[Elecraft] The "Kinda Random Antenna"

[Bill Johnson]

OH YES,  the headaches from looking at the formulas at this stage of the
game. A friend added two coils to the end of his 75 meter dipole for 160.
He loads it but has no clue as to impedance and loading.  He tunes it for
160 but it is not effective.  The idea is to get loading into an efficient
radiator.  OK to accept less to operate, but great to be efficient.  SO if
it is working, sometimes leave it alone.  Erect another before taking down
or modifying what works. 

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From

Yep. A good antenna tuner and ladder line hides a whole lot of stuff. 
Where would I be with my 40' X 110' yard if I really worried about being
exact. I have DXCC mixed, CW, and SSB, and I never ran over 100 Watts nor
had a real "resonant" antenna. And, I've forgotten all of the math I ever
had in college more than 50 years ago; I get a headache when I think of ever
having to do math again.

73,
Barry
K3NDM

------ Original Message ------
From: "Emory Schley" <silverlocks at gmx.com>
>
>I've found over the years that a McCoy Dipole works pretty well, often 
>MUCH better than expected. What is a McCoy Dipole? Named after Lew 
>McCoy, it follows his rules of construction. "Make it as long as you 
>can, get it as high as you can, and feed it with ladder-line." No math, 
>no measurements, no sweat. But a TUNER (transmatch) is definitely 
>needed.
>
>Emory Schley
>N4LP
>
>
>Kurt N. Sterba was correct. Textbook antennas aren't always
>possible, or even needed. If the situation is difficult, any radiator 
>is
>better than none. However, hams in general are anal animals on the
>subject of antennas. My attitude has always been what's a db or two
>among friends, and quite often that is the number we are sweating. But,
>if you can't make it exactly like Kraus writes, get as close as you can
>and let your antenna tuner worry about the match and don't think about
>that extra db.
>
>73,
>Barry
>K3NDM
>
>------ Original Message ------
>From: "Fred Jensen" <k6dgw at foothill.net>
>
>>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
>>
>>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
>>