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Reclaim LSB 16

I just managed to QSO with 226 in San Angelo, TX - about a 1300 trip as the crow flies. I did the first half of the conversation with the "6 Hub" Starduster and the 2nd half on a simple 1/4 wave "Marconi" ground plane I rigged using a stainless steel 102" Radio Shack whip for the vertical radiator. The pseudo-Starduster seems to get out a little better and also pick up more noise.

How does yours work for you?
It was pretty good. But, I like to experiment, changing antennas often. I am using my Cushcraft R5 these days. I did manage to strip out one of the radial threads with the whip. The hamstick threads are short though. If I used a whip with a longer thread, it would work.
 
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When was that? There used to be a group of French Canadians who regularly used USB 18. They'd come booming in down here every so often. Outside of that, SSB in the old days was strictly LSB 16 here in So. Florida.
I don't remember 18 being used in NY, just 16 LSB, but my memory is fading ;)
 
I checked the band earlier today's and propagation wasn't very good. Yesterday morning was good and did good late last night surprisingly. Will step into the shack shortly to see what's happening.
 
It was pretty good. But, I like to experiment, changing antennas often. I am using my Cushcraft R5 these days. I did manage to strip out one of the radial threads with the whip. The hamstick threads are short though. If I used a whip with a longer thread, it would work.
I had heard about the Workman hubs and went about actively looking for one. They were hard to find, so I grabbed 4 when I finally found a shop that carried them.

One of my threads is partially stripped, but there is enough there that I was able to screw in a 102" Radio Shack stainless steel whip. In experimenting, I found that the hub-based antenna actually worked pretty well even using only 1 downward sloping whip.

The Starduster clone idea appeals to me because I like an antenna that doesn't depend on a coil, matching network, etc. This center-fed dipole model won't get me the performance of a 5/8's wave, but it makes up for it in reliability.
 
I had heard about the Workman hubs and went about actively looking for one. They were hard to find, so I grabbed 4 when I finally found a shop that carried them.

One of my threads is partially stripped, but there is enough there that I was able to screw in a 102" Radio Shack stainless steel whip. In experimenting, I found that the hub-based antenna actually worked pretty well even using only 1 downward sloping whip.

The Starduster clone idea appeals to me because I like an antenna that doesn't depend on a coil, matching network, etc. This center-fed dipole model won't get me the performance of a 5/8's wave, but it makes up for it in reliability.
I liked the idea of it for a few reasons. Easy up and down, simple, lightweight and basically impervious to weather. Decent performance...The shunt coil DC ground was my thinking and it made this antenna a good one.
 
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