[Lowfer] Hello Lowfers

[John Andrews]

Dave,

> Do you use multiple antennae? One
> dedicated to a beacon? And another for TX/RX? What kind of gear do you
use?
> My tiny collection includes: Collins 51J4 and a Hallicrafters S36-A I used
> to listen with when we lived in Gaithersburg, MD.

Most of us run separate transmit and receive antennas. Transmit antennas are
typically verticals with capacity hats at the top, or large loops (strung
around trees). Blessed with an open location and after some work on a decent
ground system, the verticals are excellent performers while complying with
the letter of the Part 15 rules. The loops require a broader interpretation
of the law, but can do quite well in tree-rich locations that have a lot of
dielectric losses with vertical antennas. In both cases, the transmitter (or
its PA section) must be right at the antenna feedpoint.

Receive antennas can be almost anything, but the serious guys use loops,
e-field whips, or very long wires. The e-field whip is an excellent antenna
when mounted up in the clear. There was a very good construction article in
QST a couple of years ago. I personally use a 12-turn square loop, about 6
feet on a side, and it does pretty well.

For the weak signal modes that depend on computer DSP and very slow data
rates, receiver stability is very important. It helps to know where the
receiver is set, right down to 1 Hz, and it should have drift
characteristics down in the milliHertz range. The newer solid-state rigs do
this quite well. I generally use an Icom R75 receiver, which is reasonably
priced, and will run rings around boatanchors for stability. Strong-signal
handling capability is much less of an issue than it would be on 20 meters,
for example.

John Andrews, W1TAG