[Lowfer] just getting started

Thu, 30 Jan 2003 11:00:50 -0600

Stand up a tubing vertical and get it as high as you can up to the 50' limit
and put the biggest most ugliest tophat on the top with a base loading coil
that is basket wound. Install as much of a ground radial system as you can
and it should work fine. Whatever you can put up will be fine for the first
antenna. There is a ton of experimenting to do after you get a signal on the
air.

Always use vertical antennas on LF. Horizontal doesn't work.

Mike>WE0H
http://www.we0h.us/lf

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
Behalf Of Eric Smith
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 10:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Lowfer] just getting started

Hmmm...ok, this is encouraging!  I intend to operate the beacon all year,
anyway.

My biggest challenge now is an antenna.  My backyard is only 75' on a side
(don't laugh) and my tallest tree is 10' high :(

So I'm gonna need a couple of towers.  But I'd like to get on the air
right away!

Any suggestions for a temporary setup that will get me active while I work
on something better?

I considered a dipole using the peaks of my house ... but now I'm leaning
toward a short (say 20') vertical with tophat and good grounding.  I have
some 21' chain-link fence top-rail which I keep looking at sideways ...

Any suggestions?