[LeArc] Antenna Experiment

[Jay Hainline]

After reading the article on the N4GG array pg. 35 July QST, I decided to try
it out and attach a couple of vertical elements for 17 meters to my existing 80
meter dipole as explained in figure 8 on pg. 39. I went to Farm King and bought
12 gauge wire and a couple of brass copper clamps. I put plastic egg insulators
for electric fence wire to the ends of each and left them hanging. I didn't
know if it would need some weight on the end to keep them from curling up but
as it turned out I did not. The ends are approx. 15 ft. above the ground.

After making the attachment, I found it made the 80 meter dipole resonate
somewhere below the band. I ended up shortening 6 ft from each end to get it to
resonate in the middle of the band. Using the measurements given in Table 1 for
the 17 meter elements, I ended up taking about 15 inches off each end to make
it resonate on 17 meters. SWR is now flat across the 17 meter band. At the same
time, the bandwidth for 80 meters was narrowed up to approx. 150 khz.

Moving the connections point on the dipole would probably give different
results but I did not want to keep climbing the tower. 

I have to say, at least on 17 meters, this is an improvement in what I was
doing before. I just worked OD5NH and CY9DH on ssb. Both stations were stronger
on this antenna compared to the dipole I have up for this band or the 160 meter
inverted vee which I have been using to work DX.

I think maybe I will try to make up a 12 meter element next and attach it to
the 160 meter dipole to see what it does. This is a pretty cheap way to add an
extra band to an existing dipole.

73 Jay
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Jay Hainline  KA9CFD  EN40om
Colchester, IL
ka9cfd@arrl.net
http://www.qsl.net/learc