such as beverage, bazooka etc, which I
see noted from time to time in the magazines.  I am now down to only the
Digital Journal and no longer get QST or CQ.

I have a Mosley Pro-96-3 (donated, our conservation project has no $$$ to
speak of and we have been trying to get a net set up of remote field
researchers who often have no phone access ie. no Internet). 

It sits on a roof tower about 15' above our building.  The building sits on
a steep sided small hill and ground level at top of hill is 110' above the
surrounding terrain.  The building is typical for tropical construction and
is raised up on stilts so the actual roof where tower is around 20' above
local hill top ground.  So the effective height of roof mounted antenna is
almost 40' over local ground which is 110' above all around it.  Soil is
poor conducting limestone.

I do have a 100' free standing ROHN tower right next to the building.  It is
a big thing, with three legs spread about 15' between. Kinda like a big
lightning rod!  It was put up for the telephone links for the immediate
area, has 3 yagis for fixed cellular phone and a single 2 meter full
Cellwave vertical.  I could move the vertical and I am free to use the tower
anyway I can except put the mosley on top.

I am trying to move into the upper reaches of RTTY contesting and would like
to make maximum advantage of the tower etc. for contesting.  The only wire I
have up is an inverted ^ for 80 with apex at 100'.  For rtty contesting the
top 10 guys all use 2 radios now so I will need dual antennas to become
competitive.  Use Mosley for 10-20-40 (it covers 10-40 with WARC) and set up
wires for 80 and 15?  Maybe a small 15 M beam on the top of tower?  I have a
lighter duty rotor from hygain old but functional on the shelf and the
Mosely uses a big Rotor and a ProSearch controller. 

So I hoped to get help in setting up a winning station, or at least
competitive.  I have all the space required and can get loads of wire, but
supports are few down the hill sides with a few large trees south east and
south west of tower.  Doesn't help for Eu or NA contacts.
Any comments or help much appreciated.  Direct reply and not clogging
reflector is fine.

Thanks for the Jungles of Belize


Bruce W. Miller
Associate Conservation Zoologist
Tropical Forest Planning Project
Wildlife Conservation Society
Gallon Jug, Belize
    galljug@btl.net


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