Bought a HF Rig.....Except the Antenna

[hookedon6]

it looks as if having a 6 position antenna switch just isn't enough. It depends upon how much one can work a radio and how much is enough. Having a 10-80m dipole, a 160m slope, a A99 10-17m, and a 20-80m vertical seems to be the most likely way to do it

ROB, please don't take this wrong, but,... i'm really am at a loss trying to understand what you want/need. it seems like you want a "dc to daylight" antenna system coverning bands that you don't even have privliges on (yet). heck, there are bands i never use even though i could if i wanted to.
if i can give you some advice, it would be to build and use an antenna on the bands that you can use now and have fun.

your lot is big enough for any multi banded verticle, di-pole/loop (fed via a tuner). or..... why not construct a w5gi "mystery" antenna?

if it were me, ....i would really be looking at that 60 foot pine tree (i wish i had one) a "sloper'' or a long wire (tuned to the lowest band you will use, and fed via a tuner for the higher bands) will work well and can be used to RX on all bands too. good luck and have fun

 

[packrat]

antenna

remember too that verticals are inherantly noisy! They pick up a lot of electrical hash due to the polarization.

 

[N9RZD]

You've probably read on another thread here on WWRF, that I bought a Icom IC-718, LDG Z-100, and a Samlex 25 amp supply recently. And yes, I am an Tech Amateur. There have been more than a few threads about MF/HF multiband antennas here, and I have read a lot of them. I also posted a similar thread on qrz forums on this subject. But I would like all of your inputs - if you would, as members of WWRF that I read and enjoy the most.

Here's my problem: My property is rectangular shaped(of course); it is far shorter north to south and wider east to west. The dimensions are 55 feet due N/S; and 100 ft due E/W - that's the perspective view. A dipole would have to be oriented twards the E/W because of the property shape; and that won't work as far as I can see from here. But I want/need and E/W orientation for the US, Europe, and Japan - this is what I see as the plan IF a dipole is selected. And 55 ft isn't enough room and would be awkward - if not impossible - to set up. That's my problem...

The folded dipole has been my consideration because of its great low SWR, can use it on 160 meters (or even a smaller 80 meter version - for that matter) all the way down to 2 meters - but will not fit on my property - due to the short N/S length. So, I am considering verticals rather than dipoles that give me the best bang-for-buck as well as the greatest band usage for about $300-$350 cost. I want to mount it on my chimney and use 20 ft of masting w/guy support.

What do you recommend? What do you use? Do any have similar problems with antenna choice? Do verticals make a noisy IC-718 radio even noisier? GAP Challenger/Titan DX or the Hustler 4-5-6 BTV's? Or ??? Do you like what you have and know of a better antenna solution? I know that there are always trade-offs and no one antenna is perfect - but what do you like and can it be applied to my situation?

I know its sounds like im beating a drum here ,
But i like the w5gi mysterywire
but sounds like you dont have the real estate,
unless you go corner to corner
it measures approx 101 feet
its a multiband colinear , and i and highlander821
collaborated and built a couple of these last summer
it performs well , exhibits gain on 20 mtrs
and behaves like a g5rv on all the others
W5GI Website - Mystery Antenna

another option , would be a fan dipole
MULTI BAND HF FAN DIPOLE ANTENNA DESIGN

you could run either of these angled across your property
provided you had the supports .

as mentioned earlier , you wont have too many issues with a dipole being
very directional ,
i worked hawaii and guam earlier this year on 17 mtrs with my
w5gi, off the southern end of the antenna , not broadside
from illinois
so dont let that discourage you , just throw the damn thing up any way
you can ,
any antenna is better than none
only drawback i can see for you is you wont have a fully resonannt antenna , for 160 , but a decent antenna tuner should bring
you close on the 80 mtr section ,
hell , most nights you can hook up a wet noodle and work 160 ;-)
one other thing , you may consider a vertical ,
but most guys find that they are noisier for hf than horizontal

good luck

73 de rich

 

[Robb]

Complicated?

