[HCARC] Answers and More Questions IRT Kerry's Comments

[Gary and Arlene Johnson]

Kerry,

The discussion of my email to the reflector is going to have to be broken into numerous parts.  Lets take my level of reading and then take on the AS-2259 antenna.  First I have recently read, studied for and passed both the Tech and General exams and am currently studying for the Extra Exam with the new Extra book,  I have read the ARRL Operating manual fromm cover to cover several times as have I read the ARRL Antenna book cover to cover several times.  I have 3 other antenna books that have had similar study.  I get QST, CQ, and Monitoring Times which I have read each issue since January several times each.  I make sure to pick up as many of the older QST's, CQ's etc as members bring to the club for distribution to the members.  Remember - I don't have a radio YET, and reading helps fulfill my interest in Radio Operating.  Am I experienced - NOPE, but for someone who just got his license in April - I consider myself pretty WELL READ.

Now lets talk about the AS-2259 antenna:

Here is a link to the antenna:  http://www.prc68.com/I/AS2259.shtml

Here is some of what is said about the antenna:

"
AS-2259 Description
  The Antenna System 2259 consists 7 mast sections, each about 2 feet long that are 50 Ohm coax hard lines. There's a male end and a female end.  At the top there are 4 antenna elements that are used as guy lines to support the antenna.  The short antenna element is 2 * 24'10"  long and the long antenna element is 2 * 36'10" long.  A short and a long element are connected to the outer (ground) side of the mast/coax and the other short and long elements are connected to the mast center (hot) conductor.  The AS-2259 does not include the base adapter.  There are a number of different base adapters to connect the AS-2259 to a number of different radios or to use it as a stand alone antenna.

  A half wave dipole that's 49'8" long (15.1 meters) has a self reasonant frequency of 9.9 MHz and a half wave dipole that's 73'8" (22.5 meteres) long has a self reasonant frequency of 6.7 MHz.  These get transformed by the 14 foot long 50 Ohm impedance mast.

  Sewn on the inside of the canvas carry bag are the Instructions for Installation and a Parts Breakdown.  I've made these into a pdf document AS2259Ins.pdf about 290 kB..

  Harris makes wersions of this antenna called the RF-1936 (same as AS-2259), RF-2236 and the double sized RF-2238 "

  AND

  "The AS-2259 was designed for light weight single man carry and is NOT optimized for NVIS performance.  The electrical performance has been traded for weight.  The NVIS mode can only be used at the low end of the H.F. frequency range around 2 to 9 MHz depending on the ionosphere."

  AND

  The AS-2259, NSN 5980-00-106-6130, is rated for 2 to 30 Mhz and up to 1,000 Watts

  It should be noted that I happen to have 2 of these antennas sitting in the back of my truck.  I have as best I can tell three separate and distinct bases for the antenna, a couple terminating in what surely does appear to a NOVICE as a PL-259 connector, and in fact off the internet I can buy replacement new old stock elements to replace said connector that have PL-259 connectors.

  So, what does this tell a Novice??  Well at it's basic it appears to be 2 dipole elements mounted at a 90 degree crossing connected to some very fancy COAX leading to a base.  What is so hard about that???  For heavens sake, I read all the time about Hams connecting an antenna tuner to an aluminum gutter on their house, or to a T with 2 aluminum lawn chairs (one on each arm of the T) and they are able to communicate.  If I am so wrong about this antenna, I will gladly bring it over to your house (or anyones house), set it up and check it with an antenna analyzer to see what we can get out of it.  If one of the antennas alone won't work, what would happen if we were to use both sets of MAST/COAX and get the antenna up approx 30 feet??  If it needs to go higher I can accomodate that too as I have other mast sections we can add to it.  The info above indicates that the COAX Mast transforms (I assume radiates) the actual resonance of the Dipoles.  Essentially it says the dipoles "get transformed by the 14 foot long 50 Ohm impedance mast."  To me a NOVICE, that sounds suspiciously like what the Carolina Windom antenna claims.   Does it or doesn't it - don't ask me, I am just reporting what I read.

  73's 
  Gary Johnson
  K5"BAA"
  "