[Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Hi from Fargo, ND and many camp sites. This is the antenna I have used for the last 5 years in my camper with I feel excellent results. It is a 44 foot doublet (22 feet) on each side of center) with a feed line of 22 feet of 450 ohm window line. The center is supported by a 23 foot telescoping painter's handle with a hook at the top made out of an old paint roller. The ends are supported by 10 foot lengths of 3/4th inch PVC pipes to make an inverted vee. This loads well with either my KAT2 or KAT100. I added a W2DU 1 to 1 balun and I find the antenna so stable the settings the tuner picked from the last camp site usually work at the next camp site with no changes. I have a 1 foot jumper of RG8 between the tuner and the balun. This works as is on all bands except 30 and 80 meters. On 30 meters 22 feet of feed line is a bad length and transforms the low impedance of what is a 30 meter dipole to a high impedance which gives the tuner trouble. I cut a jumper of 22 feet of 300 ohm twin lead and wound it into a coil with a 7 inch diameter. All my twin lead feed lines use alligator clips so to use 30 meters I just clip the additional 22 feet loop of feed line in series with the 450 ohm window line. I have 22 foot extensions I can add to each side of the doublet to make it 88 feet for use on our 75 meter SSB net. These extensions have to be tied to a tree or other support but the 44 ft doublet is self supporting by the 23 foot painters handle on the hitch of my camper and the 10 foot PVC pipes which are supported by the rear bumper of the camper and the front bumper of my tow vehicle. If I want to work 160 meters or don't have a location where I can add the 22 foot extensions for 75 meters I have a loading coil and can tie the two sides of the 22 foot feed line together and use the loading coil to make a top loaded vertical which uses the frame of my camper as a counterpoise and that works about as well as a good mobile station. I used to use a home made full wave quarter wave vertical on 20 meters which used the frame of the camper as a counterpoise. I thought it worked well but in 2001 the 44 ft doublet was brought up here on this reflector. I built it and used both antennas for just two camping trips. The doublet was so much better than the vertical that I quit taking the vertical along. I have run QRP battery 1B for the last 5 field days and the weak point is me as an operator and not my station or antenna. Last week end I was set up at Fort Ransom State Park, ND. I worked W1PID on 20 running 3 watts on a K1 and 88 foot doublet (I was running the 100 watts). I QSYed to 30 meters and ran 5 watts on my end and had a 25 minute QSO with K4AKC who was running a K1 and 4 Watts to a G5RV. When we got done CU2BV from the Azores called me and we had a 15 minute QSO down at 13 wpm and I was still running 5 watts. I have been camping and portable for about 39 years and used many different rigs and antennas but nothing I ever had before has worked as well with as little effort on my part as the K2/100 and 44 ft doublet. I hope more of you try this antenna and have as good luck with it as I have had. 73 from North Dakota where it is now 94 degrees F headed to -30 degrees F in just 6 months. Ken W0CZ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
I'm a T1 owner and I use the 44 and 88 foot dipoles. I can say with experiance that everything Ken says is true. You just can't do better. 73 Karl Kenneth A. Christiansen wrote: Hi from Fargo, ND and many camp sites. This is the antenna I have used for the last 5 years in my camper with I feel excellent results. It is a 44 foot doublet (22 feet) on each side of center) with a feed line of 22 feet of 450 ohm window line. The center is supported by a 23 foot telescoping painter's handle with a hook at the top made out of an old paint roller. The ends are supported by 10 foot lengths of 3/4th inch PVC pipes to make an inverted vee. This loads well with either my KAT2 or KAT100. I added a W2DU 1 to 1 balun and I find the antenna so stable the settings the tuner picked from the last camp site usually work at the next camp site with no changes. I have a 1 foot jumper of RG8 between the tuner and the balun. This works as is on all bands except 30 and 80 meters. On 30 meters 22 feet of feed line is a bad length and transforms the low impedance of what is a 30 meter dipole to a high impedance which gives the tuner trouble. I cut a jumper of 22 feet of 300 ohm twin lead and wound it into a coil with a 7 inch diameter. All my twin lead feed lines use alligator clips so to use 30 meters I just clip the additional 22 feet loop of feed line in series with the 450 ohm window line. I have 22 foot extensions I can add to each side of the doublet to make it 88 feet for use on our 75 meter SSB net. These