[OKDXA] DX, on 160

Thu, 21 Nov 2002 20:19:38 -0600

Yes I have been listening to the activity on 160m.  Very good conditions
indeed!

One thing I have not tried, but heard that works very well is to lay the
radials flat and pin them with homemade horseshoe hooks made of 12 gauge
solid wire.  It is like stampling the wire to the ground.  When spring time
comes the grass will grow over and push the wire just under the soil.  It
may save some time relaying radial wire every year.  Note I do NOT practice
what I preach!!  :-)

Also a good friend gave me some free galvanize fence wire a long time ago.
I was poor, young, and going to school.  I thought this was a land fall and
worked laying out many feet of the free wire.

Well it worked for a few weeks till the corrosion set in.  So live and
learn!  The galvanize wire also made a great diode detector for AM broadcast
radio.  This was not good for the receiver and made the transmitter sound
more like spark one complete with FB RFI to the neighborhood!  20 years ago
we didn't have Home Depot or Lowes that has 500 foot roll of 12 gauge copper
wire for under $15.

Now if I care to climb the tower in the dark to install the shut fed so I
can hear Clif!

Best Regards!

73 de w5jay..

> Good stuff Jay.  I use electric fence wire from Home Depot for radials.
At the end of the season I take it up and throw it away because you cannot
keep it straight, ha.
>
> 160m is busy tonite with contest stations getting ready for the weekend.
>
> Jim
> >
> > From: "Jay Bromley" <[email protected]>
> > Date: 2002/11/19 Tue PM 01:27:06 EST
> > To: "Clifton Sikes" <[email protected]>,
> > <[email protected]>
> > Subject: Re: [OKDXA] DX, on 160
> >
> > Hi Clif and gang again,
> >
> > One thing I forgot to comment on is the radials.  More smaller ones are
> > better than a few long ones.  Elevated ones are better than those on the
> > ground.  Radials on top of the soil  have less loss than ones buried.
Try
> > to put out 40-70 radials and cut them to 75ft.  If you have the room and
> > wire then by all means make then a 1/4 wave long which is around 120
feet.
> > The ideas is to have very low loss at the bottom of the antenna were the
> > current is.  So more is better here, not just one long one!  Elevated
feeds
> > can get by with 2 to 4 radials if the ground losses are low and it also
> > depends on the height of the ground plane antenna
> >
> > Also on your inverted L, if you are using a 1/4 you might want to try a
3/8
> > wave.  It will move the current up a little and the losses at the base
are
> > not as great.  You match it with a simple series capacitor at the base.
You
> > could go to a 1/2, but most folks don't have the support to make the
center
> > vertical,  so the 3/8 is a good compromise!  If I remember a 3/8 on 160m
is
> > 177 to 180 feet long.  Matching a 1/2 on 160m is no fun with high power
> > because you are voltage feeding!
> >
> > If anyone needs the exact measurements of the radials, capacitor, or any
of
> > the above I can e-mail them later.
> >
> > Have fun and 73 de jay..
> >
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