[Cliffdwellers] re : stealth antennas

[Bruce Muscolino]

Chris,

The winding pitch may make a small difference.  I think it makes the
most difference with large diameter coils rateher than small diameter
ones.  I have built several successful helically wound antennas over the
past 35 years.  The first was built for 40 meters and was done to get on
teh air form an apartment.  It was about 20 feet end to end, a dipole,
made up from 1.25 inch PVC.  I did use different winding pitches on this
one.  It worked well enough on 40 meters and was dynamite on 15 meters!

The next one I built was for 20 meters.  This was built while I was
living in The Netherlads.  It made use of two HyGain fiberglass CB
anetnnas and a hand wound center section.  Ahain, it was a dipole.  It
was very successful.  I also used it when I came home to California. 
This one did not have different winding pitches.

I used different matching systems for eacj antenna.  The 20 meter
antenna used a Gamma Match, the 40 meter antenna used a toroidal
matching transformer.  I htink the match system made all teh difference
because theyantennas have very low feedpoint impedances.

Experiment, that is the key.  What will work for you in your situation
may not work for someone else.  Please remember a short antenna is moer
an environmental anetnna that it first appears!

73