[Elecraft] The "Kinda Random Antenna"

[Fred Jensen]

N6BT famously set up a "phased array" of 3 light bulbs in a V-beam 
configuration and achieved WAC.  He called it "The Illuminator." Kurt N. 
Sterba [a regular in the old WorldRadio] is correct, the power will go 
somewhere.  My home antenna is a 136' wire strung along the wood fence 
on electric fence insulators.  Fed at the end, no overt counterpoise 
[the outside of the coax shield handles that].  Not spec'd for 160 but 
the KAT3 matches it fine.  Invisible to HOA.  NVIS on 160 and 80, 
semi-NVIS on 40.

One thing to remember:  feeding electrically long wires results in 
complicated radiation patterns.  The higher in frequency you go, the 
more it's going to squirt your RF in different directions, not all of 
which point at the DX.  But, mine works very well considering it's about 
1.8 m off the ground.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 1/29/2017 10:26 AM, Barry wrote:
> Wayne,
>     I know what you are saying and agree. In very simple terms, if you 
> can load it, it will radiate. That was a position that a writer with 
> the nom de plume of Kurt N Sterba too in a book he wrote. By the 
> physical law of conservation of energy, it all has to go somewhere. 
> And, that could be heat or radiation. In his book he claims to have 
> loaded a shopping cart and talked to people.
>
>     Yes, you can do these things as long as you make good connections 
> and the tuners can handle it. All of the discussion is how to pick a 
> length that the tuner will accept. Once there, physics takes over. And 
> just to prove my point, and yours, I just worked the CQ 160 CW 
> contest. My antenna was a vertical 20 meter dipole center fed with 
> open wire. My radio is a K3s. I worked across this country, Canada, 
> and some DX with this 33' wire antenna that by all rights should have 
> been over 200'. I would have done better, but my local power company 
> added another handicap, line noise. Bottom line: Throw some wire up 
> and see if it can be loaded. If yes, go for it.
>
> 73,
> Barry
> K3NDM