Help Pictures for the brain dead

[PhulesAu]

I got this little gem off the wponderful world of ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270663655161&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 I have a couple different sizes of fiberglass push ups in the stick house garage. I understand the need to keep the feedline connection off the ground by a couple feet, or as high as practicle. my question is What does the stinking angle need to be it I use it as a sloped style. QRZ , E-Ham, ARRL, all seem to get conflicting statements and opinions.

[Radio]

First, welcome to ORR.net.

Second, if it works as advertised and reviewed, it would be a great antenna for the RV'er.

Third, I have no clue about this thing, all the reviews seemed to conflict each other as to orientation, grounding, use of tuner and so on. I guess you'd have to play with it to see what works. We will follow your progress, and I'm sure someone on here can address specific problems as the occur.

It would seem best to configure as a sloper, use a coax choke as described on their home page, and you'll need a tuner. Don't know what you'd ground to in a park, the water pipe, perhaps?

Again, welcome to ORR.net :hi:

[WD8QBQ]

Welcome PhulesAu, are you already a Ham, what's your call? :hello:

This is a very friendly group of guys and gals.

Wondering why did you buy the ebay antenna without knowing more about it? :poke:

JIM :)

[W9WLS]

I believe, if you open the box you will find a balun, loading coil, and possibly a capacitor of some sort forming a tuned circuit to end feed the long wire.

Here's a link to it's close second cousin (once removed).

http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/files/160Half-Slooper-Antenna.pdf

[PhulesAu]

I'm not sure why my info doesn't come up?????:bag: Call sign KE5PPH I was going to use it as a verticle, then had a brain hiccup and decided that a sloped set-up might be easier with a Tall FG post attatched to the landing gear post. then out to a tripod or handy post. My problem is the more I dig for information, the the more guesses I hear as to what is "best". My best WAG is 30 - 45 degrees and N - S orientation. I have an LDG tuner and a bigger MFJ Manual tuner as well. I thought about using the TT frame as counterpoise. Also ground to water service, or ground rods or jumper to service ground.:whistle:

[W9WLS]

Mark:
Whether you are camping or at home, the installation of an antenna depends on the situation and what you intend / hope for the antenna to do.
The main thing is to protect the P.A. of the radio (you've got a tuner to do that if the antenna doesn't present a good match it's self), and protect any ground traffic in the area of the antenna (unless of course you live right next to an airport).
A simple statement is, if you put an antenna up in one place and it tunes well, if you move that same antenna even 100 feet, put it up in the same configuration, it may act a bit differently, you just never know till you try it.
There are volumes written on antenna theory, and there is no one perfect antenna (except maybe a dummy load) for everyone, that's part of the fun of the hobby (and frustration).
Give us reports, you might have found a good thing, only you can tell !

73, John

[PhulesAu]

So true. However ME experimenting usually ends up being one of those"Ya'll ain't gonna believe this" moments. Home Depot has offered it's self as a source of insperation. I already have several joints of the military green fiberglass pole sections, I use them with a 4 way 1.5" coupler and 2 3 foot pieces sticking out from either side to hold a 2/70 and 220 J poles that just drop into 3/4" holes. I thought I'd make another top cross piece, to 1. drop the 18' push-up into and 2. use the "arm" to hold the connection/network box out like a sail boat boom/mast looking affair. I could then get the whole thing up where it would take a ladder to come into contact with it. I'll get pictures while trying not to kill myself this weekend, since we're supposed to have some nice weather. I'm hoping my MFJ 934 will let me tune well enough to talk to SOMEBODY!!!!!:D IF it works then I'll work on portability.

[Radio]

If you mean info coming up, do you mean your sig file doesn't work?

[PhulesAu]

YES, I filled it out when I signed up. I guess the interwebnets ate it. So I filled it out again.

[KF5BET]

Welcome aboard Mark. Glad to see another join the ranks.

Let us know how the antenna works once you get it up.

