[TowerTalk] ZS6BKW on 160m in a cold climate

Tue Feb 16 17:12:48 EST 2021

Antenna Gurus far and wide:

On my 2nd radio in my contesting setup (And for travel/expedition purposes_I have a 2nd one just like it), I have a ZS6BKW (like a G5RV_) which will not work on 15m, but I added a 2nd fan dipole (for 15m) in parallel, attached to the center of the ZS6BKW and now it works on 15m too.  I’d like to add 160m for my travelling antenna and also to this antenna for my SO2R setup.

This dipole antenna is very roughly about 94’ long and has a 41’ (I think) 450-Ohm twinlead downlead which then attaches directly to coax…..currently I hold the twinlead/coax connection up off the ground with a rope guy line. (you’ll see why if you keep reading)

  Every so often I get scratching a switchbox design on paper.  I am reasonably sure I could put a few 125’ radials out on my lawn, and make a switchbox to short the twinlead together, feed the center of the coax to that as one shorted T-top element (41’ up, 94’ across the top) and then attach the braid to the 3 or 4 (or whatever) ground radials as a counterpoise/gnd system.  

I don’t know what the SWR would be…any guesses?

You’d have the leave the switchbox out there on the lawn of course, but I think with the box and 3 or 4 control wires and 3 or 4 gnd radials (more is better, obviously) you could make most any big dipole (fed with twinlead) resonate on 160m too, for a 6m-160m antenna that does most bands, right?  

I keep saying I am going to do it…maybe this year will be the one !....I have hesitated, not because of the work of the switchbox or radials, but I worry about the thing snapping apart in the middle of winter when the nasty weather tends to keep me inside.

  It bounces around in the wind up here A LOT…One end is on a tall Maple tree and the other end is on a tall slender aluminum mast (currently broken in ½, rotten ice storm)…..and with the twinlead ALMOST touching the ground, then going to coax, which is tied up off the ground, I have only broken that connection once in 5 yrs, when the twinlead froze itself into an icy top layer of the snow.

However with the twinlead attached to a box sitting on the ground, there would have to be lots and lots of slack and “spring” in the entire system, so when the wind blows, or ice and deep snow attaches itself to the twinlead, the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down.  I am brainstorming a couple ideas but am probably not smart enough to reinvent the wheel.  The one thing I have considered is mounting the box up on a 4 or 5’ tall pipe, above the usual snow line. I would then tie off the twinlead much as do now with rope and maybe some kind of bungy to give it some relief during winds. But then I wonder about the radials…5’ below the box.

Anyone have any ideas?  Consider that I live in a cold, snowy, windy, freezing-rain type climate when you respond.

(currently -6*C and ice pellets as I type…supposed to get a few hours of freezing rain later if it warms up a titch.

Thanks

Mike VE9AA

Mike, Coreen & Corey

Keswick Ridge, NB

From: maritimecc at groups.io [mailto:maritimecc at groups.io] On Behalf Of VE9VIC...Rino
Sent: February 16, 2021 5:28 PM
To: maritimecc at groups.io
Subject: Re: [MCC] ARRL DX CW - who's playin?

[Edited Message Follows]

I will, probably SOAB LP, I like my OCFD for contest, I can use it on all bands ,except 160m ,higher swr is 2.1 on 15 m

73,Rino

VE9VIC

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From: maritimecc at groups.io <maritimecc at groups.io> on behalf of Mike Smith VE9AA <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 5:26:04 PM
To: maritimecc at groups.io <maritimecc at groups.io>
Subject: [MCC] ARRL DX CW - who's playin? 

A show of hands and share your category if you so desire….who’s playin’ ?

After this storm lets up, I’ll see what remains of antennas, but I’m planning a parttime

SOAB HP entry, but don’t know yet if unassisted or I’ll try assisted, just to be different.

(last and only time I did this assisted was 1997, using K1EA’s “CT” and iirc, I just watched

the spots fly by, using 2m packet & tnc.)

AA

Mike, Coreen & Corey

Keswick Ridge, NB

-- 
TS590SG, 100 Watts, off center fed dipole.

73, Rino
VE9VIC 

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