[Elecraft] Less Than Perfect Antennas [was Flumoxed]

[N4ZR]

 From forty till twenty or so years ago, I lived in a suburban 
townhouse, with no antennas allowed.  My solution then was a 40-meter 
inverted vee with fanned 20 and 10-meter elements, and W9INN coils on 
the end of the 40M elements to give me 80M.  I was working on 5B DXCC in 
those days, and eventually concluded the 80-meter side wasn't good 
enough, so I threw a 280-foot vertical wire loop up in the trees out 
back, fed through open wire line and a 4:1 balun. Finished the 80M part 
in just a few months

When I moved here I had plenty of space, but not much time, so I threw 
up a Carolina Windom antenna at only about 35 feet.  Darned thing works 
so well, despite a site that is in a river valley with higher terrain on 
all sides, that I'm keeping it. Worked 92 countries during CQWW in about 
6 hours on 40 meters, with ~900 watts

73, Pete N4ZR
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On 12/5/2018 7:42 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:
> It seems these days that the "Amateur media," which includes all of us 
> conversing on the air or via email lists, tends to dismiss LTPA [less 
> than perfect antennas] which may be discouraging some Technicians from 
> trying out their HF allocations on 10, 15, 40, and 80.  Hard core 
> DX'ers and contesters will scoff at a BWD-90 or my end-fed 80-10 at 6 
> ft on the wooden fence, and I don't intend to make the Honor Roll with 
> it, but antennas don't need to be perfect to work and even work well.  
> I snagged VP6D on 40, 30, 20, and 17 CW with 100 W to my WOOF [Wire On 
> Organic Fence] and it was easy.  The SOTA folk don't buy a tower, they 
> just hike up a mountain.  I worked two DL's in a row on 15 CW a couple 
> years ago from W5N/RO-015 in SE NM with 10 W from my K2 into an 
> Alexloop over my head.
>
> If we want younger people to try out HF, we need to assure them that 
> they don't have to spend a year's take-home pay to get on and have 
> fun.  Wayne has been relating some of his QRP-ish field adventures 
> which is really great.  Full Disclosure: I'm part of the W7RN crew and 
> have remote access to the two remote K3/KPA1500 combos and 23 antenna 
> selections [last count [:-) w7rn.com] including a 3-el 80 yagi at 175 
> ft.  Most of the time however, my K3/WOOF serves my needs which leaves 
> the remotes to those on the crew who have no other option.  RF current 
> into a conductor will radiate, even if it's at eye level.
>
> 73,
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County
>
> On 12/5/2018 3:31 PM, Dave Cole (NK7Z) wrote:
>> I have one of the BWD-90 antennas up now, (at 25 feet), and use it 
>> for local contacts on HF daily...
>>
>> DX is the vertical, soon to be a beam at 55 feet....  I also use the 
>> BWD-90 for all the WARC bands, save 30, which is the vertical.
>>
>> I also have a new in the box BWD-90, (copper version, not the steel 
>> version), as well...
>>
>> Works well with a K3, as the rig is atmospheric noise limited.
>>
>> 73s and thanks,
>> Dave (NK7Z/NNR0DC)
>> https://www.nk7z.net
>> ARRL Technical Specialist
>> ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>> ARRL OOC for Oregon
>
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