Newbie with vertical install of HF antenna

[Alan Blackmon]

Some great suggestions here. I really like the friendliness of this group. It is pretty cold outside now and being retired I get antsy and want to get moving. So out I go and do something. Many of my CB friends keep asking me what projects I am doing today because they know I just don't sit still much. As I expand into new horizons and new friends I think this new venture is going to be so much fun. Just the replies here are showing me that.

 

[Road Squawker]

...or with just a few feet of wire, you can add 12 and/or 17 to a BTV.

I added 44 feet to my BTV in an inverted L configuration, and it works great on 60 meters.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

What? 10 meters is open almost every day to somewhere & you suggest not worrying about it? I owned a 5 BTV years ago & it had all kinds of issues with the rivets coming loose so I put stainless steel screws in the spots where the rivets were & it made a much better connection & took away all of the issues with losing connections between the joints. I found that a G5RV out talked & heard much better than the vertical except on 40 meters where it was pretty close either way. I had much more noise on the vertical than the G5RV but that is a very common issue with a vertical antenna. Also the 5BTV does not give you the WARC Bands & I think that 17 meters (My favorite HF Band) is a great DX Band. Use what you have but improve it when possible.

SIX-SHOOTER

You can add some wires for 12 and 17 meters if you want or if not sure how to go about it then buy the 12m or 17m add on kits from DX Engineering. You can even add both of them if you want. IO think they also have a 30m option. I have the 17m kit installed on my Hustler 5BTV and I also suggest anyone installing such an antenna follow the directions from DX Engineering as they have an improved installation manual that beats the original Hustler instructions. I followed their instructions and everything came out exactly as was predicted.There are a few length settings to change and they claim it performs a bit better.

 

[Alan Blackmon]

Bundled up and went out today to bury some radials. I had bought a spool of some surplus wire at a local Restore. The spool had enough 14 ga insulated wire to bury 8 radials. Lengths were anywhere from 18-25ish feet. I was able to bury each of them pretty easily. The sod was pretty soft so cutting some slits and pushing the wire into the ground was easy. I used some lawn staples to keep them in place and cut the slits and pushed the wire into the ground. Lots of mud on my shoes and pant legs. Ground here is a clay soil so it was easy to mold the soil back over the wire. When done I was hard pressed to see where the radials had been laid. Going back to Restore and buy the other two spools to finish the radial field. Total cost of radial field will be $12ish dollars. Love good deals.

Being retired is a blast. Extra time to have some fun. Spent my working life working hard in a lumber mill out in Scotia Ca. After leaving the mill I worked in a fab producing memory chips for computers and cameras. This job was at Micron in Boise Idaho Also made imager chips for cameras and phones. After that job worked as a satellite installer. That was a fun gig. Now I stay at home and do honey do chores and fun projects of my own.

 

[743SEPA]

The only hf I run for now is 10 meters. I am using an old Antron 99 vertical and seems to do much better than the 10 meter dipole I have in the attic.

 

[W4KVW]

Yes I do

I work DX every week on 10 meters and plenty of QSO’s across North America as well. I will keep working them on 10 meters and lots of other bands as well.

SIX-SHOOTER

 

[Alan Blackmon]

This 10 meter news sounds promising. I have a Moxon I built for 11 meters that I can redo and run 10 meters easy.

 

[w9cll]

Dont get to excited 10 is not that open

 

[Alan Blackmon]

Looked up my callsign on the FCC web site. I am now official. I have not received an email but I am on the FCC look up site.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support. Now I just have to have some snow melt and get back to the antenna project.

 

[BJ radionut]

https://static.dxengineering.com/global/images/instructions/dxe-btv-inst-ins_oh.pdf
AS CAPTAIN KILOWATT recommended, great instructions. DXE is the Masters of these antennas.

Alan: While we all wait for weather to break, take a look at the very good assembly instructions above. Take a good hard look at the parts for the Vertical antenna itself.
First make sure everything is there. Then look over the individual pieces, and see where they may suggest better components upgrades to the assembly. Then possibly where (sense the antenna was used before) normal wear or the environment has degraded existing pieces. You may need to replace some hardware/clamps/screws...etc.
This way when the time comes to assemble, you don't reach a stopping point due to a shortage or a part(s) that require being replaced ...etc.
You may even wish to get some of the upgrade add-on kits and have those ready in-house when the magic time arrives to start the final assembly.
I would certainly think about the 17m kit, even if you don't have a rig that operates there.
This would save having to remove or drop the antenna at a later date to make that change.
Great now your official, congratulation's again.
I look forward to putting you in the log soon!
Many here to help, just let us know.
All the Best
Gary/W9FNB

PS: Something else to consider now that you official. You certainly will need these.

http://kb3ifh.homestead.com/portfolio.html

He does a super job!(He printed mine!)
He is just one of the many "HAM" vendors I would recommend.
73

 

[Alan Blackmon]

Today I will work on the corner in the garage I am going to install radio on. Recently installed a 20 amp circuit for power in this corner. Breaker box was just a few feet away. Ground rod is just through the wall.

Built a desk in the corner. Recently added a shelf under desk. Had my CB there. Installing the Icom IC701 in its place. CB will be moved off desk but still usable. Need to find place to set up a computer. Have a Mac mini now. May have to move to a windows laptop?

 

[338_MtRushmore]

I work DX every week on 10 meters and plenty of QSO’s across North America as well. I will keep working them on 10 meters and lots of other bands as well.

SIX-SHOOTER

I think this has to do with latitude. Operators in southern states talk about 11m being open often. Up north decent openings are pretty rare.

I don't know if the theory has any merit, but I definitely don't have the conditions you have.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I think this has to do with latitude. Operators in southern states talk about 11m being open often. Up north decent openings are pretty rare.

I don't know if the theory has any merit, but I definitely don't have the conditions you have.

That is definitely true, Same goes for 6m. I see guys working 10 and 6m all the time in the southern states while band conditions here at 45 degrees north are non-existent.

 

[W4KVW]

I think this has to do with latitude. Operators in southern states talk about 11m being open often. Up north decent openings are pretty rare.

I don't know if the theory has any merit, but I definitely don't have the conditions you have.

I will Trade you some HOT weather & some 10 meter prop for some COLD weather & Snow. LOL I Hate Hot weather.

SIX-SHOOTER

 

[743SEPA]

Today I will work on the corner in the garage I am going to install radio on. Recently installed a 20 amp circuit for power in this corner. Breaker box was just a few feet away. Ground rod is just through the wall.

Built a desk in the corner. Recently added a shelf under desk. Had my CB there. Installing the Icom IC701 in its place. CB will be moved off desk but still usable. Need to find place to set up a computer. Have a Mac mini now. May have to move to a windows laptop?

In the garage? Hope it's heated or you're in a mild climate.