[Elecraft] K2 + ATU + Loop antenna in the attic

[Tony Estep]

Wayne, like many members of this list, I've been right in your shoes.

Like the previous posters, I'd recommend getting your wire outside. Here's a
specific recommendation:

While waiting for your radio to come, build a 4:1 unun. Here's a website
with instructions:
http://www.pcsystems-ss.co.uk/g7lrrweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=52&MMN_position=77:37

I'm guessing you're on an upstairs floor, but that's okay. Run coax from
your rig to the unun. Then run a single wire out the window to the farthest,
highest tree limb you can reach (see below). This goes to the "hot" side of
the unun. For the cold side, make a counterpoise. Cut three or more wires in
various lengths from 10' to about 30' and drape them out the window, in the
gutters, on the garage roof, or whatever.

The counterpoise will be your RF ground, but you also need a good DC ground.
There's plenty of info on this reflector about that.

With the right counterpoise and a properly-built unun, your ATU will match
the wire perfectly on all the bands for which it's long enough, and you
won't have any RF in the shack.

To get a wire in the tree, you can use various gizmos. I rigged up a
slingshot to shoot a weight which pulls fishing mono from a spinning reel.
This will get a line up about 40 - 50 feet. See radioworks.com for some
advice on shooting lines into trees.

This setup sounds a bit hokey, but it works. If your wire is long enough, it
will even provide gain over a dipole. I am just one of many who have used
such an arrangement for lots of DX exploits. For example, my barefoot K3
worked 100 countries in 100 QSOs in 24 hours last month; I also have 40
zones, 300 countries, etc. etc. This is not to say that it is better than a
3-element wide-spaced Yagi, but it's a hell of a lot better than a wire in
the attic.

73,
Tony KT0NY