"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:12:01 -0600, "Irv Finkleman"
wrote:

It is good though that they are getting smart on energy
efficient construction and other things -- hopefully we will
leave our kids and grandkids with a world pointed in the
right direction.

(snipped now and again here and there for brevity)

I'm on the air but not sure just how well I am getting
out, I don't want to measure it, I don't even care to
know since it is a whole different matter on QRP.

Oh rubbish. There are plenty of ways to test your setup that doesn't
involve calling CQ and getting a subjective signal report:
1. You can login to one of the remote radios or receivers on the
internet, tune to an empty frequency, and listen to yourself.
http://beta.remotehams.com
http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Internet_and_Radio/Online_Receivers/
2. You can join one of the internet QRP clubs.
3. Weak Signal Propagation Reporter Network
http://wsprnet.org
4. Reverse Beacon Network:
http://www.reversebeacon.net
5. You can listen for beacons to check your receiver and antenna:
http://www.ac6v.com/beacons.htm
Our local radio club also has a remote HF station controllable over
the internet (using HRD) but it's only for club members.

I won't care about subjective reports -- I'll be happy if
my few paltry watts that do escape the antenna get me
any kind of response. I am aware of the remote
receivers but I don't want to get so busy using other
things that I won't have time on the air making
plain good old fashioned QSOs. I will have a peek
at the internet QRP clubs as long as I don't lose
on air time going to meetings -- even on-air!


From those lovely boxes of variable caps and
assorted inductors (some roller-inductors) and
a cheap 2nd hand 50ua meter I am going to build
up an artificial ground which is about as simple
a circuit as one can get -- the L&C in series and
make a sniffer out of the meter and a diode!.

All an artificial ground does is tune out the ground lead inductance
so that it's series resonant at the operating frequency. In effect,
you're building a counterpoise. You could user your MFJ-259B or a
grid dip meter to resonate the ground lead, and forget about the meter
and detector.

I considered that. I already have a group of radials
of various lengths on the floor -- I tied them together
with plastic ties for neatness, but with a ground tuner
I only need one which I plan to lay out along the edge
of the carpet -- that should make a neater job and if
I can tuck most of it under the baseboards it will not
frighten the houskeeper.

However, if you must use a meter, I suggest a
thermocouple RF ammeter. Getting it to heat up the series resistor at
5 watts might be a challenge, but it can be done. Otherwise, it's a
current transfomer, ferrite core, diode detector, and 50ua meter.
http://www.w1tag.com/RFA.htm

A simple diode detector may be enough, but if necessary
I'll have to line up ferrite core and get complicated.

I'm a master of procrastination

I have a PHD in procrastination. Never do today what you get someone
else to do for you tomorrow.

I was always good at procrastination however I did not consider
the part of having someone else do the work -- that's probably
why you have the PhD and I don't!!

Is that a lot, I ask?

Yes, if you try to do it all at once.
No, if you take your time, grind the numbers, do a little planning,
and invite all your friends to help.

That's the nice thing about being a retired senior -- I can take
all the time I want, and as you've seen in this thread, I'm
doing a lot of planning, and if necessary there I've got
lots of ham chums who will be anxious to lend a hand just
to get in here and see what I'm up to.

Thanks on the tips re the MFJ diodes. I'm aware
of them and can test and change them if need be.

I have the W8JI procedure tucked away in a safe
place on my computer where I may never find it again,
Thank heaven for good search tools.

I could only test the diodes after they were removed. The 50 ohm
resistors in the circuit prevented easy checking with an ohms guesser.

I never considered that -- oh well, it should only take a jiffy
to pop the diodes out although there is always Murphy to
take into account.

So far, so good! I guess it wouldn't hurt to have
some on hand -- it's pretty inevitable that with
the experimentation etc, that I'll be doing some
or all will get blown before you can say poof!

Yep. My experience is that certain users tend to blow up diodes no
matter what they do, while others don't have any problems. I'm sure
it's the user, not the analyzer. Possibly static build-up or
ungrounded antennas. Dunno.

I've been fairly lucky replacing all 4 diodes without needed to
calibrate the device. However, if you find the readings off after
replacement, see:
http://www.w8ji.com/mfj-259b_calibration.htm
The procedure took me 2 full days on an MFJ-269B. It went much
quicker after I read and followed the instructions.

Now there's a very unhamlike suggestion -- wouldn't stopping
to read and follow the instructions severely slow down the
calibration procedure?

Do you think that if I were to ask the management
here If I could have an aluminum ladder outside my
second floor window -- just to easy my mind about
the dangers of fire, they might agree?

No. Someone will probably try to steal the ladder. 20ft ladders are
not cheap. I ran two u-bolts through the ladder base, and permanently
attached the u-bolts to two foundation blocks with half a bag of
concrete mix in the hole. Various attempts were made to steal it, but
nobody got very far with 30 kg of buried excess weight attached. The
connecting antenna wire also acts as a capacitive alarm when the HF
radio is not being used. All this was only possible because each
condo had its own private back yard.

I've considered all the security precautions you took with the ladder.
At the moment I'm considering how to rotate it, and
wondering if I couldn't use a wooden ladder with lots
of wire stapled to it in a multiband Hentenna configuration!
I guess I may have to rethink it and take it one step at
a time! Now, I have to consider which rotor. Do you by
chance know offhand the wind load of a 20 ft Al ladder?
How about a folding ladder for the sake of extra length?

Another problem with a 2nd floor ladder is that you will be feeding
the ladder from the top, rather than from the bottom. That will
possibly work, but probably not as good as feeding the ladder from the
bottom.

I'll use double sideband so that it won't matter which end of
the ladder I feed it from!

Cheers, this is fun!

Irv VE6BP