Topband: Topband season looking good
Managed my first NA this morning around my SR on 160m.I worked Bob, W9EWZ in Wisconsin (CW of course) Raoul ZS1C _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree
HiMy vertical is fed with 60m of underground hardline coax to put it as far in the open my property allows. I have been removing all the smaller trees and undergrowth continually. Unless conditions are poor getting RBN pings in the US or Canada happens every night. The ARRL antenna handbook is right on this issue.73Adrian vk2wf Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy S7 on the Telstra Mobile Network Original message From: vk3io Date: 4/10/18 9:56 pm (GMT+10:00) To: Brian Campbell , topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree Hi Brian and others. Brian should have added with his comment, that he has made numerous qso's to VK (that is with me and other VK's) with his "poor antenna" on top band overs the past years and when and if he can move the wire away from the tree trunk, then he will no doubt make many more qso's. What a difference one S point can make or even a half an S point, when you move the wire away from the tree, by 2 or 3 feet, if possible. When I consider the number of dx qso's I "almost made" over the past 30 years or so, on Top Band and what I could have worked, if only for one S point, on TX and or RX. If only I had the drive or time to make such a small improvement to my antenna system. Cheers from Ron, vk3io. On 04-Oct-18 9:22 PM, Brian Campbell wrote: > Ed, Gary and All, > > Seeing as I have had my Inverted L ( 85' / 27M vertical ) against my tree's > trunk ( actually touching it - oops ) since I installed it, and as I also > have tress in the elbow, I may have to try and move it out some after reading > all the suggested articles. The only reason it is like it is, is for > convenience, as I have no towers ( or trees in the right location ) to hang > it off of atm so it was either that or no Inverted L. > > All I can and will say is that just "anecdotally" speaking and nothing else, > it will still work, not as good as one that is stood off a few feet I am sure > but better than nothing if it gets you on the air. Or to put it another way, > a poor antenna is much better than no antenna at all. > > Good Luck and remember YMMV > > 73, > Brian > VE3MGY > > > > > > > > From: Topband on behalf of Gary Smith > > Sent: October 3, 2018 9:27 PM > To: Topband@contesting.com > Subject: Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree > > Ed, > > FWIW, I'm using what used to be an INV-L. > I laid out a radial bed as well as > possible, next to a marsh. I am in a > hurricane area and with the winds, the > trees have fallen over. I originally shot > a line over a tall branch with a spud gun > I made (see it on my QRZ page, at the > bottom), at that time it was an "L". > > The branch came down and I used another > branch, albeit farther away. With > attrition, I am now using a tree maybe 30' > away from straight up. Doing it the way I > did allows me to have a radial bed away > from the trunk of a tree. I can't move the > bed so the type of antenna had to change. > I am using WD-1A field telephone wire for > my antennas, with its SS solid core it is > incredibly strong and it is so thin it is > very hard to see. > > It's not nearly as good of an antenna as > many here use but it is quite good, even > as a sloper. I was able to work 9X0T on > 160 tonight and could barely hear him with > the QRN & RFI but he heard me. Point being > that a sloper works very well on 160, you > don't "have to have" an INV-L. > > Whatever you go with, I wouldn't run the > antenna next to the trunk. I would keep it > some distance to the trunk and as long as > you have enough length for radials & > antenna & I'd use some method of getting a > stealthy wire like WD-1A up over & into > the tree-top and down to the radial plate. > > 73, > > Gary > KA1J > >> Has anybody snaked a wire up a tall tree trunk to make an Inv L? >> >> Any interaction? Success?? Has to be stealthy because the tree os >> my neighbor's :-) >> >> Thanks, >> Ed NI6S >> _ >> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband >> > > > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: yes virginia there is an antenna that works from 160 to 10
Wow! I want to stack two, and with a polarity rotator and adjustable spacing! You suppose there's a quantity discount? ;-) 73, Mike www.w0btu.com On Thu, Oct 4, 2018, 3:47 PM Sean Waite wrote: > What do you think, can we stack them for more gain? > > On Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 4:22 PM N7DF via Topband > wrote: > > > > > 637P-1/1A Transportable (fixed direction) Log Periodic Antenna > > The 637P-1A is a directional HF Antenna for tactical or fixed station > > use. > > It can be operated from 1.5-30 MHZ with a gain of 7.5 to 12 DB between > > 4-30 MHz > > and below 4 MHz, it has an unidirectional pattern. > > The antenna is rated to accept power levels of 10 KW PEP or average. > > Model OE-85 is rated for 3 KW and OE-86 is rated for 10 KW. > > The only difference between the two models is the RF Connector on the > > balun. > > > > The average VSWR is 2:1 and the Front to Back ratio is 7.5 db to 12 db > > depending on several factors. > > > > It is 75' High (on a 80 foot mast) and requires a plot of land that is > 310 > > feet by 200 Feet > > It is designed to be stowed in a frame 57" x 35.5 " x 92" and can > > transported by truck or air. > > It weighs 1270 lbs. > > I tonly costs $55,000 > > _ > > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > > > -- > > Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: yes virginia there is an antenna that works from 160 to 10
