Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#31
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
On 6-Aug-2009, Michael Coslo wrote: I'd say with this setup, you could do DXCC. DXCC and other awards have been achieved on more modest setups than what you are looking at building. You won't be the loudest signal on the band, but there can only be one of those anyhow. How much attenuation is a wood roof with asphalt shingles going to introduce? All of the duct work in my house is in the crawl space, and the phone and cable TV lines are also in the crawl space. So there is no metal other than the roofing nails, and there's nothing between the antenna and the sky other than the roof decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. |
#32
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
KJ4NTS wrote:
On 6-Aug-2009, Michael Coslo wrote: I'd say with this setup, you could do DXCC. DXCC and other awards have been achieved on more modest setups than what you are looking at building. You won't be the loudest signal on the band, but there can only be one of those anyhow. How much attenuation is a wood roof with asphalt shingles going to introduce? All of the duct work in my house is in the crawl space, and the phone and cable TV lines are also in the crawl space. So there is no metal other than the roofing nails, and there's nothing between the antenna and the sky other than the roof decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. There will be a slight effect of the other wires. Nails? probably not measurable. The roof itself at HF is not attenuating much, it increases as the frequency goes up. The biggest issue of this sort of antenna is the height above ground, and the possibility of RF interference with things in the house. - 73 de Mike N3LI - |
#33
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
there's nothing between the antenna and the sky
other than the roof decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. Maybe 3' makes a big difference. I have always seen a difference between antennas in the attic or stretched out on the roof, and antennas even a few feed above the roof. I don't know if it was shingles or what. It would really be interesting to see what kind of shingles are transparent. I have seen antenna farms hidden behind fake gables. |
#34
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
there's nothing between the antenna and the sky other than the roof
decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. Maybe 3' makes a big difference. I have always seen a difference between antennas in the attic or stretched out on the roof, and antennas even a few feed above the roof. I don't know if it was shingles or what. It would really be interesting to see what kind of shingles are transparent. I have seen antenna farms hidden behind fake gables. I've never "played" with it at HF, but I do know that the dielectric constant of nearby materials affects antennas at VHF. -- --Myron A. Calhoun. Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and cartridge NRA Life Member & Certified Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, & Home Firearm Safety Also Certified Instructor for the Kansas Concealed-Carry Handgun (CCH) license |
#35
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
JB wrote:
there's nothing between the antenna and the sky other than the roof decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. Maybe 3' makes a big difference. I have always seen a difference between antennas in the attic or stretched out on the roof, and antennas even a few feed above the roof. I don't know if it was shingles or what. It would really be interesting to see what kind of shingles are transparent. I have seen antenna farms hidden behind fake gables. Well, there's nothing like ground truth, JB, so I'll defer to your experience vs my conjecture. Possibilities for further RF attenuation might be the materials in use. Those little rocks used for color and grip. Fiberglass is used a lot for the base, but there may be other fabrics too. It's a composite material, who knows, there might be carbon in it as well. - 73 de Mike N3LI - |
#36
|
|||
|
|||
Minimum gauge wire for connection to ground rod
KJ4NTS wrote:
On 6-Aug-2009, Michael Coslo wrote: I'd say with this setup, you could do DXCC. DXCC and other awards have been achieved on more modest setups than what you are looking at building. You won't be the loudest signal on the band, but there can only be one of those anyhow. How much attenuation is a wood roof with asphalt shingles going to introduce? All of the duct work in my house is in the crawl space, and the phone and cable TV lines are also in the crawl space. So there is no metal other than the roofing nails, and there's nothing between the antenna and the sky other than the roof decking and shingles. I don't expect them to add a lot of attenuation, but I could be wrong. Attenuation isn't a real concern, except when it's raining or the roof is wet. What should be a concern is the following: 1) weird interactions between antenna and conductive stuff in the attic. Don't expect the same feedpoint impedance vs frequency you get with the antenna out in the open. 2) Fi The voltage gets pretty high at the ends of a dipole when you're radiating even 100W. Or, more to the point, the voltage gets high in nearby wires that happen to be the "wrong" length. A small ember smoldering in your attic is a huge problem. This is something you need to figure out how to check.. keeping the active ends of the dipole clear of flammable stuff is straightforward, but the accidental excitation of something else, isn't. (wiring isn't a problem.. it's usually connected to something else that shunts the current.. it's isolated conductors, like plumbing, HVAC ducts, etc. In your situation, yours is in the crawl space, so you're in good shape.) 3) RF exposure. Do your calculations and make sure you're not cooking things you shouldn't be. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Minimum gauge for groud... | Shortwave | |||
Minimum gauge for groud... | Shortwave | |||
Ground Wires : Think Free and Effective ! - [Was : Minimum Gauge forGround...] | Shortwave | |||
Minimum gauge for groud... | Shortwave |