[Elecraft] Antennas for use with Elecraft T1 ATU

[Kenneth A. Christiansen]

Hi from Fargo, ND and many camp sites.

This is the antenna I have used for the last 5 years in my camper with I 
feel excellent results. It is a 44 foot doublet (22 feet) on each side 
of center) with a feed line of  22 feet of 450 ohm window line. The 
center is supported by a 23 foot telescoping painter's handle with a 
hook at the top made out of an old paint roller. The ends are supported 
by 10 foot lengths of 3/4th inch PVC pipes to make an inverted vee.

This loads well with either my KAT2 or KAT100. I added a W2DU 1 to 1 
balun and I find the antenna so stable the settings the tuner picked 
from the last camp site usually work at the next camp site with no 
changes. I have a 1 foot jumper of RG8  between the tuner and the balun. 
This works as is on all bands except 30 and 80 meters. On 30 meters 22 
feet of feed line is a bad length and transforms the low impedance of 
what is a 30 meter dipole to a high impedance which gives the tuner 
trouble. I cut a jumper of 22 feet of 300 ohm twin lead and wound it 
into a coil with a 7 inch diameter. All my twin lead feed lines use 
alligator clips so to use 30 meters I just clip the additional 22 feet 
loop of feed line in series with the 450 ohm window line.

I have 22 foot extensions I can add to each side of the doublet to make 
it 88 feet for use on our 75 meter SSB net. These extensions have to be 
tied to a tree or other support but the 44 ft doublet is self supporting 
by the 23 foot painters handle on the hitch of my camper and the 10 foot 
PVC pipes which are supported by the rear bumper of the camper and the 
front bumper of my tow vehicle.

If  I want to work 160 meters or don't have a location where I can add 
the 22 foot extensions for 75 meters I have a loading coil and can tie 
the two sides of the 22 foot feed line together and use the loading coil 
to make a top loaded vertical which uses the frame of my camper as a 
counterpoise and that works about as well as a good mobile station.

I used to use a home made full wave quarter wave vertical on 20 meters 
which used the frame of the camper as a counterpoise. I thought it 
worked well  but in 2001 the 44 ft doublet was brought up here on this 
reflector. I built it and used both antennas for just two camping trips. 
The doublet was so much better than the vertical that I quit taking the 
vertical along. I have run QRP battery 1B for the last 5 field days and 
the weak point is me as an operator and not my station or antenna.

Last week end I was set up at Fort Ransom State Park, ND. I worked W1PID 
on 20 running 3 watts on a K1 and 88 foot doublet (I was running the 100 
watts). I QSYed to 30 meters and ran 5 watts on my end and had a 25 
minute QSO with K4AKC who was running a K1 and 4 Watts to a G5RV. When 
we got done CU2BV from the Azores called me and we had a 15 minute QSO 
down at 13 wpm and I was still running 5 watts.

I have been camping and portable for about 39 years and used many 
different rigs and antennas but nothing I ever had before has worked as 
well with as little effort on my part as the K2/100 and 44 ft doublet.

I hope more of you try this antenna and have as good luck with it as I 
have had.

73 from North Dakota where it is now 94 degrees F headed to -30 degrees 
F in just 6 months.


Ken W0CZ      w0cz at arrl.net