On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:38:08 -0700, "Irv Finkleman"
wrote:

I don't want to get any more complex or expensive than is absolutely
required.

Have you ever seen a project that gets simpler and less expensive as
it progresses? I haven't. I suggest you resign yourself to the
inevitable. It will become more complicated and more expensive.

I have an old plastic ball point pen cut to match the motor to the cap
which should suffice -- if not, I'll find a better pen! :-)

Maybe something slightly flexible might be better. I suggest a length
of Sharkbite 1/4" or 3/8" PEX tubing. Home Depot sells it in various
lengths and diameters. I've been using it for coil forms at HF
frequencies with acceptable results. However, I haven't tested the
high voltage characteristics yet. Give me a few days.

The chair is plastic. Hmmmm, wonder if my ex-mother-in-law
would like to sit in the sun!

Please resist the temptation to convert your antenna into a weapon.

Let me know when you're ready to build my inflatable antenna tower.

Now that sounds interesting. Is it anything like my inflatable dart board?

No. I'm serious. I've been playing with the inflatable concept for
several years. I have the material to build a small prototype. The
plan was to have an all inflatable Field Day. However, every year, I
either lack the time, have a crisis pending, have a paying project in
progress, or am so fed up with ham radio, that I stall until it's too
late to do anything. Maybe next year.

And don't forget that antenna
they used to advertise in QST et al which was no more than a dummy
load with some wire attached. At least you could get a great match!

That's what I like about antennas. You can't see the RF, it's
difficult to measure antenna characteristics, and the difference
between quality and junk is difficult to distinguish. If I were a
crook, I would definitely be in the antenna business.

I remember the antenna but can't recall or find the name. I do recall
that the ARRL got suspicious during a product review and ran an xray
on the matching box. Inside was just a resistor.

My favorite is the 1950's "Turn your house wiring into a giant 500 ft
TV antenna". Inside the box was a "capacitator". That was my
introduction to antenna design.

I rely on the MFJ Analyzer for a lot of things and don't know how
I got along without it.

I do. I loaned mine to a friend and he refused to give it back. At
least he paid me for it twice. Once to buy it and once to fix it
after he blew it up. I still don't have one. What I use is a return
loss bridge, sweep generator, detector, and scope. Not exactly
portable like the MFJ, but good enough.

And other than a cheap $20 Canadian
Tire Digital Multimeter that is about as far as my test equipment
goes. When I sold my house I gave all my 50 years accumulation
of test equipment, rigs, and such to the local ham club. Most of
all miss my Fluke Multimeter (Model 75 or 77 -- I forget now)
which Sony allowed me to keep when I retired. I keep watching
for one on E-bay although some of the newer multimeters are
reasonably economical and have lots of nice features.

I have several Fluke meters including a Model 75. I stole my Model
12(?) from a previous employer. If you're shopping for a new meter, I
think you'll do better with a cheaper brand. I have a bunch of Extec
meters. Something like this model (but older):
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=48&prodid=644
I really like the large LCD display. No failures or surprises in
about 8 years.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558