Dan, nice to know someone else is active like me at 79. I have also used 174 and 316 with no ill effect for shorter lengths and low power. Working QRP is a learning experience and is enjoyable. The rewards are great!
Bill K9YEQ ________________________________ From: Dan Presley <n7...@arrl.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 10:54:09 PM To: Bill Johnson <k9...@live.com> Cc: Mike Fatchett W0MU <w...@w0mu.com>; elecraft@mailman.qth.net <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] AX1 Disappointing Performance Also don’t sweat using RG 316 or 174 for reasonably short runs. I use 316 from the KX2 to the tripod mounting the AX1 and 174 for my linked 40/20/15 dipole. The loss is negligible at short distances at HF. And at 5W in the field there’s no need for any baluns or chokes unless you’re using a high impedance end fed. If all goes well next week I’ll be taking the KH1 and the MC-750 for a SOTA activation on Mary’s Peak in the Oregon coast range. 4100 feet and a nice little hike. I’m just glad I can still pull this off at age 73… Dan Presley 503-701-3871 @me. com n7...@arrl.net > laOn Sep 25, 2024, at 21:53, Bill Johnson <k9...@live.com> wrote: > > Use your analyzer to lengthen/shorten the radial and calculate the > appropriate counterpoise. Know that the AX1 antenna design was for direct > connection. The operator adds capacitance that would lower effective > frequency. The tuner will let you load anything. Shut off tuner and work > for lowest reflective power. > > Bill > K9YEQ > ________________________________ > From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net <elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net> on > behalf of Mike Fatchett W0MU <w...@w0mu.com> > Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 7:19:18 PM > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] AX1 Disappointing Performance > > You have a small compromised sized antenna and QRP. Maybe your > expectations are a bit off. Many people seem to do quite well with > mobile setups using hustler/hamsticks. If you are going camping how > about a dipole or similar? Toss a dipole in a tree for 20m is easy. > You are wasting your time on 40m in Idaho and probably 30m. > > W0MU > >> On 9/25/2024 4:57 PM, Dave (NK7Z) wrote: >> Hi, >> >> If possible raise the antenna higher. Add more radials... >> >> A friend of mine has one of these and we took it out at a portable >> station using a KX radio. It was 6 feet above the ground, and had 6 >> radials on it, each around 20 or 30 feet long, sloped heading to the >> ground. We used WSPR on it during the big eclipse a few years back, >> and it worked really well, hits all over the world on 20... Radials >> are the key to making it work better. Being a shortened antenna it >> will never work as well as say a 6BTV, but it will work well with a >> decent set of radials. >> >> 73, and thanks, >> Dave (NK7Z) >> https://www.nk7z.net >> ARRL Volunteer Examiner >> ARRL Technical Specialist, RFI >> ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources >> >> My favorite definition of an intellectual: 'Someone who has been >> educated beyond his/her intelligence'. Arthur C Clarke >> >>> On 9/25/24 15:17, James Bennett via Elecraft wrote: >>> Several months ago I started building up a POTA station, including a >>> KX3 (with internal tuner), the AX1 Dual Band Antenna, the AXE1 40 >>> Meter Extender, and the AXT1 Tripod Adapter. This afternoon I finally >>> got the time to see how this antenna plays. I was a bit disappointed. >>> Here is the setup: >>> >>> KX3 (with internal tuner), 25 feet of RG-316 with ferrites on the >>> radio end, five foot tall carbon fiber tripod sitting in the middle >>> of my back yard; no other resonant antennas on the property. >>> >>> The KX3 / ATU WAS able to find a match to the antenna on all the >>> bands. At first I thought that was great. But being a bit curious, I >>> disconnected the coax and hooked up my Rig Expert AA-55 Zoom. Ughhh. >>> On 40 meters, with the long radial attached and suspended 4-5 feet >>> above the yard, the antennas was resonant at 7.574 MHz - that’s a tad >>> more then the +- 200 KHz stated in the specs. And quite ugly for >>> where I wanted to operate: 7.052 KHz. So, I added the shorter radial, >>> also up above the ground, going a different direction. NO CHANGE to >>> the resonant frequency. Yes, I did have the AXE1 installed, and yes I >>> had the switch set to the “20m” position. >>> >>> OK, let’s give 30 meters a try. I set the switch to “17m”, and the >>> Rig Expert to 10.116 +- 5 MHz. Yikes - the thing was resonant at >>> 8.070 MHz - very long way from 10.116. Adding the short radial >>> changed the SWR at that frequency from 1.46:1 down to 1.33:1 but no >>> change to resonant frequency. >>> >>> 20 meters didn’t fare much better. I set the switch to “20m”, removed >>> the AXE1, and connected only the short radial. Minimum SWR of 1.34:1 >>> was seen at 15.330 MHz. At my desired operating frequency of 14.052, >>> the SWR was 6.9:1. Not a very good SWR but one that the ATU can >>> easily handle. >>> >>> 17 meters was just as bad. With the short radial it was resonant at >>> 19.780 with an SWR of 1.15:1; at 18.116 it showed 6.83:1 SWR. Again, >>> something the ATU can deal with, but….. >>> >>> While I understand that this is a compromise antenna and it isn’t >>> going to be spot on on every band, I’m a bit frustrated in what I’m >>> seeing here. With five watts output into those kind of SWRs, I’m sure >>> I’m loosing quite a bit of my power in heating the coax and the >>> modules in the ATU. I hesitate to go out on a maiden POTA activation >>> with an antenna showing close to 7:1 SWR at my operating frequencies, >>> even though the ATU “corrects” that. >>> >>> Any suggestions here? Is this “normal” for the AX1 and AXE1? >>> >>> Jim Bennett / K7TXA >>> Eagle, ID >>> >>> SKCC #10447T >>> B.U.G. #301 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> Elecraft mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> Message delivered to d...@nk7z.net >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to w...@w0mu.com > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to k9...@live.com > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to danpres...@me.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
