[Elecraft] Home and portable antenna issues.....‏

[mpupeza at sympatico.ca]

Mark;At a winter condo in FL, I am using an MFJ telescoping SS Whip 12.5' long on a Hustler mobile antenna Mast Extension 4.5' long attached to a removable mobile twist mount ball antenna mount (Total 17'). This is fed by an LDG RT-100 Remote antenna Tuner then 25' RG-58 coax to my K3. It is mounted on the concrete balcony railing  30' above ground, pointed to Africa (East) at a 45 degree angle. I do have 2 16' radials running along the railing, N and S. I use 2 Palomar Ferrite Bead Chokes, 1 at the RT-100 and 1 at the K3.  The LDG RC-100 Tuner Controller completes the RF path for the antenna. I can disconnect the antenna with the twist mount and telescope it in and lay it on the balcony, with only the bare ball mount slightly showing.In previous years I had been putting #28 white teflon coated wire out to Palm trees out about 30' away and 30' high. Wind and swinging trees (Bird strikes? blowing branches, etc. also) have taken them down several times each season and they didn't work any better than the whip. Also, their visibility, even so thin, depended on the sun angles and water drops sliding down.I routinely am able to contact my Mothership RMS VA3LKI Pactor station up in Ontario about 1200 miles and can make contacts with almost any station that I can hear. It works the best that I've found with trying all sorts of antennas that I could try. The other, as good as, or better, antenna was the endfed one using a 9:1 homemade balun <http://www.earchi.org/92011endfedfiles/Endfed6_40.pdf> from the Hawaii Club. I used Teflon #22 wire about 33 ' long, and just loaded it with the K3 internal tuner. However, it was too visible and came down regularly also.So, try what you can and keep at it. Something should work OK for you.Mike VE3EQP/W4 .....>