[Elecraft] KX1: requesting recommended wire antenna lengths advice

[Don Wilhelm]

My best field antenna consists of a 32 ft. heavy duty push-up 
telescoping fiberglass pole which supports an inverted vee with radiator 
legs 22 feet long (of #22 teflon insulated wire).  The feeder is twisted 
pair #22 teflon insulated wire (parallel feedline) 25 feet long.
That feedline terminates into a balun which is switchable between a 1:1 
and a 4:1 ratio (a smaller homebrew version of the Elecraft BL2).  I 
carry a 25 foot length of coax to connect from the balun to the transceiver.
That antenna loads and works well for 40 through 10 meters - I switch 
the balun from the 1:1 to the 4:1 position depending on the band in use 
and the best match.

I also carry two additional lengths of #22 teflon insulated wire which I 
clip onto the ends of the radiator to extend the length if I want to 
operate on 80 meters.

That is my portable antenna, and it works well for me.  I prefer 
balanced antennas when I can use them.  It is not 'backpack' eligible 
because of the 32 foot pole, but then I am not doing any backpacking 
these days.

I can put my antenna up in several configurations.  If I have a support 
for one end, I can set the antenna up as a dipole.  If I only have the 
fiberglass pole, I support the center of the dipole at the top of the 
pole and use it as an inverted VEE (the most desirable and common 
configuration).  In cases where I do not have much horizontal real 
estate to work with, I set it up as a vertical - the end of one radiator 
wire is tied to the pole and the other radiator wire is used as a 
'radial' - 10 feet of it comes down the pole (the feedline is 10 feet 
above the ground), and the remainder of the 'radial' is hung on nearby 
shrubs and bushes in the best manner possible.
So, three antennas in one - depending on the terrain and other available 
supports.

73,
Don W3FPR


On 4/19/2015 7:31 PM, J wrote:
> I'd also like to try a doublet of 60 to 88 feet; fed with a parallel
> feedline of made the same "stealth" wire as the antenna (no heavy ladder
> lines).  The doublet would be more cumbersome (requiring one central support
> or else supports at each end).  The antenna plus feeder length would be
> chosen to provide a relatively tame feedpoint impedance and reactance on the
> three bands; 40/30/20M.
>
> More research is needed on end- and center-fed (no coax) wire antenna
> lengths for the KX1   (and the KX3)
>
>