[Elecraft] How Long Is "Long Enough"?

Mon Aug 5 21:45:00 2002

Wayne,
  I like the "tossing a wire into a tree" approach myself.  What sort of
balun do you use on the # 26 wire?

Thanks
Tom McCulloch
WB2QDG
K2 s/n 1103

Friend of Bill W.
   ---  If you are too, drop me a line.
-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Burdick <[email protected]>
To: Weymouth Walker <[email protected]>
Cc: Elecraft Reflector <[email protected]>
Date: Saturday, August 03, 2002 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] How Long Is "Long Enough"?

>Weymouth Walker wrote:
>
>> The subject is: the "shortest" dipole I can get by with
>> when operating portable with the K2 ...
>
>
>Weymouth,
>
>One possible answer is: use a random-length vertical rather than a
>dipole. A piece of wire of any gauge (I use #26, usually) can be tossed
>into a nearby tree. In many cases this is simpler than putting up a
>dipole--you can get on the air in literally seconds if you keep a weight
>attached to the line. It will often outperform a low dipole on
>lower-frequency bands.
>
>Another advantage of the random-length vertical is that you can get by
>with no feedline, especially if you have a balun available. Instead of
>using the balun to convert unbalanced to balanced, use it just as a way
>of providing some isolation between the K2's chassis and the antenna.
>Eliminating the feedline is the key to minimizing the fiddle-factor in
>getting an antenna up.
>
>I've loaded wires as short as 20' on most bands using the KAT2. Avoid
>lengths that are an exact multiple of a half wave on any band you plan
>to use. Bring a few extra hunks of wire to lay out as radials.
>
>73,
>Wayne
>N6KR
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