Posted: 6/29/2010 1:21:06 PM EDT
|
As some of you know I got my General ticket last weekend and am now plotting ( err...planning) my HF station here at Villa Snuffy. Problem: What antenna to use. I have a postage stamp for a backyard, big tree that takes up most of it, and a small house too.
With limited space, I would like to use one multiband for as many bands as possible, 10-160 would be nice but 10-80 is ok too. Hanging a long wire is out, I read somewhere you can run a G5RV in a z pattern and it'll work, would REALLY like to stick with a stick(vertical). Comments,questions,suggestions... Oh, and I wouldn't mind building something to keep the cost down. |
| here is a 40-10m setup. not sure if this is something like what your looking for. http://www.hamuniverse.com/kl7jr4010portablevertical.html here is the main sight so you can have a look around at what you can build. http://www.hamuniverse.com/antennas.html |
| I am a master at compromise antennas. I ran a G5RV in Arkansas that started about 12' off the ground, went up to 30' turned 90 degrees and came down to 20' and turned again and came to 10' Thing looked like a roller coaster....but I still got out. Right now I'm running a G5RV jr in an UN-Inverted V starting 30' up and going to the center at 20' and back to 25'. And I still get contacts. Talked to Fargo ND last night on 10m. I just don't have the trees that I need in the right places. In a mobile I worked 17m for years with a mag mount antenna. It's just about working with what you have. If I could set up a vertical I'd be all over it. But I have to be stealthy. I like the G5RV's as they have done well for me. As long as you have a tuner, you can make it work. You could set it up in an inverted V high and keep the ends 10' off the ground, that shouldn't take up much space. |
|
Use the large tree as a support for vertical wires to create a "fan vertical" antenna. Simple 1/4 wave elements for the various bands... 40/20/15/10 should be pretty simple, along with ground radials. Figure out how tall the tree is, make a long element with some top or linear loading and use a tuner and you should be ok on 80 as well.
Or just put up a 41' length of wire (for 80-20m) and put an SGC remote tuner at the base of the tree, along with a separate 18' length wire for the higher bands (17-10m). |
|
If you have room for a G5RV look into the ZS6BKW antenna. It's a modified and better matched antenna than the G5RV. There's a guy that sells them on Ebay for $55 delivered. Well made. A long time ago I made a simple antenna using a piece of screen hardware cloth for a ground plane and Firestick and Ham stick antennas for various bands. I've also wound 1/4 wave lengths of magnet wire on PVC pipe and made short vertical antennas in that manner. Just a random piece of long wire will work if you've got a tuner. Just remember to ground it when it's not in use. |