ROB, please don't take this wrong, but,... i'm really am at a loss trying to understand what you want/need. it seems like you want a "dc to daylight" antenna system coverning bands that you don't even have privliges on (yet). heck, there are bands i never use even though i could if i wanted to.
if i can give you some advice, it would be to build and use an antenna on the bands that you can use now and have fun.

your lot is big enough for any multi banded verticle, di-pole/loop (fed via a tuner). or..... why not construct a w5gi "mystery" antenna?

if it were me, ....i would really be looking at that 60 foot pine tree (i wish i had one) a "sloper'' or a long wire (tuned to the lowest band you will use, and fed via a tuner for the higher bands) will work well and can be used to RX on all bands too. good luck and have fun

Well, I think that is a good question:"What do I need?"
Very little.
I'm new to Ham; fairly experienced with CB's. My need to understand Ham is an offshoot of being a storm spotter (NWS, SKYWARN) and storm chaser. I report to the NWS, Buena Vista/IA county emergency mgr, and I attempt to take pictures that document these events that are sent digitally to the NWS. This has been my first year at it too; and it is voluntary. I studied everything that I am contributing. Using GR3 weather radar software on a laptop in my vehicle tethered to a cell phone. Meteorology is a very difficult subject to grasp from private study, but it is coming along. I feel grateful that I had one of my pictures published in a new book out called "The Storm Chasing Handbook" by Tim Vasquez. He also runs a forum called "Stormtrack" that I am also a member of. He is a retired USAF Meteorologist that helped out in the planning of 'Operation Desert Storm' as one of the forecasters. The man knows his business and his forum has been a great help to my learning process.

SO how does this all tie in? Well, I also have the need to make the radio system work by doing my homework on it. So that I spend my money wisely, and not have to take a second shot at it if at all possible. I've always been a gearhead, and I have a knack for studying gear/specs/usefullnes before I buy anything. Some see it as being a bit anal; I just think it is my attempt at not being wasteful with resources or time.

Getting a Ham setup and being able to use it to its fullness is very important to me right now. I have less than three months before the storm season begins once again, and then I will have to be out spotting, reporting, and photographing for three months. I'll post a link to my Picasa website on WWRF some time real soon, and you can see some of the tornado pictures I've covered last season - along with some of the damage it's done. I need to get it set up and get some trigger time on the radio if I am going to be fluent enough to report on the SKYWARN and NWS direct Ham links. I have to cram for my General exam to be able to use the IC-718 to its fullness on my time off, so I can chat and become more able to be useful in emergency situations.
Thanks for asking, though...

 

[Highlander_821]

I'll say this--I was VERY skeptical as to whether simple wire antennas would actually work well.

I am actually amazed at how well my W5GI works! 100 watts is all I run.

Other options seem to work really well, too. Fan dipoles seem like an interesting alternative.

Sonwatcher has an off-center fed dipole that he made for like ten bucks, that works for him on most bands.

I hear alot of guys running 130 foot flattops, slopers, or inverted V wire antennas fed with window or ladderline and a good tuner, and they have BIG signals too, so it doesn't even need to be complicated at all.

I used to think that no homebrew antenna made from wire would be as good as they are!

 

[dudmuck]

KI6USW show as technician class. Just want to verify that technician class is only allowed HF voice on 28.1 to 28.5MHz.

There was some talk about HF vertical.
The thing is that verticals on HF pick up more noise, since (man-made) noise is vertically polarized, but this is more pertinent to the longer wavelengths. You have alot of other good antenna recommendations on this thread.

another thing is that IC-718. Its a good starter radio, but nothing to write home about.
It can be improved by installing better I.F. filters. The reviews says the AM filters are too wide, and the same for SSB. It has different filters for each?
You can buy a 500Hz / 2.3KHz filter board for the radio, but i'm not sure what that does to AM.

 

[N9RZD]

KI6USW show as technician class. Just want to verify that technician class is only allowed HF voice on 28.1 to 28.5MHz.

There was some talk about HF vertical.
The thing is that verticals on HF pick up more noise, since (man-made) noise is vertically polarized, but this is more pertinent to the longer wavelengths. You have alot of other good antenna recommendations on this thread.

another thing is that IC-718. Its a good starter radio, but nothing to write home about.
It can be improved by installing better I.F. filters. The reviews says the AM filters are too wide, and the same for SSB. It has different filters for each?
You can buy a 500Hz / 2.3KHz filter board for the radio, but i'm not sure what that does to AM.

yes, but he's making some noise about gittin his General !!!!!!

