My observations. 2 years go, I put up a homebrew made of leftover
tubing 33 ft vertical using an old Hustler 5BTV mount. A 3-1/2 inch
galvanized pipe, hacksawed at one end into a 30 degree (angle) point was
sledge driven into the ground as a mount stake. It is guyed with 3
ropes at the 18-ft level and secured with wood stakes. I feed it
directly at the bottom with RG8X small coax. I have put down 32
radials. Since 6/2005, I have worked 212 countries and worked all
states numerous times, including QRP. I run a IC756 Pro III. I also
work plenty of DX using my Elecraft K1 which I just finished building.
I used the vertical on 40 where it works the best and has a 1:1 SWR. I
also use it on 30, 17 and 15 meters. I am amazed how well it works on
17 and 15 meters. I use a Palstar AT1500CV. I can work anything I hear
and I hear plenty. I don't get too excited about SWR. If the
transmitter sees a 1:1 on TX side of the tuner using the Palstar, I will
see what the antenna can do. Other antennas are 133ft inverted-L.
G5RV. And A3 at 40 feet. My K1's antenna tuner matches to the vertical
just fine. When the weather warms up, I'm going to hit the mountain
tops of Vermont (my home) with a disposable party helium canister and
float a 66ft vertical on 40 meters. Being 1/2 wavelength it should not
need any radials. BTW, the vertical ad RG8X takes 600 watts using a
Yaesu FL2100B just fine, for those times when I want to run an
indefinite string of DX QSOs back-to-back. I am CW only.
Jozef
WB2MIC
Wells VT
Trevor Day wrote:
Hi Mike,
I just want to respond to one aspect of your post which,
co-incidentally, I have been discussing elsewhere this week. Thats
the business of using an ATU. Essentially the document you read is
correct; any adjustments to obtain a good match to the transmitter in
an aerial of this type (trapped vertical, yagi, dipole etc.) should be
done by adjusting the aerial itself.
Placing an ATU at the tx end of the feeder (or built in as in the K2)
is fine for small adjustments at, for example, band edges to prevent
the SWR protection circuit from reducing the power out whilst still
protecting the PA.
Attempting to compensate for large mismatches with an ATU at the tx
end of the feeder may result in an apparently good match, but will in
most cases cause the feeder to radiate.
Exceptions to this are when the feeder is of the balanced variety, eg.
open wire, where the feeder carries a 'balanced' standing wave as a
matter of course.
In your case, adjust the vertical for best match on each band,
starting with the highest frequency band, and without using the ATU in
the K2. Once you are happy you have the best match you can on each
band, then the K2's ATU can be used to perfect the match before
operating.
HTH
Trev G3ZYY
In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mike Walkington
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
Hi All,
I've moved to a new house and I'm trying to get a Hustler 5BTV working
really well with my K2 in my new location. I plan to install the
antenna in
a ground plane configuration on a 2 storey home and feed it with
coax. I was
planning to use a few quarter wave radial for each of the bands of
interest.
I've had problems with TVI using this antenna before, so this time I
will
use some sort of a choke to block currents on the outer surface of
the coax
braid. Any suggestions on what I should use?
How should I protect myself from lightning? I initially thought about
running a lead from the base of the antenna to ground, but the length of
this would probably turn the antenna into a vertical dipole.
I was reading some doco for this antenna and read the following:
Never use
an antenna tuner to tune the antenna.Use of a tuner only fools the
transmitter and does not correct a problem at the antenna.
This doesn't seem right can I use my K2's tuners?
Finally, I've been reading Moxon's HF Antennas for All Locations, and he
doesn't seem to recommend quarter wave radials for ground planes. I'm
not
sure I comprehend why. Is anyone familiar with his concerns?
Mike
VK1KCK, K2 #2599
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