[Elecraft] Questions about KX2 possible purchase

[Jim Brown]

On 5/24/2020 2:52 PM, na5n at zianet.com wrote:
> There is no electrical ground to speak of on a mountain peak, so an 
> antenna will tune different there than your back yard.

Most end-fed antennas need a COUNTERPOISE to serve as a return for the 
current (and the field) produced by the antenna. An earth connection is 
NOT a good counterpoise, because the earth is really a big resistor, so 
it burns most of the transmitter's power if that's the only 
counterpoise. Instead, smart operators provide some intentional 
counterpoise connected to the BNC shield, like multiple radials or a 
single wire running in some direction other than the antenna. If the 
wire or the radials are laying on the ground, they will couple some of 
the earth's resistance and burn some TX power. This can be reduced by 
elevating the wire or the radials. When operating portable, I've draped 
a single wire counterpoise over the tops of low brush.

73, Jim K9YC