Yodar responds

If it's so funky howcum hams use it on field day?

I've never actually seen a ham use one on field day. I know
for sure, *I* would never use one on a field day.
Wanna see one antenna I use for field day?
http://web.wt.net/~nm5k/fd01-1.jpg
A view from above.... That is at a fire training facility...
But....I would be glad for more hams to use slinky's on
field day. That way I'll remain with the usual higher scores.
And we *won* 10m with this antenna that year... I bet no
slinkys *won* their band of choice...
How do I get all that to a site? Like this...
http://web.wt.net/~nm5k/fd2.jpg
I carry the tower and beam on a motorcycle trailer...
BTW, it will also brown the food on 20 and 15 meters.

That's how it became
known to hams is from Army usage

So? That makes it good?

If its so substandard material howcum even the ARMY used it in the
field as an expediency antenna?

I dunno. You would have to ask them...

In Florida we have hurricanes and rain
almost daily. The cadmium plating or whatever it is plated with has
shown no corrosion.

But is this plating a good surface for rf? I'd prefer copper myself.
I bet that stuff is fun to solder to also...

Yes, for transmitting you do need a cap or a stinger, but for receive
only a SLINKY works fine. I have dozens of citations of people
successfully using them for SWL.

Ditto for a piece of straight wire...

The SLINKY is a NICHE-market antenna and is a successful product IMO
which is why they appear in various forms on Ebay.

Crap...People have been using slinkys as antennas since at least
the 50's. They have always been a compromise antenna they way
most use them.

Mine suspended up with a 13' fiberglass telescoping pole outside for
more'en a year with a 9:1 balun works fine and is idiotproof.

So? My present dipoles have been up since 1994... Wow...Dang let me
try that backwards...Wow...

Everything you say about the benefits of wire are true for those that
can string it. I cant.

Well, ok then.

What you say about a center loaded whip being suiperior to a slinky is
true to YOUR application.

It's true in any application. All antennas are reciprical between
transmit
and receive properties. I do realize current distribution when
receiving
may not be a big issue though... But...The efficiency will be the same
,
transmit, or receive.

But I have used verious Hustlers and find them too narrow banded and
that is because they are designed for transmitting. I dont do that.

Hustlers suck too. I hate those things. Hustler coils are some of the
lousiest junk I've ever used. Lossy they are... My mobile uses home
brew coils. I compared them with the hustlers coils, and it was ugly.
Adding a hustler coil to my mobile turns it into a dummy load on a
stick.

I want broad band.

Well, ok then...

The SLINKY's inherent resonance peaks within the 40M band so it
decreases performance-wise till 18 Mhz where it's dead (usingDX 398 and
RX 320)

Well, ok then...

For apartment dwellers, It IS an good expediency antenna unless you
choose a active antenna which I am using now.

I ain't no apartment dweller....So I don't need to use compromise
antennas. But, even if I did, I wouldn't use slinky's...But thats just
me.
Trust me, I could care less what anyone uses. If it works, it works.
But don't try to tell me they are some kind of great new design or
whatever. People have been using helical wound whips for ages.
Most use regular copper wire though. I know I would.
MK