[Elecraft] Reaching across the chronological divide

[Fred Jensen]

Maxwell assured us that, if you get RF current to flow in a conductor 
that isn't buried deeply, it will radiate. The the direction(s) of that 
radiation may not be where you wish, but it will radiate.  This weakend, 
I made 127 QSO's in the ARRL RTTY Round-Up on 15, 20, 40, and 80 with 
100W [K3] to a HOA-stealthy WOOF antenna [Wire On Organic Fence: 41 m, 
end-fed, 1.8 m AGL].

I have noticed since the days when you built your TX from parts scarfed 
from old TV sets:

1.  Newer hams seem to believe that there is one "perfect" way to build 
an antenna or use your radios and anything else will fail;

2.  Newer hams, and some of the older ones, like to connect every 
possible accessory and every possible computer/software product to their 
radios;

3.  And when that doesn't work, the first question to the email list 
members is, "My Loudenboomer III won't key.  Any ideas what's wrong?"  
Somehow, the art of isolating the pieces, such as, "disconnect the 
keyer/computer/software and plug in a hand key -- or short the key line 
-- does it key now?" has been lost in a sea of technology no one 
understands.

If the best of forecasts for Cycle 25 materialize, you will be able to 
repeat the late 50's/early 60's and work the world on 10 m 24/7 with 15 
W to the window screen.  Happy New Year to all, activate safely.

73,

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

On 1/3/2021 2:39 PM, Joseph Shuman via Elecraft wrote:
> I simply like the challenge of making contacts with antennas, in the opinion of the more learned, “that won’t work.”  I have been told to “Read the antenna book” because my experiments are “illogical.”  I guess I have to delete the contact I made using a chicken wire antenna?  Let’s all remember that Maxwell, Marconi, Hertz, Popov, Bose, Hughes and Fr. Roberto Landell de Moura did not have the internet or the Antenna Book.  They had each other.
>
> Joe Shuman, NZ8P
>