[Elecraft] Elecraft Demo at hamfests - antenna hint

[Jim Sheldon]

Having done demos of my Elecraft equipment at a number of hamfests in the KS/Oklahoma area over the last couple of years, I try to get table space near an exit or other outside access so I can set up a vertical antenna external to the building.  Live, on-air demo's work lots better than just having the equipment sitting there with the lights on, especially if the antenna can be placed outside the building for good reception. 

The major problem we usually run into is safely running the coax from your table out to the antenna.  In the past we usually routed it along a wall, and any where that people had to cross it, we first tried duct tape, but that turned out to be difficult to remove without damaging something or leaving a sticky residue.  Next came the "blue" painter's masking tape.  This worked great when time came for removal, but didn't stick to floors or wall surfaces well enough to either support or keep the cable from loosening and becoming a trip hazard.

At the Kansas State ARRL Convention this past weekend, we were in a really nice venue with the tables just inside the entrance to the flea market area.  This gave reasonably close access to the main entry doors to the building, one of which was off to the side and allow cable access but not be used for normal in/out traffic.  There was a nice grassy area about 20 feet out and clear of the concrete walkway with an aluminum bleacher being stored up against the building so it wasn't necessary to tape down the cables after getting out of the door.

The major problem was running coax from the table to the door in the first place.  Since the lobby area we had to string the coax through had an 8 foot, gridded acoustical tile ceiling, I got the bright idea to use some nylon mason's twine I had and make up a bunch of "sling" loops over the grid members and under the tiles.  Ran the coax up the steel door jamb from the flea market room, taped it down with painter's tape, ran it through the loops hung from the ceiling grid well above the heads of anyone walking under it and over the top of the one door marked "do not use except in emergency".  Outside, it was then easy to rout it along the building wall out of the way and connect up the antennas.  

This won't work for every situation but it's something to consider if a dropped ceiling presents itself.  If you get a chance to scope out the venue before hand, you could even take some aluminum strap (available at hardware stores) and bend yourself some strips with a big hook on one end and a small straight flat on the other that could be slipped under a ceiling tile without having to lift the tiles up to tie a string loop over the grid.  Keeps the coax up out of the way where the foot traffic can't trip over it.

Jim - W0EB