[Elecraft] Stealth! (was: net report...)

[Vic Rosenthal]

Mike McCoy wrote:

> Anyway, now the emergency is over and I'm back at my condo with no
> way to get on 40/80 mtrs (no dipoles allowed).  I didn't realize how
> much I missed those bands and I'm searching for a stealthy 'CC&R
> friendly' 40 (and hopefully 80) mtr antenna solution.

Do they allow TV antennas?  If so, here is a recipe I've often thought 
about if I'm ever stuck in such a place:  put up a tv antenna on about a 
20-foot mast (taller if you can get away with it).  Guy it with 
non-metallic guys, and insulate the mast at the bottom with a piece of 
PVC.  Lay some radials made of no. 28 enameled wire on the roof; they 
will be invisible.  Feed with as short as possible a length of RG8/U (to 
reduce the losses, since you will have a high SWR after the tuner).  The 
KAT2 or KAT100 should tune this on all bands (if it doesn't, just change 
the length of the antenna of feedline a bit).

Here's a variant that avoids the radials:  put up the antenna, guyed 
with non-metallic guys, except for ONE guy made out of copper wire. 
Make a triangle out of the mast, the guy, and a dark-colored wire you 
lay on the roof.  Feed as a loop.

The 'vertical' model can be improved by mounting the largest possible TV 
antenna that you can find on it; it will serve as top loading.  These 
antennas will be short on 160/80/40, so you may have to retune when 
moving 20 KHz or so.  Because they are short, make sure that all joints 
are low-resistance; if you can use a continuous piece of aluminum tubing 
for the mast it will be better than two steel 10-foot masts.

It would be fun to play with various configurations in an antenna 
modeling program!

-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco