[Elecraft] Good experiance using the K3-100 on battery power

[Kenneth A. Christiansen]

Bob Wrote
++++++++++++++++++
What did you use for an antenna when you were camping in Northern Mn?
This is a Honda eu2000i question mostly. They can make a lot of noise 
especially into low mounted verticals.
Bob
KB1FRW
++++++++++++++++++
I have been camping and doing ham radio together for over 40 years and 
this is my "CAMPING
ANTENNA" which I have used for the last 4 or more years.

I bought a 23 ft telescoping painters handle from Menards and a small 
paint roller that screws on the
end of the handle. I removed the roller and bent it into a hook. This 
makes my center support and is held
to the hitch and my front window cover of my camper with elastic cords. 
I put eye hooks on two 3/4 inch
pvc pipes and used a large eye bolt and smaller hook bolt to make a 
place on the back bumper of the
camper to hold one support in position. I drilled a 3/4th inch hole in 
an 18 inch two by four and an
elastic cord to hold the other support to the front bumper of my car. 
The 44 ft doublet has a center
insulator made of a PVC tee with a hook that hooks over the home made 
hook at the top of the center
support. The feed line of the doublet is 22 ft of 450 ohm window line. I 
use a W2DU 1 to 1 balun
between the elecraft built in tuner and the window line. This antenna 
works well on 40 and 20 thru 10
meters. It loads on 6 meters but I have never heard the band open so do 
not know if it works.

I add a 22 ft length of twin lead tied in a coil to the other 22 ft of 
feed line to work 30 meters. I add
22 ft extensions to each end of the doublet to make and 88 ft doublet on 
75 meters and use the
same feed line as I do on 30 meters. I have been told my signal on the 
ND SSB net is just as
strong as it is from home. I find it does not make much difference where 
I put the extensions so
I often just go back to a picnic table or camp chair on my own camp site 
with the ends.

I also use this antenna on 160 meters with the following changes. I 
leave the 88 ft doublet part up
but go back to the 22 ft feed line. I use a 2 inch loading coil and 
connect the top of the loading
coil to both sides of the window line. I go from the loading coil to 
what I call the hot side of the
W2DU balun and I go from a bolt on the frame of my camper to what I 
consider the cold side
of the balun. I have worked 200 miles at 8:30 local time Sunday mornings 
on 160 for the Goose
River SSB net  from several different camp sites in ND and MN. I have 
worked from Valley City
ND to my friend Bill in Warroad MN several times.

I have only used the Honda eu2000i on 40, 30 and 20 as I usually charge 
my battery about 2:00 PM
while the other campers tend to be busy and making their own noise. The 
first time I tried it I was
bothered by noise but I had a 50 foot extension cord and wrapped it into 
a coil about 4 inches in
diameter. The noise dropped down to at least the level of my home QTH. I 
found the NB on the
K3 could get rid of the noise at a setting of    E3-7 IF WID4 or IF NAR5.

I never tried the eu2000I on 80 or 160 because I consider week day 
dinner time and Sunday
mornings to be quiet times and don't want to bother anyone.

I hope my camping antenna ideas can help other people. I have tried long 
wires, dipoles and
verticals over the years and this is by far the best antenna I have had 
for not bothering other
campers and giving good performance. The dipoles worked just as well but 
people look at
you funny when you string antennas across their camp sites!!!!

73 Ken W0CZ