extensions have to be tied to a tree or other support but the 44 ft doublet is self supporting by the 23 foot painters handle on the hitch of my camper and the 10 foot PVC pipes which are supported by the rear bumper of the camper and the front bumper of my tow vehicle. If I want to work 160 meters or don't have a location where I can add the 22 foot extensions for 75 meters I have a loading coil and can tie the two sides of the 22 foot feed line together and use the loading coil to make a top loaded vertical which uses the frame of my camper as a counterpoise and that works about as well as a good mobile station. I used to use a home made full wave quarter wave vertical on 20 meters which used the frame of the camper as a counterpoise. I thought it worked well but in 2001 the 44 ft doublet was brought up here on this reflector. I built it and used both antennas for just two camping trips. The doublet was so much better than the vertical that I quit taking the vertical along. I have run QRP battery 1B for the last 5 field days and the weak point is me as an operator and not my station or antenna. Last week end I was set up at Fort Ransom State Park, ND. I worked W1PID on 20 running 3 watts on a K1 and 88 foot doublet (I was running the 100 watts). I QSYed to 30 meters and ran 5 watts on my end and had a 25 minute QSO with K4AKC who was running a K1 and 4 Watts to a G5RV. When we got done CU2BV from the Azores called me and we had a 15 minute QSO down at 13 wpm and I was still running 5 watts. I have been camping and portable for about 39 years and used many different rigs and antennas but nothing I ever had before has worked as well with as little effort on my part as the K2/100 and 44 ft doublet. I hope more of you try this antenna and have as good luck with it as I have had. 73 from North Dakota where it is now 94 degrees F headed to -30 degrees F in just 6 months. Ken W0CZ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Thanks to everyone who provided advice on my antenna question. My Elecraft balun kit showed up today and I am going to get it built. I will try out of some of the ideas from this message thread and hopefully get some good outside operating in over the next month. I think I have everything I need. If you hear an unsteady CW fist and a signal that sounds like the antenna is waving around in the wind.check to see if it is me! If the prosigns are messed upthen it is even more likely that it is me. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Kieth, A dipole cut for 40 meters will provide a high feedpoint impedance on 20 - and the L network used in the Elecraft tuners do not do high impedances very well. Of course, all that does depend on your feedline length as well as the flattop length - the feedline will act as an impedance transformer when it has SWR on the feedline, so unless you can state the length and impedance and velocity factor of your feedline, we cannot answer your question with any degree of certainty. I use an antenna cut at 22 feet each side of center with a 25 foot feedline for portable use, and it works FB on all bands except that it is marginal on 30 meters - adding an additional 10 feet of feedline allows it to tune 30 meters just fine with the Elecraft L network tuners. I deploy my portable antenna as a horizontal dipole, or and inverted VEE, or as a vertical with a single radial, whichever is convenient for the location I have at the moment - I do carry a 32 foot collapsible mast to deploy the antenna if I have no other suitable supports. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- Thanks for the quick response. For a field dipole I could use that in an inverted V format I assume? I did purchase a collapsable pole to try some of those out. If I used ladder line or twinleadwould I need a balun in-line before connecting to the T1? If I understood you correctly, I could cut the dipole for 40M and then use the T1 to use it on other bands. For my base setup I use a dipole setup and it works well on multiple bandsI am just not real clear on how to make this work on a portable setup with the T1 ATU. Is there any special twinlead or ladderline I should stock for these projects? I hope to try a bunch of antenna designs for different locations and learn from them...so I may as well stock some wire. I think a recent QRP Quaterly that had a plan for a portable vertical...I will check it out. Thanks again for all the advice. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Craig, Thanks for the info. I checked out the Elecraft baluns you mention and will order one up. This sounds like a reasonable size setup for the times when I can get up a center pole to support the antenna. Is there a preferred height for the apex or do I just go as high as I can? I do have the 80M band module for the Sierra. Is it possible to make the doublet long enough to cover 80M and down? 