[Elecraft] Rhombic's etc.

[Don Melcher]

Actually - on my property near Yosemite National Park I just put up a
"half-Rhombic" - a V beam - 200' on a leg - to use as an antenna for now
until I can get the tower up. Then I will probably keep it up to use as an
auxiliary antenna (and if I ever want to start a pirate AM broadcast station
:) - it has a 2.2:1 SWR at about 1190 KHz!). The included angle is about 80
degrees (a little wider then I wanted) and it is pointed at about 25
degrees - so it should cover most of Europe from Central California.

Feedline is about 130' of window line then a 6:1 balun and a short coax into
the station. Feedpoint is at about 60' and the ends are at about 40' in
convenient trees. If I had 4 convenient supports available to put up a
Rhombic I would have - something just magical about the name! Preliminary
results are favorable - we'll see this weekend. It loads fine on 10 - 20 but
the tuner I was using - a Icom PW-1 - did not want to load it on 40. The
internal tuner in the radio worked - but not the Amp (but it could be the
PW1 - it is a second one I picked up and it was the first time on the air).

But good reports from EU on 20 SSB with just 100 watts are encouraging -
wire works well and is cheap. I have another spot to put up a second pointed
at JA and I may work on that one this weekend on and off - at least get the
support lines up in the trees. I figure both those will compliment stacked
tribanders nicely.

Don Melcher
W6ZO @ Station NM6G