On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 10:14:46 -0500, James
wrote:

Can anyone comment?

Hi James,

Well, as to the DX range, that has been responded to. So, to add to
all the comments in regard to height of antenna, tuners, automatic
tuners and the rest - another comment.

Take a fishing reel full of the Wireman's Flex weave (no doubt this
will provoke comments about wire corrosion) and drive it. Use your
hoist to pull out the correct height for any band.

I do take note of your admonition about fumbling with knobs, dials,
switches when a rogue wave is overtaking you. Your knottage may vary.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Bill Turner wrote:
On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:51:01 -0500, James wrote:


Ever been aboard an ocean going sail boat when the waves hit 5 meters
and the wind is howling like a freight train? If not you can't imagine
the fury. I've been there. It's exhilirating but not easy to endure. In
fact it's damned hard work. That is NOT the time to be playing with
knobs and switches trying to tune for a particular band.


__________________________________________________ _______

Your point is well taken, but this is also NOT the time for equipment
failure. If that nifty tuner gets dunked with a dollop of salt water,
you are dead, RF wise. The KISS principle is your friend.

Anyone who can do a sail change or heave to in 5 meter waves can clip or
unclip a jumper, or better yet, will have the jumper set beforehand.

To each his own.

--
Bill W6WRT




Thanks for the words of wisdom Bill.

In fact I made a point of purchasing a tuner that comes in a water tight
(read that water PROOF according to the manfacturer) case. It's high
up mounted in a lazerette that "theoretically" stays dry. The ground and
antenna stud are both 316 Stainless (highly corrosion resistant and
intended for use in salt air). Furthermore, the electrical connection
between antenna stud and wire is soldered, crimped, and then heat shrunk
with adhesive lined shrink. Instead of using high tension wire for the
antenna connection to the backstay wire, I used tinned copper heavy
gauge insulated electrical wire. The environment that I live in is so
corrosive that, believe it or not I had to strip back the jacket to
expose the tinned copper wire, and then seal the cut edge of the jacket
to prevent salt water ingress between jacket and wire. If that isn't
done even tinned copper wire will corrode. Salt water will creep under
the jacket and corrosion will occur for a few feet distance from the
stripped jacket.

All connections (RF, power and control) between tuner and radio are made
with crimp and solder, then sealed with liquid electrical tape, then
adhesive lined heat shrink. I bought really big insulators to go at both
ends of the wire antenna too. Salt water is conductive and the larger
insulator with heavy ribbing will hopefully reduce the surface coating
of salty water to a level that precludes conductivity. Hopefully. the
copper wire I ran up the mast is on it's own pulley (well it will be
when I find time to go up the mast) and is already a lovely shade of
green. I have a spare, and hope this one lasts a year before needing
replacement.

Even so, I expect to have to service the connections about once a year
or so.

And you thought putting a beam on a tower was hard! Just thought you'd
find the lengths we have to go to in the ocean environment interesting.

The KISS principle is followed where ever I can too. I sincerely agree.
When things go badly on board, it's rarely one big bad thing that bites
ya. It's a string of small problems that...when combined, lead to a bad
day. I guess that's true in a lot of endeavors come to think of it. Last
time I was in a bad storm (a really bad one at that) I was on the radio
seeking information from someone else who had radar (I do not). My
autohelm had failed (a lousy 25 cent pin broke) and so I had to hand
steer in heavy seas. I couldn't leave the wheel. Fortunately the mic on
my marine VHF radio ~just~ reached the wheel from inside. Unfortunately
that is when I discovered that if I pulled on the mic cable it became
very intermittent. And that led to me spending a half hour trying to
raise a nearby boat with radar to ask which way the storm appeared to be
moving. Then the lightning started hitting the water all around
me...from there...well...let's just say it went downhill some.

Simple is good.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Bill,
In most cases, anything you do on a boat is a compromise between
what it 'ought to be' and what's possible. Since the backstay (or
frontstay) is ~there~ anyway, why not use it? Certainly not the
'best' thing in the world (whatever that is), but 'better' than most
alternative$.
Some people have a 'phobia' about tuners. If you don't want to
use one, that's fine. They do make 'things' much easier and the
difference in performance is 'acceptible' in most cases (acceptible
being relative). Since there are alternatives, pick the one you think
you can 'live' with and go with it. "You pays your money and takes your
choice", as they used to say in the house with the red velvet wall paper...
'Doc

PS - Not that I've ever been in one of those houses, I've just read
about them...

