[Antennas] (no subject)

[IamSF5@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/17/02 10:20:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
pacificcommonwealth@excite.com writes:

<< 
    I was at least honest about the MJF-1896 performance.  Seems to me you 
just want others to make the same mistake you did.
  >>
Hi Gang,
I been reading and decided to toss in my 2 cents
A local ham came over about 5 years ago and had a Nor-Cal 40-A 2 watts.
We went to the river and he pulls out a ham stick and then started driving in 
a short heavy piece of metal into the rocky ground.
I think he managed to drive it in a total of 3 inches.
The ham stick was screwed into a triple mag mount and set on the ground less 
then 5 feet from his van.
I had been offered to try for a contact and failed. He took the key and I 
went looking around at the waters edge.
He told me he made a contact and so I tried again and worked a mobilier in 
Ohio with 2 watts on what I considered a border line antenna.RST was 449.
Where I live now I have access to the roof and I'm allowed 1 vertical antenna 
for VHF/UHF and 2 wire antennas.
But several months ago I ran into a hams web site and saw a home made window 
antenna.
I made one and it worked very well on 40 and 20 meters.
I built three more trying different size wires and wire spacing.
I have worked all over the world on the last one I built and I received a 579 
from a QRP mobile station in FL/
Three weeks ago I worked many stations in Europe with Poland being the most 
distant and my RST was 339.
I took a break and an hour later worked Turkey, Spain Slovenia, Sudan and 
Egypt.
What I'm trying to say is that if you try you can make any antenna work and 
give you hours of enjoyment.
I don't care If I'm only an S-2 or 3 as long as I can be read.
So what is better 200 mils into my full half wave antenna cut for 40 or 5 
watts loaded into my window antenna.?
My friend clamped a ham stick to the edge of his above ground swimming pool.
He contacted Germany SSB at 25 watts and the German station also had a home 
made stick antenna mounted on the fence post.
Now I have to buy this MFJ antenna just to compare it to my window antenna.
At times I cheat and listen in on a 68 foot long random wire but that same 
wire will not out perform the window antenna on TX.
Just my 2 cents 
Bob
WA2HOQrp <tm>