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Don Wilhelm wrote: Kieth, A dipole cut for 40 meters will provide a high feedpoint impedance on 20 - and the L network used in the Elecraft tuners do not do high impedances very well. I find the T1 does very well with a very high impedance. I end feed 1/2 wave wire connected right to the T1 with a counterpoise and it matches right up! I ran a test and the T1 can match a 4700 ohm resistor. So it's not bad with high resistance. 73 Karl Of course, all that does depend on your feedline length as well as the flattop length - the feedline will act as an impedance transformer when it has SWR on the feedline, so unless you can state the length and impedance and velocity factor of your feedline, we cannot answer your question with any degree of certainty. I use an antenna cut at 22 feet each side of center with a 25 foot feedline for portable use, and it works FB on all bands except that it is marginal on 30 meters - adding an additional 10 feet of feedline allows it to tune 30 meters just fine with the Elecraft L network tuners. I deploy my portable antenna as a horizontal dipole, or and inverted VEE, or as a vertical with a single radial, whichever is convenient for the location I have at the moment - I do carry a 32 foot collapsible mast to deploy the antenna if I have no other suitable supports. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- Thanks for the quick response. For a field dipole I could use that in an inverted V format I assume? I did purchase a collapsable pole to try some of those out. If I used ladder line or twinleadwould I need a balun in-line before connecting to the T1? If I understood you correctly, I could cut the dipole for 40M and then use the T1 to use it on other bands. For my base setup I use a dipole setup and it works well on multiple bandsI am just not real clear on how to make this work on a portable setup with the T1 ATU. Is there any special twinlead or ladderline I should stock for these projects? I hope to try a bunch of antenna designs for different locations and learn from them...so I may as well stock some wire. I think a recent QRP Quaterly that had a plan for a portable vertical...I will check it out. Thanks again for all the advice. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Don, Right now my feedline length is 0. I have not built the antenna yet. I work about 20 mins from HRO and hope to swing over there at lunch. I have seen ladder line there before. It sounds like the 22 feet per side is a common length that works for people. I will start with that. It also sounds like I should test different feedline lengths as well to get the best setup. I also like the idea that was posted about using Anderson Power Pole connecters to extend the dipole for good 80M coverage. I have those lying around and will see about giving that a try. I have a bunch of wire ready to cut to various lengths to try this stuff out. The goal is to get a couple of antennas built so I can operate outside and hone the CW that I have been practicing. After that...I can move into experimentation mode. With your 25 foot feedline, are you using open ladder line or some twinlead from Radio Shack etc? Thanks for all the advice. I am learning a lot. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Keith, KB3ILS wrote: It sounds like the 22 feet per side is a common length that works for people. I will start with that. It also sounds like I should test different feedline lengths as well to get the best setup. -- Another approach many use to get around an out-of-range impedance on some bands is to put an Elecraft BL2 balun at the rig end of the feeder and switch it between 1:1 and 4:1 impedance ratios as needed. That has the same effect as changing the length of the feedline. I've used that antenna with excellent results on 40-10 meters. It was between 25 and 30 above the ground. At that height it's a FB short-skip antenna (NVIS) on 40 that gave me excellent signals out to 1,000 miles or so with the occasional contact well beyond that when cdx were just right. On 20 meters, where it was almost 1/2 wave up (the optimum height for a half wave horizontal antenna), and above I worked the world without hesitation whenever the bands were open/ 44 feet (22 each side of the feed point) is a good compromise length for a doublet 7MHz and above. You don't start to see significant loss of radiated signal until the radiator gets shorter than 1/4 wavelength, or about 33 feet on 40 meters, as long as you make up the missing radiator length in the feedline (keep in mind that the feeder has two wires, so 15 feet of feeder equals 30 feet of radiator). So 22 feet gets you a fairly short doublet for easier installation that is still virtually as good as a full half wave on the lowest band, and