Oops, sorry.

The idea is to make it as 'idiot' proof as possible. That does
not, and will never mean the 'best'...
- 'Doc

"'Doc" wrote in message
.. .
Oops, sorry.

The idea is to make it as 'idiot' proof as possible. That does
not, and will never mean the 'best'...
- 'Doc


Make something "idiot-proof" and Nature will just make a better idiot.

73 - H

In article ,
James wrote:

the
copper wire I ran up the mast is on it's own pulley (well it will be
when I find time to go up the mast) and is already a lovely shade of
green.

You should replace the copper wire with the stuff the BIG BOYS use.
It is called Phospher/Bronze Antenna wire and it Doesn't turn green
when in contact with Seawater or salt air. Stuff was designed for this
spacific purpose.


Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

Bill Turner wrote:
Once the antenna is resonant, a simple L-C network will transform the
impedance to 50 ohms resistive and you are all set. Simple, cheap and
reliable, all the things a tuner is not.

And single-banded, one thing a tuner is not. :-)

The antenna need not be resonant. Under certain easily obtainable
conditions, the length of the open-wire transmission line can tune
a non-resonant antenna to system resonance and better the losses in
the coax feeding a resonant antenna. How to do that is described
on my web page.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

Back to TX distance - you really need to get a good book on propagation and
understand the solar cycle and the characteristics of each band.

For example -- on 10M with the right time in the 11 year solar cycle -- a
minimum antenna and a few watts will work the world (at the right time of
day)

On 160M in the day time in the summer with low power -- you ain't going
anywhere

--
The Anon Keyboard
I doubt, therefore I might be



"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
Bill Turner wrote:
Once the antenna is resonant, a simple L-C network will transform the
impedance to 50 ohms resistive and you are all set. Simple, cheap and
reliable, all the things a tuner is not.

And single-banded, one thing a tuner is not. :-)

The antenna need not be resonant. Under certain easily obtainable
conditions, the length of the open-wire transmission line can tune
a non-resonant antenna to system resonance and better the losses in
the coax feeding a resonant antenna. How to do that is described
on my web page.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 12:06:48 -0800, Bill Turner
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 15:17:53 GMT, 'Doc wrote:

Since the backstay (or
frontstay) is ~there~ anyway, why not use it? Certainly not the
'best' thing in the world (whatever that is), but 'better' than most
alternative$.

There are insulators designed just for backstays which one could place
at the 16.4 foot level for 20 meters, or multiple locations for multiple
bands. In a home situation, I wouldn't care much but on a small boat on
the open sea, KISS could save your life, IMO.


Some people have a 'phobia' about tuners. If you don't want to
use one, that's fine.

The word "phobia" means a fear of. I'm certainly not afraid of tuners,
but I believe making the antenna right is better than using a device to
compensate for one that isn't. "Bias" would be a better word.

Once the antenna is resonant, a simple L-C network will transform the
impedance to 50 ohms resistive and you are all set. Simple, cheap and
reliable, all the things a tuner is not.


They do make 'things' much easier and the
difference in performance is 'acceptible' in most cases (acceptible
being relative).

Sigh.

It's kind of difficult to get a resonant quarter wave into a back stay
as you don't usually know where ground is. Ground can be any number of
feet from where the feed point is on a boat. Every thing above real
ground is antenna.

73
Gary K4FMX

Bill Turner wrote:
A simple pigtail with a banana plug would make the L-network as multi
banded as you have L-networks. Still simple, cheap and reliable.

Let's see, would I rather switch knife switches at my operating
position or go outside in a Texas Thunder Storm to attach the
pigtails? At my age, I could develop pneumonia or catch the flu
(no flu shot this year). Pneumonia and/or flu is not simple or
cheap. Think I'll stick with my Ladder-Line Length Selector. :-)

Moral: Use virtually lossless transmission line and do all the
matching in the comfort of the shack.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp