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Old October 31st 08, 06:37 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
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Default Carolina Windom without a balun: go figure

Owen Duffy wrote:
Roy Lewallen wrote in
treetonline:

When trying to understand off center fed antennas, it's important to
realize a few key facts:

...

Yes, I thing you are quite correct Roy.

The advertising hype that goes along with many of these commercially
popularised antennas gives the impression that deployment of multi-band
wire antennas for the lower HF bands is a very standardised thing, a no-
brainer. One buys the product, installs it in their own environment in
their own way, and it just "works" out of the box... whatever "works"
means.

The real world doesn't work that simply.

But to a buyer with faith in the promotional claims, they can buy a lot
of satisfaction for only $69.99 or whatever, and not have any untidy left
over materials to clutter up their home, or residual technical issues to
clutter up their mind.

Today, the growth opportunity in the US is selling attic antennas for low
HF bands to new hams. Not as popular here because restrictive covenants
on residential properties aren't as common.

But, hey, a simple wire antenna with published performance figures from
160m to 2m is attractive to *our* new six hour hams. Which antenna is
that? The W5GI Mystery Antenna, you know, the one "that performs
exceptionally well even though it confounds antenna modeling software".


With all respect, Owen - a Ham can be just as ignorant if they tested
in the days when we had to mine and smelt our own copper for antennas.

There is plenty of ignorance to go around.

Before I go too much further, Hams should build their own wire
antennas. No excuses.

The interesting thing is that most of these novel antennas work to some
extent. I know a fellow in PA who was excited that he could work Maine
on 40 meters with a really bad antenna setup. He just didn't know what
to expect. (from where I'm at, 100 watts and a modest dipole should just
about ruin an S-meter between those two places)

That is how antenna BS starts. This guy would think that a poor antenna
is great because it performs better than his awful antenna.. 8^)

I won't come out and condemn things like OCF dipoles though, because
they are an interesting and cool novelty, and by gosh, I had fun
building, testing, and using mine. I learned a lot. Used one during
Field day, and ran and held frequencies at 100 watts on 80 meters.
Totally subjective of course, but low power stations usually don't do that.

One of the things I learned was that it is a real compromise. Higher
band performance wasn't so hot. But I'm a lot better off having built
it, and finding out it's capabilities and shortcomings, than just
believing that it is a bad antenna because I've been told it was so. I
know exactly what the antenna is like, and it only took me a few hours
of work, and a couple months of testing to find out.

I note this mainly because I am one of the unwashed new Hams - and we
aren't all as you describe.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -

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Old October 31st 08, 07:39 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
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Default Carolina Windom without a balun: go figure

Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Michael Coslo" wrote in message
...
Before I go too much further, Hams should build their own wire antennas.
No excuses.


For some hams, it is cheeper to just buy the wire antennas. By the time you
go to the store or order some wire, get the coax, get the insulators, get
one or two coax connectors, and maybe a balun , it may be cheeper to just
get all in one place for one price.


Side note: I was at a Ham supply store this past year, and I was looking
for some window line. They had a dipole antenna that included window
line for about half the price of the same amount of window line by
itself. That's probably the only good excuse IMO to buy a pre-made wire
antenna.

But I don't build my own antennas to save money. I'm trying to learn
something. Can I design and cut and install the antenna, and does it
perform as my design says it does?




I do build all my wire antennas because
I can get the wire for free and found some insulators for nothing. If
building trap dioples or other special wire antenas, the parts issue is even
greater.


Never built a trap dipole. I'm going to have to try it some day. I guess
the major advantage will be that it won't be so lobey as a longer wire
tuned for the higher frequency. But hey, the experimentation is the fun.

I'm not here to convince anyone that my antenna is bigger than theirs!
;^) he he.

I have an OCF antenna at 45 feet that I use for 80 and 40 meters. It works
much beter than an 80 meter dipole antenna at 25 feet usually. They are at
right angles to each other. I do have a beam for other bands so do not care
how it works on the higher bands. It does seem to have a larger bandwidth
than the regular dipole on 80 meters.


Yeah, I did okay on 80 and 40 too. That was my thing with the OCF. It
just seemed to be at best a 2 band antenna,
IIRC, the bandwidth was a little bigger on my OCF.

All antennas are a compromise of some sort, and the OCF is within the
acceptable range.
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Old October 31st 08, 07:57 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
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Default Carolina Windom without a balun: go figure


"Michael Coslo" wrote in message
...
Before I go too much further, Hams should build their own wire antennas.
No excuses.


For some hams, it is cheeper to just buy the wire antennas. By the time you
go to the store or order some wire, get the coax, get the insulators, get
one or two coax connectors, and maybe a balun , it may be cheeper to just
get all in one place for one price. I do build all my wire antennas because
I can get the wire for free and found some insulators for nothing. If
building trap dioples or other special wire antenas, the parts issue is even
greater.

I have an OCF antenna at 45 feet that I use for 80 and 40 meters. It works
much beter than an 80 meter dipole antenna at 25 feet usually. They are at
right angles to each other. I do have a beam for other bands so do not care
how it works on the higher bands. It does seem to have a larger bandwidth
than the regular dipole on 80 meters.


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Old November 1st 08, 01:43 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
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Default Carolina Windom without a balun: go figure

Michael Coslo wrote in
:


With all respect, Owen - a Ham can be just as ignorant if they
tested
in the days when we had to mine and smelt our own copper for antennas.


Mike, it is not about ignorance or how we were tested. We all start from
a base of no knowledge. The test doesn't make a ham, it is the enquiring
interest that makes us hams.

We are promoting ham radio to a different population, one that is more
excited by the box with lights and knobs, than an enquiring interest and
understanding of how it works.

Then add the economic factors that it is cheaper to buy an antenna
complete than to buy the ladder line it contains... and people have a
economic rationale for passing up the opportunity to do, to discover, to
learn.

The getting of knowledge often has monetary cost... the question
individuals need to ask is are they worth the investment in themselves.

The point about *our* new (VK) hams is that with just six hours
investment in the hobby, they aren't well equipped to see through
outragous claims of some antenna manufacturers. My perception is that
there are many more US sourced wire antennas of the magic kind appearing
on the bands here in VK since the introduction of our Foundation Licence.

Owen
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