What do you think, can we stack them for more gain? On Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 4:22 PM N7DF via Topband wrote: > > 637P-1/1A Transportable (fixed direction) Log Periodic Antenna > The 637P-1A is a directional HF Antenna for tactical or fixed station > use. > It can be operated from 1.5-30 MHZ with a gain of 7.5 to 12 DB between > 4-30 MHz > and below 4 MHz, it has an unidirectional pattern. > The antenna is rated to accept power levels of 10 KW PEP or average. > Model OE-85 is rated for 3 KW and OE-86 is rated for 10 KW. > The only difference between the two models is the RF Connector on the > balun. > > The average VSWR is 2:1 and the Front to Back ratio is 7.5 db to 12 db > depending on several factors. > > It is 75' High (on a 80 foot mast) and requires a plot of land that is 310 > feet by 200 Feet > It is designed to be stowed in a frame 57" x 35.5 " x 92" and can > transported by truck or air. > It weighs 1270 lbs. > I tonly costs $55,000 > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > -- Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC 8000X _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: yes virginia there is an antenna that works from 160 to 10
637P-1/1A Transportable (fixed direction) Log Periodic Antenna The 637P-1A is a directional HF Antenna for tactical or fixed station use. It can be operated from 1.5-30 MHZ with a gain of 7.5 to 12 DB between 4-30 MHz and below 4 MHz, it has an unidirectional pattern. The antenna is rated to accept power levels of 10 KW PEP or average. Model OE-85 is rated for 3 KW and OE-86 is rated for 10 KW. The only difference between the two models is the RF Connector on the balun. The average VSWR is 2:1 and the Front to Back ratio is 7.5 db to 12 db depending on several factors. It is 75' High (on a 80 foot mast) and requires a plot of land that is 310 feet by 200 Feet It is designed to be stowed in a frame 57" x 35.5 " x 92" and can transported by truck or air. It weighs 1270 lbs. I tonly costs $55,000 _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Topband: Inverted L trap concoction
I used to operate every year in the ARRL 160 contest starting in about 1975. Tried every kind of short ground mounted vertical (less than 35 ft) devised by man over a pretty extensive radial system I buried when the lot was just dirt. Also shunt feeding the 35 ft tower, loaded sloper off the top of the tower etc. The first antenna that go me east of the Mississippi was a 1/4 wave of 450 ohm ladder line up about 32 feet and out to a tree. Fed on one side and grounded on the other at the base. After playing with ground mounted antennas I put an old Create 40/80 vertical on a 20 foot pipe at the side of the house and ran about 60 wires out from the base at random lengths on the roof and along the fence. Four are full size for 160. I used to base load it for 160. During some SSB contest my old Alpha 78 set the CW tuned trap in the Create on fire, burned it to a crisp. I took it down and built some very large 40 and 80 meter traps with HV caps and removed the burned trap. So the remaining vertical was about 30 feet high, I attached a wire at the top and out a few feet had the 40 meter trap and out another 30 feet or so the 80 meter trap with additional wire out to the tree that tuned it to 160 meters. That arrangement worked pretty well and I managed to work into Europe with it. About two years ago water or bugs go into the 40M trap and it fried. The arrangement came down and I took parts from the old 80M section of the vertical and extended it up to about 44 feet. At the base there is a 18" standoff with a wire running up to about 30 feet with an insulator and it continues to the 80m trap and tree. I got my last few for DXCC with it so don't laugh hi hi. The whole thing is fed with one RG 213 line and has a big RF choke at the base. There is a very small coil at the base to resonate 160 because it was the easiest thing to do. I did have about a 300 feet RX antenna hidden along the fence tops but it had to be taken down. Noise has gotten so bad my loop can't find a null. I doubt there will be a second 100 on 160 hi hi Rick, N6PE _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree
