[Elecraft] Skunks and Antennas (WAS:] WA3WSJ's EPA Skunk Works Site - Check it out!)

[Bob Nielsen]

On Apr 7, 2006, at 8:45 PM, Walt Armour wrote:

> Well, I'm in Beaverton so try to keep the big cats out west.  I'll  
> just
> watch for the local raccoons here.  :)
>
> On the antenna though, I don't think the tree is feasible due to
> location.  The ridge line (on some poles for a touch more height) is
> quite doable and could easily feed into where my radio will one day  
> be.
> However, I'm a little concerned about the signal going too vertical  
> and
> having a bad angle on the horizon.
>
> Should I be considering a vertical antenna if I really want to DX?
>
> New guy here so please correct any bad assumptions I'm making...
>
> Walt, KE7GWZ

I don't have any usable trees on my lot (unusual for the NW) and when  
I moved here (Bainbridge Island, WA) six years ago I put up a wire  
antenna about three feet above the ridge line of the house and  
attached garage.  The garage part was at a right angle to the house  
part.  It was about 65 feet long on one leg and 34 feet on the  
other.  I fed it at the corner with coax and used a MFJ tuner,  
although for some bands the tuner on my TS-570D would match things  
fairly well by itself (this was before I built my K2).

I didn't really expect much in the way of performance, but our local  
DX club had a "friendly competition" in 2001 to see who could work  
the most DX in one year running QRP levels.  I couldn't really  
compete with the guys who had beams (one guy worked over 240  
countries), but I did work 100 countries (plus several more running  
QRO) using that antenna using all bands from 40 to 10 meters.  That  
was much better than I had expected, but of course it was at a  
different part of the sunspot cycle and propagation was much better  
than it is currently.

I replaced it with a Hy-Gain AV-640 vertical mounted to a piece of 2  
in pipe I strapped to the side of the house.  I have had better  
results with the vertical, but the ridge line antenna did more than  
just warm the clouds.

73,
Bob, N7XY