Sidebar Sidebar
  • You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

Need a stealthy antenna.

K

KC2ZPK

W9WDX Amateur Radio Club Member
Dec 15, 2010
64
1
18
OK, passed tech and general, waiting for Callsign. Radio is being shipped, now I need an antenna!

The details,
Radio: Kenwood TS-940S/AT
QTH: I live in a condo/townhouse,(for now) so permanently attached antennas are not allowed. I do have some trees to string up some wire, but need stealthy ideas. I have to run coax from the radio out the window and buried for about 10 feet before I can get it above ground again. Even with that it is going to be about another 50-75 feet before the feed point.

I would like to work as many bands as possibable, but I realize running a 1/2 wave dipole on 160 meters is a long shot, unless it is loaded. The biggest I could hang is about 80-100ft long, about 30ft high. BUT it would have to be a single wire. A fan dipole would attract attention I do not want. Small loading coils or traps I could get away with if I paint them to match the trees. The only antenna tuner I can use is either the one in the radio, or in the 'shack' an outdoor tuner would likely be found and either reported or vandalized.

I need some ideas! I am sure I can get a 1/2 wave up for 10 meters, but would like to work more than that.

Thanks!!
 

Ponyxprs,
There are lots of possibilities, you just have to figure out one that will work in your situation. Very basically, an antenna has to be able to conduct electricity. From there it's just a matter of finding a 'size' and 'shape' that 'fits'.
The typical Kenwood built-in tuner can handle some odd antennas is they are at least 'close' to being 'right', but miracles aren't very likely, there are limits. An external tuner opens up more possibilities. Higher is always a nice thing to have, but not absolutely necessary. You can also 'adjust' the 'shape' of antennas, they aren't all that 'strict' about that.
I'm too cheap to buy antennas, mostly, so have found that you can do some really strange antennas if you're desperate enough :). Another alternative is how far away from a window do you park your vehicle? As in mobile antennas??
Good luck!
- 'Doc
 
For years, I ran an "End-Fed-Zepp", basically a 133' wire, end fed, fed with about 25' of 450 ohm Ladder-line. I used a Dentron Super-Tuner, but any good tuner with a balun will work. Worked like gang-busters! Don't worry about the length too much, just get as much wire out there as you can.

This antenna ran for 25' to a tree, then took a left hand turn for another 25' to tall post, then another left hand turn out to my eaves, up the side of the eaves to the far corner of the roof, and finally another left-hand turn to my chimney. Basically the antenna described a box. I ran it from 160M (somewhat poor), 80M (I worked England with it), 40 worked like gang-busters!!!, and 20 worked OK enough to work DX. 15 and 10 were fair.

For ten meters, I'd recommend using an Antron 99 as a flag-pole. ;)
 
Here's a good 'read' to start out your antenna hobby on the right foot.

Windom off center fed

I call it an "antenna hobby" because there's basically nothing more that can be done to radios or mics, so the antenna is the last semi-mystery to be discovered, enjoyed & re-worked / re-tuned until that reasonable level of performance, according to your standards, is achieved.

You can put $10k into a radio but if the antenna is poopy you'll be out-performed by a guy on a 30-year old Kenwood TS-520 with a good antenna. :cry:
 
For a more symmetrical broadside radiation pattern on all bands 10-80 meters to fit within 100', I'd suggest a W5GI Mystery Antenna (pretty good on all bands except 30 Meters), and is only 99' long.

Another stellar performer would be a 1/2 G5RV (51' long), and will work all bands 10 - 40 meters (pretty poor on 80M if you could even get the thing to load with a tuner). If you could go 102', you could use a FULL size G5RV

If you don't mind gain the LONG end of the antenna, an OCF Dipole (i.e.: Carolina Windom) is also an excellent compromise, but will be over 130' long

Good luck & congrats on the station
 
Dipole would work, but to get on more bands I would need traps? and they would make it more visible, yes? Flagpole won't work, I can't put anything like that up. The Carolina Windom looks promising, but I have seen several different balun designs. I will have to measure and see what distances I have, but 130' would be pushing it.
 
I put up a 80M wire dipole about 25' feet up in the trees. You can't see the wire, but the feed point and coax do stick out a little, even after a little grey paint to blend into the trees. It wont be much of an issue once the leaves come back, but then I am sure my signal will drop some. We should be moving in a year or so, so for the time being I can put up with it.
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.


      Top Bottom
      Back