[MRCA] Saturdays M&S Net

[Robert Nickels]

On 6/25/2018 8:06 AM, Ray Fantini wrote:
> Another question would be once I get the vertical together assume that 
> I can do the tuning by inserting a SWR meter between the RF Output and 
> Antenna input to the tuner jack but in order to correctly tune the 
> radio would I have to take it outside and do the antenna tuning in the 
> clear or can I set it up in the shop and do the coil taps and all that 
> sort of stuff there? The manual has a chart for setting what coil tap 
> you use for the whip antenna but being I don’t have the factory whip 
> going to assume it’s about useless.

Ray, my experience with this kind of end-loaded whip or wire is that 
it's pretty tough to set it up other than in the "real world".  I'd set 
the radio up as you typically would and use a field strength meter to 
adjust the coil tap and other variables for maximum output, although 
that jack-jumper setup on the PRC-108 would seem to give you a way to do 
the same thing with a wattmeter or SWR bridge.   This is how the marine 
HF radios were set up but of course their antennas were fixed in 
position.  But as long as you try to duplicate the same setup in the 
field,  it should be pretty close.

Several of us have become convinced that for 40 and 60 meters, a 
properly matched vertical that's as tall as you can make it, with three 
30' or so counterpoise wires will outperform a low dipole all around.   
It's always easier to find enough real-estate to support one vertical 
element than 2 or 3 points of a dipole (unless you happen to have 100 
plus foot tall pines handy, like Dale does!)

73, Bob W9RAN