Jay Scherberth wrote:
On Jul 19, 3:53Â*pm, wrote:
Jay Scherberth wrote:
Hi,
Just getting back on the air after many years of silence and I find
myself struggling over the choice of antennas. I need something that I
can easily raise and lower (get out of site due to CCR rules) so we're
talking about a compromise. I do have room for a couple of radials
(max 30 ft) as long as they can buried in the ground 180 degrees apart
(not ideal). The antenna will have to be installed within about 4 feet
from the side of my house. I was hoping to find a self supporting
vertical betwwen 30 and 40 ft hight that could pivit at the base
(might need to purchase that separately) so it can be laid down flat
on the ground next to the house when not in use. I plan on purchasing
an auto tuner if necessary. The vertical can have no physical radials
on the antenna itself.
And by the way, I live in the hills above Henderson, NV so the quality
of the ground isn't good; lots of rock and hard clay with poor
drainage.
Purchase price up to $400.00 OK. Any ideas of what might work in my
situation?
Many thanks in advance!
Some thoughts on the subject...
If you are going to have an auto tuner, the antenna itself need not be
anything more than a piece of tubing.
I have a 34 ft piece of tubing with a SGC-237 and that tuned 160 (kind of
marginally) through 10 with no problem.
I added a relay controlled loading coil to switch in for 160/80 and now
it tunes 80 faster and 160 no problem.
If your main interest is the lower bands, just make the tubing as long as
you can get away with and let the auto tuner deal with it.
If it is next to the house, drive in as much ground rod as you can and use
a garden drip system along with some flowers or whatnot around the base of
it.
Whatever radials you can install are better than nothing.
--
Jim Pennino
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Jim - You've given me new hope! How significant is the length and
depth of the radials? I probably have about 30 feet each way along the
side of the house. Are you suggesting a drip system around the ground
rod to improve the quality of the ground or for decorative reasons or
both?
The depth is deep enough to cover them with dirt.
Since they are buried, the absolute length isn't particularly important, just
put in as many as you can as long as you can in whatever directions you can.
The optimum case would be if they were under a lawn that is watered, otherwise
you just do what you can do.
From my point of view the drip system improves the ground while the XYL may
have a different viewpoint.
In my case, there is a small copper plate at the base of the antenna that
interconnects the ground rod with all the radial wires and is the ground
point for the tuner.
There is an old picture at
http://mail.specsol.com/~jimp/ant_base.jpg
This one doesn't fold, but it would be no big deal to make that way.
The upside down trash can covers the auto tuner.
The low band loading coil is 1/4 inch copper tubing I happened to have wound
on a PVC mount and form. The switching relay is inside the coil form at the
bottom.
The loading coil was trial and error adjusted for best SWR on 80 without
the tuner in the circuit.
The PVC pipe going into the ground has the antenna coax and control lines
for the relay and auto tuner in it.
The ratty looking braid from the ground rod going up into the trash can has
since been replaced with a #6 wire to the plate.
--
Jim Pennino
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