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Old 05-14-2010, 09:38 AM   #1
One Country Boy
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Default Antenna Experiment

On one of our recent trips I attempted to duplicate the Eagle One Antenna. I had fairly good results. I think the Eagle One has been discussed on the forum in the past. Thought I would put up a few photos of my endeavor. Everyone enjoys photos.

I strapped one of the 31 ft. kite poles I purchased off e-Bay to the bicycle rack on the back of the 5er. I ran a 33 ft. length of #12 insulated, stranded copper wire up the side of the pole. At the bottom an old SO239 with the #12 wire connected to the center lead. I gator clipped a ground from the SO239 to the RV frame. Some good results on 40 meters. It loaded, using the Kenwood TS450s, with the internal tuner for 80 meters and actually worked. Not as good as on 40 naturally. I didn't use a balun, but think that would have helped. Laying out some ground radials would have also been of help I'm sure. I see the Eagle One site now shows a 4:1 balun. A couple of friends have also suggested using a coil tapped for 80 meters.

You can easily desquise the antenna by placing a nice flag or windsock at the top of the pole. Not that I would ever do anything such as that.

I added a small cabinet or self in the RV for my operating station. It makes it much nicer to operate from. The laptop rests nicely atop the cabinet. Velcro does wonders for keeping the equipment in place while traveling down the highways.



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Old 05-15-2010, 07:28 AM   #2
Andy N1ORK
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Nice looking set-up Jim. Is the wire vertical wrapped around the pole at all, or does it just hang from the top?



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Old 05-15-2010, 08:46 AM   #3
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That was the first and only time I've set it up Andy. The #12 wire actually just hung from the top. I ran the excess through an eyelet at the top. There was about 2 feet extra that sort of coiled since the wire had just come from a fresh spool. I think with a coil at the bottom for 75/80 meters and some radials it would perform much better on that band. I didn't try 20 meters with it but I bet it would work well there also. I probably should get the bottom of that pole on up off the ground and let it rest on the bumper or bike rack too. I'll keep playing with it in my spare time and see what will work. I'm mainly interested in working 40 and 75/80 meters.



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Old 05-25-2010, 07:38 AM   #4
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Country Boy:
I use a fiberglass sectioned whip I've had for many years ( came off a forward air control jeep), 36 foot total , on it's own mount made to fit in the reese receiver .
Bonded to the frame and a 4 foot ground rod with 6 tuned radials, works good on 40-6 and is passable on 75.
Rig is a FT-450at mounted at the drivers position on the doghouse.

73, John
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Old 06-14-2010, 10:02 AM   #5
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As a weekend project (turned into a week) I fabed up a 160 meter loaded sloper, 4:1 balun to a coil (3 inch form with about 170 feet of teflon coated #16 wire on it) to 68 feet of #14 thnn.
Took the handy-dandy cross-bow pistol with an open face spinning reel and 25 pound monofiliment line to the back yard and shot a line over a 70 foot or so tree and back pulled a piece of 750 para-cord, tied the long end of the sloper to the para-cord and hauled it up.
Pulled the pick-up with the 857-d into position and carried a mfj tuner out (no auto tuner on the truck), tied the balun/coil end to the back bumper, spuded in a 4 foot ground rod and attached the ground side of the balun , hooked everything up and loaded on 40 (7251) checked into southcars with a good report then proceeded to check other bands .
With the MFJ 962 tuner , the "reverse-sloper" work's pretty well on 160 - 6 ( dosn't like 15 but will tune 17 ok go figure ) .
May modify the coil a bit (maybe add a tap or two) but plan on trying on the MH in Sept. when we go back south to visit the kids.
Might make a use able antenna for a "long term" camp if a tree is handy .
73, John
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Old 06-15-2010, 10:26 AM   #6
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During the summer I park at one of two RV parks most often.. The other one (Davison, Mi.) the management finally complained about my 100' long wire being strung over park property (Trees and such) So I took it down and a couple days later moved here to St. Clair, MI. Management here is a bit nicer so if I'm going to expierment, I prefer to do it here.

I broke out my flag pole, a few Tent stakes and some lines.

Hooked the long wire to the KAT-1 like I normall do.. Tied an anchor line a few feet out (nylon line to an eye bolt that was already on the back of the house/rig) to take the strain off the KAT (Should have done that long ago) and hauled the Sunsetter Flag Pole out the 100' to the end of the wire plus a bit. Anchored it with 2 guy wires. It is at 3 sections (About 18') and the results....

Well.. I don't know if it is the band conditions or what but i'm hearing things I have not heard since returning to Michigan. Signals are at least 2x better than I"ve heard all month. Folks who I could barely hear.. 5x9 Solid copy.

Next plan is to replace the flag pole (Cause I really do have a flag for it) with some painter's poles

These are 4' screw together extension handles for paint rollers which you can get at any hardware, lumber yeard, paint store, about a buck-a foot. the 4' lengths give me a lot of flexability height wise, and should store easily in my 8' pass throughs. NOw I'd not want these for a fixed install.. but since the longest I ever park in one place is 2 weeks the poles will come down 2x a month or more and if there is any rot or damage 4 bucks replaces the bad section.

I will sink one tent stake where the pole sits, the female end of the pole sits atop that (not screwed on) And two more hold the 2 guys.. Yes, I know you need 3 points to properly guy. 3rd Guy is the antenna itself. Unless I decide to use a weight to keep it taunt. (I only have 2 pounds of weight on the end though so that won't hold the wire taunt)
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Old 12-04-2013, 07:18 PM   #7
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Default It Really works

I bought at Eagle One a couple years ago and never got around to setting it up because my G5RV was working well for me. Then, about 2 months ago, I decided to set it up. I got the whole system, including the tripod. I keep hearing that it needs several ground radials and a tuner to work. I can only say that I will be adding about 12 35' to 40 ' radials on the ground in a few days. I do not use a tuner. Despite using the Eagle One bare bones without the radials and tuner, I have worked several stations in Europe on 20 and 15 meters. Just need folks to know that, while I anticipate doing even better with the radials, the antenna will work well without them and without a tuner. Don't know what others have experienced, but this is my 2 cents worth.

73
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Old 12-04-2013, 08:30 PM   #8
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Dovid...

Welcome aboard! Cool call sign, before KU4OJ I was N4FIG.

Jump right in and join the fun.
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Old 12-05-2013, 11:17 AM   #9
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Looks intersting,, Where I"m parked they keep cutting down trees.. One of them is currently holding my antenna up, it will be cut down when I leave. So I may have to "Go vertical"

I have a hustler 4btv, I feed it with a KAT-1 and some wire (Will put bigger wire on it soon) and have used that to fair effect even on 80.

But it is a long way from my long wire.
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Old 12-31-2014, 07:50 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N9APE View Post
I bought at Eagle One a couple years ago and never got around to setting it up because my G5RV was working well for me. Then, about 2 months ago, I decided to set it up. I got the whole system, including the tripod. I keep hearing that it needs several ground radials and a tuner to work. I can only say that I will be adding about 12 35' to 40 ' radials on the ground in a few days. I do not use a tuner. Despite using the Eagle One bare bones without the radials and tuner, I have worked several stations in Europe on 20 and 15 meters. Just need folks to know that, while I anticipate doing even better with the radials, the antenna will work well without them and without a tuner. Don't know what others have experienced, but this is my 2 cents worth.

73
Dovid - N9APE
You may not be using a tuner and you may be making contacts, but I'll bet your swr is horrible, especially on 20 meters where the impedance would be around 3000 ohms and feeding at a high voltage point. I can smell the finals frying right now !
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