[GCARC] Recommendations needed

[Tony Starr]

Since Ken has mentioned the Hex Beam, I feel compelled to come back in and
add a comment. The hexbeam mounted on or above your rooftop will meet your
township's requirement. While it is not pleasing to the eye, there is no
compact HF antenna that will deliver better results from only 35 feet above
the ground, and it is light enough to be rotated with a very small
rotator.  If you can possibly put one of these up, you will be astounded by
what you can work with it.

Tony K3TS

On Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 2:26 PM Kenneth Bozarth <kwbozarth at gmail.com> wrote:

> You did not mention your budget.
>
> A 40m dipole would fit diagonally in your back yard. You need at least one
> support in the middle of the yard for an inverted V, or a support at each
> corner for a horizontal regular dipole. Your chimney could be one support.
> Arrange pulley so you can raise and lower it. If that fits, then add other
> bands in a fan dipole configuration with one feed line. A vertical is also
> a likely success for you to cover 40m. If you can lay or plant lots of
> radials at the base, it will work better, unless you get something like a
> Cushcraft R8, which needs no radials and is very efficient. I have one.
> They are not cheap, maybe $600 or more by now. It must be mounted on a
> 10-12' pole that has a substantially strong tilt base and it could
> bracketed to the house for support. No guy lines are required on the R8
> when standing alone. Otherwise, a trap vertical will work, but with at
> least a dozen radials on or in the ground, which can be as short as 20' or
> so. Any of these verticals must be tuned for the end of the 40m band you
> like, CW or SSB. They are wider on higher bands
>
> For 20m and up, for a chimney mounted beam antenna there is the Hex beam,
> which works well at low heights and is light. Actually, at 35-40' above
> ground, any beam antenna will work. A Cushcraft A3 for instance. To cover
> 40m, I believe there is a 40m kit for the Hex beam and a rotatable dipole
> for a Cushcraft type of beam.
>
> One last suggestion is the Cobweb antenna which is multi band and omni
> directional, also very light, great on the chimney.
>
> For mobile, Ham sticks are cheap and work very well but on 40m they are BW
> limited, need to be tuned where you wanna operate. Fairly wide on 20m on
> up. For more BW on 40m, a screwdriver antenna is good but expensive. I use
> a Diamond SD330, which comes with an up-down switch box. They are about
> $350 or so, the cheapest screwdriver available. The beauty is that you can
> band switch without getting out of the car.
> I hope this helps.
> Ken, KN2U
>
> On Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 2:01 PM Randy via GCARC <gcarc at mailman.qth.net>
> wrote:
>
> > I just passed my General exam.
> > I recently purchased a Yaesu FT-991A and it will be delivered tomorrow.
> > Currently, I have a Tram 1477 VHF/UHF antenna, but need something for HF.
> > Recommendations are needed regarding HF antennas for both home and car.
> > I want to be able to use at least the 10, 15, 20 and 40 meter bands.
> > Space is limited on my property and a long wire dipole is out of the
> > question.
> > My back yard is approximately 50 feet wide and 25 deep with neighbors
> > behind and both sides.
> > House is a small cape cod with a chimney roughly 35 feet off the ground.
> > Township rules dictate I can’t have an antenna higher than 15 feet above
> > roof line.
> > Car is a Honda Element and I will use the radio for mobile and POTA.
> >
> > Randy (KC3VCC)
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