[Lowfer] thoughts on PA0RDT "mini whip"

[Douglas Williams]

Tom, that sounds like a great setup. How did you weatherproof the coax
connection at the antenna base where you attached the grounding point?

On Thu, Dec 22, 2016 at 9:44 AM, Douglas Williams <
williamsdoug1966 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Same here, Jack. I have a 90% completed AMRAD whip that I just need to
> seal in PVC pipe and attach the connectors.....
>
> On Thu, Dec 22, 2016 at 9:41 AM, Zack Widup <w9sz.zack at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Any idea how it does compared with the AMRAD e-probe antenna? I built an
>> AMRAD whip but have yet to put it up. Since I have the next week off from
>> work and it might be unseasonably warm, this is probably a good time to do
>> it.
>>
>> 73, Zack W9SZ
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 21, 2016 at 4:50 PM, Howell, Laurence J <
>> L.Howell at conocophillips.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Doug, I have three or four probes up various trees, some just separated
>> by
>> > 5m or so, but as ever, the selection of the height and location sweet
>> spot
>> > for best s/n is manifestly important here. A few feet either way can
>> make a
>> > hooge (hooge) difference  - I ve run various shoot outs on what works
>> best
>> > and though we get the odd earlier long haul decode on 475 with the
>> highest
>> > probe (50ft or so), the best here is one at around 35ft or so called
>> "Aces
>> > high" - slightly higher than RDT states but I do see that curve too in
>> s/n
>> > using NDB and W&G test set.
>> >
>> >  It took me a season or two to get just the right tree. Out of all the
>> > antennae here the probes tend to work best over active or passive large
>> or
>> > small loops but that's probably because of the bespoke nature of the E/M
>> > interference fields on this acre and related to off site man made
>> > electrical noise sources. It will be different elsewhere - what works
>> best
>> > here wont elsewhere.
>> >
>> > I figured out that the best type of tree to have one on is the Genus
>> > "Acacia" - which is pan-global and typically the worse is the Coconut
>> Palm.
>> >
>> > I see a lot of comments on they are just mickey mouse appliance antenna
>> > but Ive been using them in military and commercial situations for over
>> 35
>> > years and its horses for courses, and they work best here (and in a lot
>> of
>> > other countries around the globe) over anything else. Stat. Used to use
>> > them in Antarctic for air-to-ground ops when the main wideband or LPA
>> were
>> > snow static bound....
>> >
>> > I ground the RG6 where it typically hits ground (boggy ground into a
>> lake
>> > typically), large series J common mode choke at that end, another in the
>> > shack, keeping the power injector away from noisy mag fields that
>> intrude
>> > even metal ali boxes, then Bino isolated transformer which is usable at
>> > 1kHz up to 500kHz or more - quite a few turns on 73 material from
>> memory.
>> > Power is battery though simple unstab DC from 110VAC is pretty good if
>> you
>> > decouple well. Playing with the voltage from 9-18VDC can help with iMod
>> -
>> > mine appears happy around 15V but my local blow torch on 1430kHz
>> appears to
>> > have a issue with pins stuck in its coax quite often :-) (joking)
>> >
>> >
>> > Laurence KL7L
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Lowfer [mailto:lowfer-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of N8OOU
>> > Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 1:32 PM
>> > To: Discussion of the Lowfer (US, European, & UK) and MedFer bands <
>> > lowfer at mailman.qth.net>
>> > Subject: [EXTERNAL]Re: [Lowfer] thoughts on PA0RDT "mini whip"
>> >
>> > Doug,
>> >
>> > The mini whip is mounted and grounded to the top of a galvanized steel
>> > trellis that I grow hops on. The trellis is about 15 feet tall, and
>> > grounded at the base. RG-6 quad shield coax is grounded at the mini
>> > whip/trellis, and runs back to the shack. Nothing in the shack is
>> > externally grounded. I'm not sure if the DC power supplies ground back
>> > to the mains.
>> >
>> > 73   de   N8OOU - Mike Meek
>> >
>> > On 12/21/2016 03:55 PM, Douglas Williams wrote:
>> > > Mitch & Mike,
>> > >
>> > > Thanks for the info.
>> > >
>> > > Mike, did you ground the antenna at the base, halfway point, or at the
>> > > house?
>> > >
>> > > Anyone else have any info, feel free to chime in.
>> > >
>> > > D. KB4OER
>> > >
>> > > On Wed, Dec 21, 2016 at 4:48 PM, N8OOU <n8oou at meekfarm.us> wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> Doug,
>> > >>
>> > >> A few observations on the mini whip.  I built one from my junk box
>> parts
>> > >> based on the original design. I had to add a notch filter to block my
>> > local
>> > >> 500W AM BCB station. Inserted in the whip between the FET and Buffer
>> > amp. I
>> > >> also must use a 500 Khz low pass filter at the receiver for LF. I
>> have
>> > it
>> > >> mounted about 15 Ft above ground, away from the house, and grounded
>> > >> according to common information found on the web.
>> > >>
>> > >> It works (all the way up to 10m), better than a long random wire, but
>> > not
>> > >> as good as the Low Noise Vertical I just finished.
>> > >>
>> > >> 73   de   N8OOU - Mike Meek
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >> On 12/21/2016 03:07 PM, Douglas Williams wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >>> Have any of you used one of these on VLF/LF? What are your
>> experiences?
>> > >>> They seem to be everywhere on eBay, from kits to fully assembled,
>> and
>> > >>> averaging $12 - $40.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> D. KB4OER
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