[Elecraft] cobweb antenna

[Wayne Burdick]

Jim Brown <jim at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:

> Here are some articles by hams who have done a lot with only a little bit of space. The first is by AC0C, who built a complete antenna system in the attic of his apartment!

A fun read, Jim. Thanks. I've also had good success with attic antennas in the past.


> Toss a wire into a tree, connect it to the center of the coax connector, toss another one on the ground (or wherever you can) and connect it to the K3 chassis. You've now got a random wire antenna that will run rings around Buddipoles, simply because it's a lot more efficient. Any wire from #22 gauge or larger will work fine.

Large wire is great when weight isn't an issue. But I found #22 to be too heavy for lightweight backpacking, so I use #26 "silky" insulated wire from The Wireman. As a result, my wire-in-a-tree antenna weighs about 2 oz., not counting a couple of 1-oz stainless steel 1" hex nuts for tossing wires. #26 is sufficient for QRP use.

One other tip: instead of coiling antenna wire in the usual way for transport, wind it in a small figure-8 pattern on one hand, then cinch it with a twist-tie. When the tie is removed, the wire will spring out with absolutely no tangles or kinks.

Wayne
N6KR