 

[Robb]

Did I forget to mention that I have a new Yaesu FT-8800R and a Diamond mag mount for storm chasing and NWS/SKYWARN that I am capable of using on my Tech license? Guess I did...
Also, I can operate on 6 meters, 28.3-28.5 MHz SSB, and 15, 40, and 80 meters on CW (after qualification).

Here is a link to StormChaseIowa pictures on Google's 'Picasa'.
Enjoy.
StormChaseIowa - Google Image Search

 

[rfoverlord]

Oh yeah, I forgot about a fan dipole. They are good, especially if you can get them way up. They are cheap and easy to make.

 

[packrat]

wire

I just want to butt in here and try to simplify. ALL antennas are wire antennas if you think of it. An antenna is an antenna is an antenna... They are just built from heavier wire.LOL( aluminum tube). The military used wire antennas on aircraft, ships, etc... Wire is cheap, simple to work with, can be made to fit any location or need, is easily packed, moved and modified and has been used by hams since the beginning. Just look at any antenna and try to picture it as a bunch of wire, and you will get my gist.

 

[W5LZ]

I agree, that be 'gist' true!
The only problem I have with 'fiberglass' antennas is that fiberglass doesn't like me much, makes me itch and worse. But if it filled the particular need for an antenna, sure, why not. Fiberglass may affect mechanical things, but doesn't affect electrical things.
- 'Doc

 

[park]

Well, I'm going to guy-wire it up close the base of the antenna itself. I'm going to buy - or make - a stainless steel chimney attachment/mount to support the base of the 20 ft of masting. Considering that the vertical antennas listed above range from 21 ft to 29 ft in length themselves, the 20 ft of masting and 8 ft of roof height should give me a total height of 49-58 ft to the tip/height to ground surface.

I am also equally concerned about the noise factor. The Icom IC-718 is not known as being a 'quiet' radio; so the noise input from these choices are also a major consideration. I am also considering selling the Samlex switching P/S and getting a transformer-designed 25-40 amp supply in order to ensure less noise due to the power supply induced noise that switching supplies are known for. It is an entry-level Ham radio that has simple functions, and since I am new to Ham - I consideri it indispensable. I really like the numeric-frequency input, which simplifies its use even further.

Good ahead and try what you want, but I have tried them ALL! and guess what works very good, WIRE. As far as antennas go you are not going to put up one antenna and be done with it, that's what makes wire antennas so fun and cheap. You can buy a 1/4 mile of electric fence wire for about $13.00. I had a gap titan 10 years ago, it worked (20 meters and up) good but now I feel silly for spending that much money for an HF antenna. VHF and above is another story.

I know guys that have limited space and have put up dipoles that are shaped like a Z when viewed from above that work great.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

KI6USW show as technician class. Just want to verify that technician class is only allowed HF voice on 28.1 to 28.5MHz.

Did I forget to mention that I have a new Yaesu FT-8800R and a Diamond mag mount for storm chasing and NWS/SKYWARN that I am capable of using on my Tech license? Guess I did...
Also, I can operate on 6 meters, 28.3-28.5 MHz SSB,

Almost,,,,,

28.0 to 28.5

But close enough


http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/news/part97/d-301.html#301



.

 

[packrat]

antenna

Well,
I usually "gist" make an ass of myself.:laugh:

 

[Robb]

One of you mentioned a 'Windom' and a 'Fan Dipole'. Well, I looked into the Windom and it seems to be very efficient, covers many bands, and has a decent broadband capability. It's only $59 plus shipping -10% w/PayPal.
What do you think of the Radiowavz brand and the 10-40 meter version?
DX(OCF)Windom
If I have to get a dipole up for 40 meters and below; I would need a distance of 66 ft above groud for a half-wave of 40 meters. Correct?

Has anyone used this brand and can tell me anything about it? For the price, I don't think I could buy all the parts and assemble and tune it any cheaper. Time is one of the considerations I have; as I have three month untill it's off to the Great Plains and storm spotting. I think I can make it from a tree on the far east end of the lot, put up a mast in the middle, and terminate at the west end of the property. Which is where my Ham shack is. I've also noticed that Radiowavz sells a dipole for the CB band; any input on this? I could probably make a CB dipole out of a SO-239 connector and a dual 18 ft run of stainless steel or solid core copper wire and build it myself. Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Anyone use a dipole for CB and like it? Is it as good as the claims?