[VHFcontesting] Newbie: restricted antenna ideas?

[John K9IJ]

At 04:32 PM 8/29/2003 -0400, nz7c at cox.net wrote:
>Hello all -
>I am interested in the idea of working VHF but currently am limited to 
>using an HF loop of about 260' (up about 25') and my 2m/440 Ring antenna. 
>May I ask what possibilites can be suggested for the "restricted" antenna 
>guy to enter this world of Ham radio? Thanks for any help. I am mainly a cw op.

If you can't get yagi's up (and vhf yagi's aren't very large) then loops 
are reasonable on VHF, too. Unfortunately, we're on the back side of the 
sunspot cycle and 6M propagation will be on a downhill slide for a few 
years, but a loop will be OK for the occasional eSkip. At the top of the 
sunspot cycle, you can work all states with a loop.

For 2M, I'd suggest stacked loops, if you can't put up a small yagi. Put 
them up as high as you can reasonably get them. A KB6KQ 2M loop is only 
about a foot in diameter so it's pretty unobtrusive. On the other hand, a 
10el 10M beam isn't much bigger than a TV antenna.

HTH
Good Luck
John - K9IJ



-

John Rice  K9IJ
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