[Hallicrafters] 40 m antenna used on 80 m - what to expect?

[Paul]

Thanks for enlightening us Mike.

You know, all those years (up until 1964 when I went
to work for Uncle Sam in strange and far off lands) we
had no idea we couldn't use that co-ax fed 80 meter
dipole my dad and I had set up at our summer cottage
to work 40,20,15 and 10 meters. I guess maybe I should
throw away all those QSL cards we received to support
our single band WAS on both 40 and 20 meters from our
summer cottage and all those DX cards worked on those
bands other than 80 meters, right?

Of course proper antennas will work better, but to
come out and say they WON'T work, as you have stated,
is just a bit strong. Sure, our antenna didn't work to
optimum capability and we knew it. But it worked well
enough to get us WAS on 20 and 40 and that was only
hamming for two full weeks during each summer, plus
weekends whenever we could get away to the cottage.

By the way, our gear at the summer cottage was a DX-60
fed directly to the antenna thru a Dow-key relay, no
"tuner", and an SX-110. I'm still using the same rig
today, same final tube and the tank coil hasn't melted
yet. Of course it's only been about 45 years, so I
don't know what you consider a LOT longer. I will
admit many contacts were made with CW, but we did our
fair share of AM contacts too, on all bands by the
way. Not too shabby for an antenna that won't work on
40, 20 15 and 10 and will destroy our tube and melt
our tank coil.

73, Ray W2EC

---------------------------------------------------
> Oh my poor achin' pi-net... the blind are leadin'
the freakin' blind.

> I feel like I'm watchin' an episode of "Home
Improveement" with Tim-the-Tool-Man.

---------------------

> An 80 meter dipole could be moderately effective on
30 meters, maybe 17 meters, 12 meters; but it won't
work on 40 because that is the second harmonic.  It
won't work on 20 either, because that's the fourth
harmonic (an EVEN harmonic); nor will it work on 15 or
10 because those are also even harmonics.  

> No coax fed antenna is going to radiate well -- if
at all --at a band lower than the one it's cut for. 
If it ever did, it certainly didn't work 
well!  

> Pu-LEEZE get some knowledge.  Life is a whole lot
more fun when you are informed.  And your final
tubeage will last a LOT longer; plus you won't melt
the poly-insulation out of your tank coils.

73

Mike
WA4DLF