is as good or better than a dipole on the higher frequencies. I think that length became popular, in part, due to the work by Cebik in an article he wrote about his ideal multiband dipole (see http://www.cebik.com/radio.html). L.B. Cebik's (W4RNL) web site is a treasure trove of excellent data and observations about antennas for anyone tinkering with them! Cebik observed that is the ideal length that provides the must useful radiation pattern up through 10 meters. Longer antennas start breaking up their pattern in ways that aren't always helpful on the higher frequencies where they are well over one wavelength long. Ron AC7AC ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Kieth, This is a portable field antenna for me, and I have made the feedline from a pair of twisted #22 teflon insulated wires. Some years back, someone on QRP-L did some tests on various feedlines, and this turned out to have good loss characteristics, and it is flexible and lightweight which are two major advantages for my use. It rolls up nicely and the teflon insulation helps keep it from tangling and snarling on other objects. YMMV. Jim N2GO is my source of the teflon wire, he posts occasionally on QRP-L. If I were using either a 44 or 88 foot flatop as a permanent antenna, I would do it differently. I would use #14 wire for the radiating section and well positioned 450 ohm ladder line (or homebrew parallel line spaced about 4 inches apart) for the feedline. The advantage of the 44 foot antenna is that you know that the radiation is broadside to the antenna and without side lobes for operation on 40 through 10 meters, and the 88 foot length is similar for 80 through 20 meters. Yes, it is only 2/3 of a half wave long on the lowest band, and is not as efficient there, but this is a multiband antenna, and some compromises must be made for any antenna, particularly a multiband one. In my case, I have accepted compromises both for portable usability and multi-band use, but 'it don't work too bad'! The feedline length of 25 feet is just what is convenient for my situation. The proper feedline length should always be 'long enough to reach from the shack to the antenna'! The feedline length will change the impedance seen at the shack end, but if your tuner will match that impedance, the exact value is unimportant. If you want information on how this impedance transformation works in laymen's terms, take a look at the Antenna, Transmission lines, and Tuners article on my website http://w3fpr.qrpradio.com - There really is no magic in antennas, it just seems that way at times especially if you do not know some basic principles - at least enough to be aware of the ridiculous claims made by some. The fact that someone worked DXCC in 2 months with a wet noodle does not say anything about the real characteristics of that antenna. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- Right now my feedline length is 0. I have not built the antenna yet. I work about 20 mins from HRO and hope to swing over there at lunch. I have seen ladder line there before. It sounds like the 22 feet per side is a common length that works for people. I will start with that. It also sounds like I should test different feedline lengths as well to get the best setup. I also like the idea that was posted about using Anderson Power Pole connecters to extend the dipole for good 80M coverage. I have those lying around and will see about giving that a try. I have a bunch of wire ready to cut to various lengths to try this stuff out. The goal is to get a couple of antennas built so I can operate outside and hone the CW that I have been practicing. After that...I can move into experimentation mode. With your 25 foot feedline, are you using open ladder line or some twinlead from Radio Shack etc? Thanks for all the advice. I am learning a lot. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
I find the T1 does very well with a very high impedance. I end feed 1/2 wave wire connected right to the T1 with a counterpoise and it matches right up! I ran a test and the T1 can match a 4700 ohm resistor. So it's not bad with high resistance. 73 Karl == I wonder if an end fed half wave antenna is a high resistance if a counterpoise is used. This actually would look like a 3/4 wave (with a quarter wave counterpoise) offset fed antenna with no feedline. This would be a resonant antenna with a few hundred ohms at the feedpoint. Most of the radiation should be from the half wave section so should be an efficient antenna. 