[PhulesAu]

Good Morning All. Well it's up! looks like something Dr. Frankenstien built, but it seems to "hear" pretty well. I didn't have a way(duh) to make it a sloped configuration, in the yard and have it pointed in the right direction. So.... It's now a flat top, at about 25'. I drug the Kenwood and tuner out to the back yard and hooked it up. Low and behold the first station I get was on 20Mtrs from Montana. Dialed around a heard Austrailia-Japan-Venezuala-Az-Sc-Tn and FL. Gotta hit the Hardware store again to get my ground set-up. I made a choke coil of 10 turns on a 6" PVC form hope that will be good enough. Will be testing later to see If I can talk to any one! After some of the Bumps in the road, getting this up. I'm not so sure this will be a RV/campground friendly antenna. Maybe if I ran it as verticle, but then the whole issue of guying comes into play. So far none of the camp grounds we've been to are big enough to allow that, too many trees and spaces to close.

[PhulesAu]

IT WORKS:bounce: After much gnashing of teeth and 4-5 and 6 letter words. i got the thing to work. I'm very thankful for a couple elmers.:worthy: First contact was a school club in Pittsburg PA, then check in with the YL net just to confirm the first contact wasn't a fluke.

[W9WLS]

OK Mark:
Please give us some details.
How did you finally install it ?
What was the initial problem with it ?
What was the fix?
What frequency's (band's) were the contacts ?
Was / is it worth the effort ?
How easy was it to install / get working ?

In short, Please give us a review and whether or not you can recommend it for others based on your experience.

73, John

[PhulesAu]

Ain't tellin':waggle:





the Antenna is at 22' running Magnetic north and south. on a combination of fiberglass poles. put up or take down in 10 minutes. If it were not for the network box and choke coil, you couldn't see it. if you ran it as a verticle, a small bush could hide everything but the wire. When I first tried to set it up, I ran the antenna to the mfj tuner then to the radio. I put couldn't tune it. simple stupidity kept me from ,1. putting the radio in AM mode and 2. holding the PTT button down. I thought you needed to transmit a tone for tuning. I even convinced several others that this was the case. In steps K5HLZ and sets me straight. Mind you this is NOT stated in the Instructions. I over thought the whole thing. Antenna to Z100 LDG AT to Radio and BINGO!!
It works just fine. The wire lenght is 26' and a 4x4x2 junction box with the matching coil inside. it's all nice and sealed up against the elelments. There's a eye-bolt on top for hanging the box, or you could screw it to a 4x4 post holding your purple martin house up. the oter end comes with a small isolator.

[PhulesAu]

The whole thing is about a pound. I've worked station from CA to MD to SD and FL. as a flat top it's quiet, and as the bands improve I expect to be able to work some of the DX station I hear. My contacts so far have been on 17, 20 and 30 mtrs. It says it'll work 80 mtrs, but that "I" think will take more power than I have. For the price, size and "EASE" of installation, it's a good deal. If I can score a deal for a 30' stiff push-up, it will go in the TT.

[WD8QBQ]

The whole thing is about a pound. I've worked station from CA to MD to SD and FL. as a flat top it's quiet, and as the bands improve I expect to be able to work some of the DX station I hear. My contacts so far have been on 17, 20 and 30 mtrs. It says it'll work 80 mtrs, but that "I" think will take more power than I have. For the price, size and "EASE" of installation, it's a good deal. If I can score a deal for a 30' stiff push-up, it will go in the TT.


This company has many different heights available.

://www.wonderpole.com/wp640_630.html

JIM

[KE5ZRT]

That's a neat antenna, and for the price you can't go wrong. I think it may even work in the RV park I am in with a push up pole and a fence post. Welcome to the forums!

[PhulesAu]

Jim, thanks for the link.

Ke5zrt I'm thinking that a 30' push-up would get me above the roof line of the TT. Either end would need to be clear of the trees in the parking pad. I can use either the front landing jack tube , or the spare tire carrier as a base mounting post. I have a simple screw type hose clamp that makes it easy to add a guy point, on pretty much any tube from 3/4" to 2.5" without drilling.