[PaQSO] Antenna recommendations

Wed, 10 Jul 2002 17:20:48 -0400

I should have mentioned, same here John - mine also is an ampless camp.  

Regarding upper bands - I would go as far as saying they are extremely
important, primarily for the mults (and additional Q's) to our friends west
of the Mississippi.

Band changing is key, and I look forward to that thread.

Best Regards,

Bob, N3FR

-----Original Message-----
From: John Myers [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 5:10 PM
To: Bob Crossland
Subject: Re: [PaQSO] Antenna recommendations

Speaking from this camp, I am eagerly awaiting some advice on when to change
bands.

Also, how much effort should I put into the higher bands (20/15/10) ? With
me being a portable station, with simple antennas, and no amplifier.

TNX es 73,

John, KD8MQ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Crossland" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 4:06 PM
Subject: RE: [PaQSO] Antenna recommendations

> Howdy folks,
>
> Great seeing all the activity, especially when considering it's all about
> one of my favorite topics - what antennas to use for the PaQP?
>
> A smart man once said "it depends on your aspirations, that is, do you
want
> to kick some aspiration or do you mind having your aspiration kicked".
> Seriously, I agree with what my good friend Ed, WA3SES said (paraphrasing)
> in that your goal(s) in this contest contribute heavily toward your
antenna
> selection(s).  That is, if you are in it to drain every last contact out
of
> the masses of participants, then you probably want to look at antennas
> designed specifically for each band.  That combined with picking the right
> times to make band changes (this also involves some measure of luck), will
> usually provide you with a steady flow of Q's.  But let's stick to antenna
> talk for now.  Band changing could be a topic for another thread!
>
> I also go portable every year which in my case means wire antennas.  Here
is
> a rundown on various antenna configurations I've used in the past:
>
> 1.  G5RV for 80, 40, 20 and 15 and a vertical for 10.  G5RV is much
> like the Windom 80 in that it sings great on 80 and 40 but is just alright
> for 20, not so good for 15 and pretty bad on 10
>
> 2.  Windom 80 for 80 and 40, 20 meter dipole for 20 and 10, and
> worked 15 on whatever would load.  Obviously didn't do real well on 15
that
> year.
>
> 3.  80 meter horizontal loop, Windom 80, and a 20 meter dipole.
> Received rave reviews about my signal on 80 and 40 that year but turned in
> one of my lowest scores ever.  Go figure.  For the time it took to install
> the loop, I doubt that I'll do that again.  But hey, that's what this
hobby
> is all about.  Trial and (hopefully not too many) error.
>
> 4.  Individual dipoles for 160, 40, 20 and the Windom 80.  This
> worked the best as the 40 meter dipole works quite well on 15, and the 20
> worked okay on 10.  Had all the bands covered.
>
> I have to say however that 160 is a strange bird and is very dependent on
> activity (guess this is true about all the bands huh?).  I do recall
however
> that the year after Ed got his kazillion contacts on 160 I made it a point
> to erect a dipole for that band.  It took me at least 3 hours to get that
> thing up and I got no more contacts on average than I did previous years
> without it.  That's not to say a 160 dipole is not worth doing.  That's
only
> saying you just never know.
>
> Anyway, here's my antenna configuration for this year (at least as of July
> 10, 2002 at 3:45pm eastern):
>
> - 80 meter dipole (using the shorting stub on this antenna makes it
> work pretty well on 160)
> - 40 meter dipole (this antenna will also be used for 15 meters)
> - 20 meter dipole (this antenna will also be used for 10 meters)
> - If time and space permits, I may erect the 160 dipole.  I'm going
> to a different cabin this year in Warren so I can't say whether there will
> be room for a 160 dipole.
>
> That's it folks.  Hope I didn't bore anyone to tears but as you can see, I
> love talking about this stuff.
>
> Regardless of our configurations, here's hoping that my antennas become
good
> friends with your antennas and that they talk loudly, and frequently!
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Bob, N3FR
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Kempisty [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 12:09 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [PaQSO] Antenna recommendations
>
>
> All,
>
> The past couple of years I have run a low (about 28 feet) G5RV from home
> and had excellent results.  Unfortunately, the G5RV had to be retired
> after last year.  I have been thinking of making (or buying) a new one
> but the Carolina Windom 80 caught my eye.
>
> What are the collective's opinions on it?  Also, has anyone been able to
> get it to work on 160?  I usually make a brief foray there but it
> amounts to less than 20 contacts.
>
> --
> Take care,
> Mark
>
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