[Elecraft] Portable Antennae

[TR, K2 S/N 838]

Dear fellow Elecrafters,

One of the most tiresome traits my fellow amateurs have is to sit 
with me and extol the virtues of their G5RV, Carolina Windom, 3 
element monobander 80 Mtr antenna at 100 tt, or "what-ever."  The 
truth is that all antennas have some virtue and it just depends what 
is most important for your application.

I've had great success with ham-sticks on my little Mazda Miata and 
clamping them on wrought iron motel balcony railings.  They're 
portable and light to carry.  In 10 minutes I can be on the air; I'm 
not particular where I talk to, but I enjoy a snappy fist.

Especially tiresome is the oft-heard refrain that verticals radiate 
poorly in all directions.  I'd like to point out that there are about 
6,000 AM Standard Broadcast Stations on the air in the United States, 
and nearly all of them use verticals.  Since the 1920's the vertical 
is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented antennas 
known and they are VERY efficient.  By the way, few of them in the BC 
service are resonant; engineers usually discuss them in degrees 
of  electrical wavelength.

If I were a wealthy man with an RV, and the money to go traveling, I 
would ask myself how much physical effort I wanted to expend against 
the length of time I might be parked in a particular spot.  Next, I 
would wonder if I was seeking DX or NVIS QSO's and consider on what 
band(s) I wanted to operate.

Just my two cents worth.  Thanks for listening.

TR, WB6TMY