[Elecraft] 43 Ft Vertical and Elecraft Tuners

[Phil & Debbie Salas]

Dave WX7G wrote an article that may be of interest:

www.eham.net/articles/21272

I also have some info in the “Presentations” section of my website at www.ad5x.com.

As Jim says, if you use good quality coax over reasonable distances (I use 1/2” heliax over a 60-ft run), SWR-related losses are reasonable on 60-10 meters.  Above 20 meters the radiation angle increases.  However, since the antenna is electrically longer the radiation resistance increases which makes ground losses less significant.  Lots of trade-offs to consider.  Matching at the antenna base is important on 160- and 80-meters as the SWR is VERY high on those bands.  Also, most autotuners cannot match the 43-foot vertical at the base on 160-meters so additional external inductance is needed on this band (see the Autotuner Extender in the “Articles” section of my website.

I prefer the convenience of the autotuner in the shack, especially if you use an amplifier.  A remote tuner can’t easily take your amp off-line during tuning or if a high SWR suddenly occurs.  So I use a fixed base match for 160/80 meters, and the standard 4:1 unun on 60-10 meters (all switchable from the shack).  My KAT500 in the shack handles all the bandwidth extensions I need on all bands.

Phil – AD5X