[Icom] Icom 718 & Ham Sticks

[Eddy Avila]

Jim, I run all the hamsticks from 75-meters to 10 meters and yes they are a 
pain to tune, but once tuned they work amazingly well!!! So...

First, buy, borrow or steal an antenna analyzer such as the mfj unit which I 
use. That will make tuning a breeze....honestly, 30 years ago I would be 
using the SWR meter, a noise bridge or grid dip osc and spending lots of 
quality time standing at the back of the car cutting and pruning for 
resonance....U G H!

Lastly, and may be just as important, buy the base matching coil hamstick 
sells and recommends, otherwise on the lower hf bands your base resistance 
will be so low you'll be tuning a dummyload in the air!!! Actually, you can 
use a cap in place of the coil, some hams switch different values to get the 
base R up close to 50 ohms. Watching one of these magical antenna analyzers 
you will be amazed at the difference a coil or cap at the base will make!

Good luck........73 /ed


>From: "James Vohland" <kc9ani@hotmail.com>

>Subject: [Icom] Icom 718 & Ham Sticks
>Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 20:12:13 -0500
>
>New ham here with question that I hope wont bore the group. Have a 718 that
>I want to mount in the old motorhome for vacation. (would like a 706 but
>gotta wait) In anycase, bought a set of ham sticks and trying to get them
>tuned is a bear. The instructions say put 4 inches of stinger in stick and
>start adjusting from there. How much movement is prudent per adjustment. 
>1/8
>in?? 1/4 in?? or more. Getting tired of climbing on the rig. How about 
>using
>a tuner once it gets close??


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