wrote:

3) If I run up a metal pipe to 20 foot and then an insulated wire from
the dirt to the top alongside the pipe as my radiator, what effect will
the pipe have on the radiating wire?


*Install the pipe.

*Build a 16-17 foot tapered radiator made from telescoping lengths of
6061-T6 aluminum tubing. See the Texas Towers site for the tubing.
E-mail me about doing the design of the radiator, I'm equipped to do
the FEA stress analysis.

*Build an aluminum adapter plate to attach the radiator to the pipe.
See any "how to" type ham antenna book which includes the construction
of yagis. Use a pair of stainless steel u-bolts to attach the adapter
plate to the pipe. Use a pair of insulated clamps to attach the
radiator to the adapter plate. These are available from DXengineering.

http://www.dxengineering.com/Section...&DeptID=21#Top

*Run ONE 16-17 foot wire to the the adapter plate but do not ground it.
Instead attach it the braid of the coax. Attach the radiator to the
center conductor of the coax. Pull the "radial wire" as far away from
the trailer as possible in some direction or another.

This arrangement would give you a "sorta" inverted L or vertical dipole
type antenna instead of a ground plane.

Thanks again,

The Eternal Squire

w3rv

I have one problem... I can only get stuff from Home Depot, about 50
miles away.

The Eternal Squire

On 5 Dec 2005 13:35:11 -0800, wrote:

I have one problem... I can only get stuff from Home Depot, about 50
miles away.

You received some good detailed advice, and dismiss it because it
isn't on the shelf at Home Depot (whoever they are, presumably a major
hardware chain that has squeezed competition out of the market place).

Gee, I can get stuff from DX Engineering and a whole lot of other US
based suppliers, and I am ~ 10,000 miles away.

Think positively, go find some solutions, select the best and
implement it.

Owen
--

Excuse me very much, but isn't shipping for exotic alloy pipe going to
be more expensive than the pipe itself?

That's not negative, that's practical!

The Eternal Squire

wrote:

Excuse me very much, but isn't shipping for exotic alloy pipe going to
be more expensive than the pipe itself?

It's not "pipe", it's thin-walled very light weight high-strength
aluminum TUBING. which is about as "exotic" as CW in ham circles. Don't
ask us what the shipping costs would be, push back yer keyboard and
dial Texas towers @ (800) 272-3467 and ask them.

As to your problem with hundred-mile round trips to your nearest Home
Despot sto I have two of 'em 15 +/- minutes from here and except
for some occasional stainless nuts, bolts and cheap wire they're
useless as far as decent sources of antenna materials go.

The Mother of All REAL Hardware Stores is McMaster-Carr. 3,000 + page
of industrial-quality bits and pieces which make great antenna parts
only a phone call away. They have staineless u-bolts on top of
stainless u-bolts, aluninum stock for adapter plates, all of it . .

http://www.mcmaster.com/

(330) 342-6100 for help with finding what you want if their website
catalog comes up overwhelming.

If you're averse to online purchasing that's OK, order all your antenna
"stuff" by telephone, then sit on yer butt and wait to have it dropped
on you by UPS or FedEx within a couple days at most.

Ditto DXengineering: (800)-777-0703

That's not negative, that's practical!

You have problem with your priorities and what's up out here in
practical ham antenna realities.

The Eternal Squire

w3rv

wrote:
I have one problem... I can only get stuff from Home Depot, about 50
miles away.

If you don't have access to ordering over the internet,
how are you posting to this newsgroup?
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

On 5 Dec 2005 13:35:11 -0800, wrote:

I have one problem... I can only get stuff from Home Depot, about 50
miles away.

The Eternal Squire

Texas Towers, for aluminum tubing, and The Wireman, for any kind of
antenna paraphernalia, both have web sites, and phone numbers.

Jeez...

bob
k5qwg

I actually found what I hope is a solution. The KANGA 33' Telescoping
Fiberglass mast for $99 is guaranteed against breaking or shattering in
winds such as I might encounter, free replacement of broken sections if
this is so. Weighs only 4 lbs, base is 2 inches. K1CRA, the
distributor, suggested that all I needed to do was mount this against
my pipe mount with a 2X4 and U-bolts. He also distributes a sealing
agent for permanent installations. With this, he said, all I needed to
do was run wire up the mast and work against my pipe mount as connected
to the overall ground systems.

Sometimes it is the obvious which is the hardest to conceive of. I
always though high winds and high heights always needed big iron (or
copper), but I never thought that something made of an aerospace
material would be within my reach... let alone that of a ten foot Pole
or a seven foot Texan...

I'll let you know how it goes...

Thanks,

The Eternal Squire