Its mostly about doing what you can with what you have with local conditions that exist. WD-1A is very strong , difficult to see, and the loss is not all that bad, so it can be a good choice sometimes. In the early days of this reflector there was mid-western DXer that moved to a neighborhood with rows of close houses. Well after dark he ran a BOG antenna often down the lawns of his neighbors, then picked it up before anyone awoke for the day. Had a few close calls but , got a lot of DX. There was a tale of a DXer in a skyscraper of New York city that used the apartment copper plumbing for his ground and a wire down the plastic sewer line for his antenna. In NYC, I sold a BOG transformer to a resident that ran the "on ground wire" down an alley between tall buildings. I have no idea how he achieved a ground, but he said he worked DX, but did give specifics. As they used to say "hang in there and have fun" ! 73 Bruce-k1fz On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 21:56:20 +1000, vk3io wrote: Hi Brian and others. Brian should have added with his comment, that he has made numerous qso's to VK (that is with me and other VK's) with his "poor antenna" on top band overs the past years and when and if he can move the wire away from the tree trunk, then he will no doubt make many more qso's. What a difference one S point can make or even a half an S point, when you move the wire away from the tree, by 2 or 3 feet, if possible. When I consider the number of dx qso's I "almost made" over the past 30 years or so, on Top Band and what I could have worked, if only for one S point, on TX and or RX. If only I had the drive or time to make such a small improvement to my antenna system. Cheers from Ron, vk3io. On 04-Oct-18 9:22 PM, Brian Campbell wrote: > Ed, Gary and All, > > Seeing as I have had my Inverted L ( 85' / 27M vertical ) against my tree's > trunk ( actually touching it - oops ) since I installed it, and as I also > have tress in the elbow, I may have to try and move it out some after reading > all the suggested articles. The only reason it is like it is, is for > convenience, as I have no towers ( or trees in the right location ) to hang > it off of atm so it was either that or no Inverted L. > > All I can and will say is that just "anecdotally" speaking and nothing else, > it will still work, not as good as one that is stood off a few feet I am sure > but better than nothing if it gets you on the air. Or to put it another way, > a poor antenna is much better than no antenna at all. > > Good Luck and remember YMMV > > 73, > Brian > VE3MGY > > > > > > > > From: Topband on behalf of Gary Smith > Sent: October 3, 2018 9:27 PM > To: Topband@contesting.com > Subject: Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree > > Ed, > > FWIW, I'm using what used to be an INV-L. > I laid out a radial bed as well as > possible, next to a marsh. I am in a > hurricane area and with the winds, the > trees have fallen over. I originally shot > a line over a tall branch with a spud gun > I made (see it on my QRZ page, at the > bottom), at that time it was an "L". > > The branch came down and I used another > branch, albeit farther away. With > attrition, I am now using a tree maybe 30' > away from straight up. Doing it the way I > did allows me to have a radial bed away > from the trunk of a tree. I can't move the > bed so the type of antenna had to change. > I am using WD-1A field telephone wire for > my antennas, with its SS solid core it is > incredibly strong and it is so thin it is > very hard to see. > > It's not nearly as good of an antenna as > many here use but it is quite good, even > as a sloper. I was able to work 9X0T on > 160 tonight and could barely hear him with > the QRN & RFI but he heard me. Point being > that a sloper works very well on 160, you > don't "have to have" an INV-L. > > Whatever you go with, I wouldn't run the > antenna next to the trunk. I would keep it > some distance to the trunk and as long as > you have enough length for radials & > antenna & I'd use some method of getting a > stealthy wire like WD-1A up over & into > the tree-top and down to the radial plate. > > 73, > > Gary > KA1J > >> Has anybody snaked a wire up a tall tree trunk to make an Inv L? >> >> Any interaction? Success?? Has to be stealthy because the tree os >> my neighbor's :-) >> >> Thanks, >> Ed NI6S >> _ >> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband >> > > > > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree
