[UK-CONTEST] Further to Generators...

[Mike Harris]

G'day,

| For HF you could use 300-ohm twin feeder with a  6:1 balun on each
| end, then as Chris said then into a remote antenna switch. The losses
| in that wouldn't be too bad. You would just need to make sure the
| twin was 'floating' and not lying on the ground.

We used open wire feeders at our old HF point to point station.  At one
end Marconi H1103 HST's (7.5kW auto tunes) via coaxial patch panel to
broadband matching transformers to open wire to rhombic or log periodic
arrays for UK, Antarctica and SA.

The longest feeder was about 400 metres and I used to check the swr's with
a trolley pickup.  The feeders, poles and arrays took a bit of a stuffing
in '82 when some visitors occupying the area were shelled.  Scary to see
shrapnel sticking out of a 3 inch steel pipe feeder pole having come
through the opposite side.

Also used open wire in Antarctica, looks real nice covered in hoarfrost.
Sometimes the vertical feed up to the HF doublet would twist on itself in
bad weather.  Did nothing for rtty link but the Racal TX would tune it
nicely, splendid Pi-L network.  Froze yer fingers sorting it out though.

Oh yes, did a bit of S&P at the weekend and had a bit of a pipe into HG on
10M despite accidentally not switching to the log and working them on the
20M rotary dipole which should have put them in a null.

Regards,

Mike VP8NO