73 Rick Dettinger K7MW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Rick, Like everything else It all depends... In your particular case, it depends on how the elements are oriented - and that includes the counterpoise. It also depends on the proximity of ground and other objects. Is the counterpoise in the air, or is it laying on the ground? That is the stuff that antenna modeling is made of - but modeling has limits if you do not feed it proper information, a wire isolated in space behaves differently than one 20 feet off the ground. Often it is easier to just put it up and measure it - an electrical halfwavelength of feedline will repeat the feedpoint impedance of the antenna, so yes, you can use your antenna analyzer to measure it with the antenna in the air. 73, Don W3FPR -Original Message- I wonder if an end fed half wave antenna is a high resistance if a counterpoise is used. This actually would look like a 3/4 wave (with a quarter wave counterpoise) offset fed antenna with no feedline. This would be a resonant antenna with a few hundred ohms at the feedpoint. Most of the radiation should be from the half wave section so should be an efficient antenna. 73 Rick Dettinger K7MW ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
[Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
I have an Elecraft T1 ATU and am looking for some simple antenna ideas for using it with my QRP rigs including my Wilderness Radio Sierra and SWL-20. I am new to this outdoor portable QRP operations...so I apologize if the questions seem very basic. I would like a setup that uses the T1 and is easy to deploy at a park or when camping. I have been doing a lot of reading on the W3EDP antenna and think I will start with that. Is this a good place to start? It seems like a lot of people somehow manage to cut the right length of wire and shoot it over a tree and make contacts. Then there are other articles that talk about cutting the wires to exact lenghts for performance. Then there is another article explaining that there is no magic in the length defined by the previous article. Any and all advice on where to start would be helpful. I have a lot of band modules in the Sierra and would like an antenna that lets me move around a bit. Thanks in advance 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Keith, the absolute all around easy, and works every time, antenna is the simple balanced dipole; a half wave long for the band in use. You can use a tuner with it and ladder line or TV twin lead feeder on higher bands. The other simple portable antenna is the loaded ground plane. You can do 20, thru 10m with a simple coil in the base of a vertical about 9 feet tall. You can use simple, four, zip cord radials with it. One such commercial version of this is called The Minuteman antenna and is on the web. Off center feeds can work, but then in some earth conditions you may have RF on the rig chassis problems, and they may not work well. They have the disadvantage of bringing the high current antenna feedpoint right to the radio, increasing the chance for lossy coupling to nearby conductors. -Stuart K5KVH ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
Stuart, Thanks for the quick response. For a field dipole I could use that in an inverted V format I assume? I did purchase a collapsable pole to try some of those out. If I used ladder line or twinleadwould I need a balun in-line before connecting to the T1? If I understood you correctly, I could cut the dipole for 40M and then use the T1 to use it on other bands. For my base setup I use a dipole setup and it works well on multiple bandsI am just not real clear on how to make this work on a portable setup with the T1 ATU. Is there any special twinlead or ladderline I should stock for these projects? I hope to try a bunch of antenna designs for different locations and learn from them...so I may as well stock some wire. I think a recent QRP Quaterly that had a plan for a portable vertical...I will check it out. Thanks again for all the advice. 73 de Keith KB3ILS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU
For a field dipole I could use that in an inverted V format I assume? I did purchase a collapsable pole to try some of those out. If I used ladder line or twinleadwould I need a balun in-line before connecting to the T1? If I understood you correctly, I could cut the dipole for 40M and then use the T1 to use it on other bands. You're on the right track Keith. If 40 is the lowest frequency you normally will use, then I would recommend you make your doublet 44 ft long (22 ft each side) and feed it with any twinlead or ladder line. The exact impedance of the feedline isn't important. The inverted V configuration will work well and is very convenient with a single pole for supporting the center. Put one of the Elecraft 4:1 baluns at the T1 output and connect the feedline to it and you will easily be able to tune all bands from 40 to 10. You really don't want a resonant full size 40 meter dipole as it will be difficult/impossible to tune on 20. I think you will enjoy this setup. 73 ... Craig AC0DS ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