Hi Brian and others. Brian should have added with his comment, that he has made numerous qso's to VK (that is with me and other VK's) with his "poor antenna" on top band overs the past years and when and if he can move the wire away from the tree trunk, then he will no doubt make many more qso's. What a difference one S point can make or even a half an S point, when you move the wire away from the tree, by 2 or 3 feet, if possible. When I consider the number of dx qso's I "almost made" over the past 30 years or so, on Top Band and what I could have worked, if only for one S point, on TX and or RX. If only I had the drive or time to make such a small improvement to my antenna system. Cheers from Ron, vk3io. On 04-Oct-18 9:22 PM, Brian Campbell wrote: Ed, Gary and All, Seeing as I have had my Inverted L ( 85' / 27M vertical ) against my tree's trunk ( actually touching it - oops ) since I installed it, and as I also have tress in the elbow, I may have to try and move it out some after reading all the suggested articles. The only reason it is like it is, is for convenience, as I have no towers ( or trees in the right location ) to hang it off of atm so it was either that or no Inverted L. All I can and will say is that just "anecdotally" speaking and nothing else, it will still work, not as good as one that is stood off a few feet I am sure but better than nothing if it gets you on the air. Or to put it another way, a poor antenna is much better than no antenna at all. Good Luck and remember YMMV 73, Brian VE3MGY From: Topband on behalf of Gary Smith Sent: October 3, 2018 9:27 PM To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree Ed, FWIW, I'm using what used to be an INV-L. I laid out a radial bed as well as possible, next to a marsh. I am in a hurricane area and with the winds, the trees have fallen over. I originally shot a line over a tall branch with a spud gun I made (see it on my QRZ page, at the bottom), at that time it was an "L". The branch came down and I used another branch, albeit farther away. With attrition, I am now using a tree maybe 30' away from straight up. Doing it the way I did allows me to have a radial bed away from the trunk of a tree. I can't move the bed so the type of antenna had to change. I am using WD-1A field telephone wire for my antennas, with its SS solid core it is incredibly strong and it is so thin it is very hard to see. It's not nearly as good of an antenna as many here use but it is quite good, even as a sloper. I was able to work 9X0T on 160 tonight and could barely hear him with the QRN & RFI but he heard me. Point being that a sloper works very well on 160, you don't "have to have" an INV-L. Whatever you go with, I wouldn't run the antenna next to the trunk. I would keep it some distance to the trunk and as long as you have enough length for radials & antenna & I'd use some method of getting a stealthy wire like WD-1A up over & into the tree-top and down to the radial plate. 73, Gary KA1J Has anybody snaked a wire up a tall tree trunk to make an Inv L? Any interaction? Success?? Has to be stealthy because the tree os my neighbor's :-) Thanks, Ed NI6S _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree
Ed, Gary and All, Seeing as I have had my Inverted L ( 85' / 27M vertical ) against my tree's trunk ( actually touching it - oops ) since I installed it, and as I also have tress in the elbow, I may have to try and move it out some after reading all the suggested articles. The only reason it is like it is, is for convenience, as I have no towers ( or trees in the right location ) to hang it off of atm so it was either that or no Inverted L. All I can and will say is that just "anecdotally" speaking and nothing else, it will still work, not as good as one that is stood off a few feet I am sure but better than nothing if it gets you on the air. Or to put it another way, a poor antenna is much better than no antenna at all. Good Luck and remember YMMV 73, Brian VE3MGY From: Topband on behalf of Gary Smith Sent: October 3, 2018 9:27 PM To: Topband@contesting.com Subject: Re: Topband: Inv L in Tree Ed, FWIW, I'm using what used to be an INV-L. I laid out a radial bed as well as possible, next to a marsh. I am in a hurricane area and with the winds, the trees have fallen over. I originally shot a line over a tall branch with a spud gun I made (see it on my QRZ page, at the bottom), at that time it was an "L". The branch came down and I used another branch, albeit farther away. With attrition, I am now using a tree maybe 30' away from straight up. Doing it the way I did allows me to have a radial bed away from the trunk of a tree. I can't move the bed so the type of antenna had to change. I am using WD-1A field telephone wire for my antennas, with its SS solid core it is incredibly strong and it is so thin it is very hard to see. It's not nearly as good of an antenna as many here use but it is quite good, even as a sloper. I was able to work 9X0T on 160 tonight and could barely hear him with the QRN & RFI but he heard me. Point being that a sloper works very well on 160, you don't "have to have" an INV-L. Whatever you go with, I wouldn't run the antenna next to the trunk. I would keep it some distance to the trunk and as long as you have enough length for radials & antenna & I'd use some method of getting a stealthy wire like WD-1A up over & into the tree-top and down to the radial plate. 73, Gary KA1J > Has anybody snaked a wire up a tall tree trunk to make an Inv L? > > Any interaction? Success?? Has to be stealthy because the tree os > my neighbor's :-) > > Thanks, > Ed NI6S > _ > Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband > _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband _ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
