Not counting the potential tuner problems you mention, my experience is
a 102” whip with no loading will work ok on 10-20m, but on 40m and below
it sucks.
Bob

Buck wrote:
I have a TenTec 247 manual antenna tuner. I am thinking about
installing a roof-mount over the space between the driver and
passenger in the front of my mini-van and hanging my TT tuner below
it. I understand the combination with automatic tuners works well,
but I have been warned against using the TT to tune short antennas on
low frequencies. Of course, this was in reference to dipoles and base
antennas. The problem is reportedly that the loading coil will heat
up and be damaged and have to be re-wound.

I have about a 2 foot extension that I may also use to extend the
antenna a little.

I don't have the money to spend on auto-tuners and I have everything
but the whip and mount for the antenna configuration I just described.

comments?

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 02:06:48 GMT, Bob wrote:

Not counting the potential tuner problems you mention, my experience is
a 102” whip with no loading will work ok on 10-20m, but on 40m and below
it sucks.
Bob

with no tuning? you get acceptable match to your rig without a tuner,
would you explain more?

thanks
Buck
--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 23:07:32 -0400, Buck wrote:

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 02:06:48 GMT, Bob wrote:

Not counting the potential tuner problems you mention, my experience is
a 102” whip with no loading will work ok on 10-20m, but on 40m and below
it sucks.
Bob

with no tuning? you get acceptable match to your rig without a tuner,
would you explain more?

thanks
Buck


I just re-read your statement. Are you saying the whip without a
loading coil used thru a tuner? My first thoughts were you meant
without a tuner.

I expect that 40 and below will be a bit poor. I hope to find a
compromise of sorts where I can add a loading coil, but only change it
when I want to operate 40-80 meters, sort of a switch between the
higher and lower bands as opposed to setting it for each band. The
alternative may be to have two antennas, one for the lower bands, set
as needed per band, and one for the upper bands that only needs tuning
with the tuner. If I am lucky, I may be able to have one with a
loading coil that tunes all the lower bands relatively efficiently and
the whip for the upper bands. I can deal with two antennas, I have a
switch but my problem right now is I have separate 40, 20, 11, 10, and
6 meter antennas. If I want to change bands, I have to replace each
antenna. Likewise, if I want to add a band, I have to buy more
antennas. I just want to simplify my operation for when I am mobile.
I have a 135 foot dipole with 300 ohm feed that I can toss up in the
trees for portable operation when I want to be efficient or for
emergency operations, but for moving, I don't want to pull off the
highway and get out of my car to change antennas every time I want to
change bands.

Thanks for the input.

Buck
--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW

Used various SGC tuners and Icom AH-4. Also tried both of SGCs dual
loaded whips with varying results. The longer two piece unit worked
surprisingly well 80-10m years ago when conditions were better, even had
some fantastic 160m mobile contacts with it. The single 7ft version
lacks on 40 and especially 80m compared to the two piece whip but
compared to an unloaded 102” CB whip, it makes the CB whip look like a
dummy load on 40m and below. This is all with an SGC-230 feeding them.
Bob


Buck wrote:
On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 02:06:48 GMT, Bob wrote:

Not counting the potential tuner problems you mention, my experience is
a 102” whip with no loading will work ok on 10-20m, but on 40m and below
it sucks.
Bob

with no tuning? you get acceptable match to your rig without a tuner,
would you explain more?

thanks
Buck

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 15:40:50 GMT, Bob wrote:

Used various SGC tuners and Icom AH-4. Also tried both of SGCs dual
loaded whips with varying results. The longer two piece unit worked
surprisingly well 80-10m years ago when conditions were better, even had
some fantastic 160m mobile contacts with it. The single 7ft version
lacks on 40 and especially 80m compared to the two piece whip but
compared to an unloaded 102” CB whip, it makes the CB whip look like a
dummy load on 40m and below. This is all with an SGC-230 feeding them.
Bob

How long is the two piece whip?
--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW

About 8 or 8 1/2ft.
Bob

Buck wrote:
On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 15:40:50 GMT, Bob wrote:

Used various SGC tuners and Icom AH-4. Also tried both of SGCs dual
loaded whips with varying results. The longer two piece unit worked
surprisingly well 80-10m years ago when conditions were better, even had
some fantastic 160m mobile contacts with it. The single 7ft version
lacks on 40 and especially 80m compared to the two piece whip but
compared to an unloaded 102” CB whip, it makes the CB whip look like a
dummy load on 40m and below. This is all with an SGC-230 feeding them.
Bob

How long is the two piece whip?

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 23:49:31 GMT, Bob wrote:

About 8 or 8 1/2ft.
Bob

Buck wrote:
On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 15:40:50 GMT, Bob wrote:

Used various SGC tuners and Icom AH-4. Also tried both of SGCs dual
loaded whips with varying results. The longer two piece unit worked
surprisingly well 80-10m years ago when conditions were better, even had
some fantastic 160m mobile contacts with it. The single 7ft version
lacks on 40 and especially 80m compared to the two piece whip but
compared to an unloaded 102” CB whip, it makes the CB whip look like a
dummy load on 40m and below. This is all with an SGC-230 feeding them.
Bob

How long is the two piece whip?
Is there more to the two-piece than just two pieces? Is it a loaded
fiberglass whip with a stinger, or two solid pieces of wire making up
one long stinger. If so, the cb whip is longer, if you have a loaded
section, the loaded section is longer.

--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW

I believe the SGC whip is continuously loaded with a tapered pitch over
a large diameter fiberglass core and also has a straight internal
shorter section for higher freqs. No top stinger, just big, thick, ugly
black heatshrink coated. I think it resonates around 13 and 22MHz. Look
up an SG-303 in Google.
Bob


Buck wrote:

How long is the two piece whip?
Is there more to the two-piece than just two pieces? Is it a loaded
fiberglass whip with a stinger, or two solid pieces of wire making up
one long stinger. If so, the cb whip is longer, if you have a loaded
section, the loaded section is longer.

On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 02:06:48 GMT, Bob wrote:

Not counting the potential tuner problems you mention, my experience is
a 102” whip with no loading will work ok on 10-20m, but on 40m and below
it sucks.
Bob


I would expect it to suck on the lower bands. I am trying to figure
out some form of loading that will be cheap and simple to use. I have
a 40 meter whip and I guess I could add the 102 to the top for a
stinger, but that would make for a long and weak (physically) antenna.

75 mobile sucks under the best of conditions. That much I know. I
may have to settle for a 75/80 meter antenna option. I am trying to
think of a way to add a base coil that may allow me to tune lower
bands more easily without upsetting the higher bands. I don't want to
tune the coil itself every time I change bands, but I wouldn't mind
bypassing the coil on those times I would rather not tune 80/40. I am
very interested in operating 60 meters mobile on a regular basis as
well as 20 and up.

Buck


--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW