[MRCA] 3.885 NVIS antennas

[Gene Smar]

Al, Rob et al:

     I've been doing some reading and thinking about our earlier e-mails
regarding HF NVIS work at the MRCA in September.  Before we get too set on
this demo, won't 3.885 be too low a freq for daytime work?  And if we want
to go to 7 MHz, what military gear would cover that band?  (Maybe a GRC-9 or
PRC-47, but the BC-1306's cut off around 6.5, don't they?)  And 60M requires
ultrastable rigs with freq resolution down to the cycle.

     We (or at least you guys with the HF rigs) could TRY 3.885 during the
days' demos, but I'm not certain that'll work.  Anyone have any other
thoughts?

     I've been reading about NVIS so I could try to brew up an AS-2259
equivalent system to lend to someone with HF gear at MRCG.  I bought a set
of fiberglass poles on ebay
(http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5780368768 ) to serve as
a mast.  I was thinking of running the coax up inside the sections and
connecting to the wire sets through a 1:4 torroidal balun.  Seems that low
dipoles/V's exhibit low feedpoint impedances, thus the need to convert from
50 Ohms to 12.5 or so Ohms.  (I'll do some EZNEC Lite models before I start
building.)  Click on http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/acs/radios/AS-2259%20M.htm
for additional mods some folks have devised for the stock 2259 antenna
system.

     In any case I'll be bringing along some VHF squad radios for demos on
51 MHz.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F