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Recent content by kaosfm

  1. K

    Coaxial Sleeve Dipole-Driven Slim-Jim Collinear Antenna Proposal

    Hi All, I hope all is well and was hoping to get some feedback from the forum for a new antenna project I am working on. I've been attempting to learn all I can about vertical collinear antennas and the various methods of loading and phasing them. I want to avoid a jpole design due to the...
  2. K

    Hi-Fidelity / Lo-Finance

    Alright folks...got some updates for you all! I was really inspired by the various comments and was compelled to hook up the receiver (25LTD Classic) output into the line-in jack of my laptop and take some actual measurements of the audio spectrum in real-time under varying scenarios...
  3. K

    Hi-Fidelity / Lo-Finance

    Thanks for all of the prompt replies to the thread thus far. I'm under no illusions about the fact that hardware bottlenecks are in play with this setup. I realize true broadcast grade audio is a pipe dream with this radio. However, there is certainly a significant room for improvement from...
  4. K

    Hi-Fidelity / Lo-Finance

    Hi All! I've been an avid Audio/Video junkie for decades now. The last time I was into the radio hobby, I was a middle-schooler without any type of discerning ear as far as audio quality is concerned. Heck, back then I naively assumed that one can judge the quality of an audio system based...
  5. K

    Mounting Inverted V Under A99 Vertical

    Hi All, A couple of updates for everyone on this thread. I was able to trim the dipoles to resonance. To broaden the bandwidth a bit while maintaining low SWR, I recently acquired a MFJ-941e antenna tuner and put it inline. The results are excellent. I can tune it to a perfect 1:1 match...
  6. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    Hi Everyone! I never could have predicted just how great the responses have been to this particular thread. Thanks so much for all of the valuable insights on the topic. I wanted to share an update with you all that is part of another thread I recently posted with some relevance to this...
  7. K

    Mounting Inverted V Under A99 Vertical

    Well I couldn't quite wait, so I went ahead and gave it a go. There appears to be no negative interaction between the two antennas despite their proximity. I suppose if they were actually co-phased, it would be another story (and likely a disaster). The only problem is, I cut the dipoles to...
  8. K

    Mounting Inverted V Under A99 Vertical

    Awesome! The experimenter in me simply has to find out. I think I will lower the mast this weekend and hook up the inverted V. You're correct in that ultimately trying things out is the only proper way to address the question at-hand. Thanks for the input.
  9. K

    Mounting Inverted V Under A99 Vertical

    I wanted to get some thoughts as to a proposal. I built a 2-element fan-dipole with one element tuned for 11-meter use and the other for 10-meter use. While my 1/2 wave vertical (A99) works quite well for both local and dx contacts on both bands, I would like to have the option available to...
  10. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    What I wonder about that BigHair colinear 5/8 over 5/8 antenna is how the hell can that thing be self supporting? Just dealing with an 18' A99, I see the fiberglass elements flapping all around and transferring that energy down the mast. I can't imagine a 50' tall stacked 5/8 CB antenna that...
  11. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    As a follow up to my previous post, I think "Big Hair" of BigHairAntennas.com is onto something with his custom built "half-wave over quarter wave" antenna. He suggests it is superior to a standard A99 because it actually has a quarter wave section on the bottom (in the form of radials it would...
  12. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    I wonder if you were to cut open the A99 and uncoil the matching coil if it would equal 1/4 wavelength with the short coax stub factored in. In essence, the A99 would be like an improved jpole, where it uses a 1/4 wave tuning "stub" of sorts to drive the 1/2 wave element, but that 1/4 wave stub...
  13. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    While doing research prior to my recent post, I inadvertently came across the original patent for the variable mutual transductance tuning system that forms the heart of the A99. Interesting read and quite a bit of detail present. I can't quite interpret everything present with my...
  14. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    Good insights HomerBB. This leads me to another thought process on this antenna altogether... I keep thinking about the description of the A99 in marketing literature, which refers to it as a "half-wave over quarter-wave variable mutual transductance tuned antenna". We've already...
  15. K

    Solarcon A99 Experimental Results and Analysis of Ground Plane Radials

    Hi All! I haven't replied to my original topic in some time, so I figured it was about time for an update. There are some new developments in my obsessive-compulsive pursuits of antenna perfection with the A99. First, I couldn't help myself...I had to implement some of the concepts that...