Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

3. Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 verticle rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a dipole and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. All are very
favorable, but is it too good to be true ??? A verticle working with
no radials ???

4. Go with a wire antenna. I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lenghts of 90' and 180' respectively. I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex hight of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook i can scew in up there. There is enough lenght of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. Since the top of the
roof is right where it would be secored, I'd pull it right on to the
roof, run it across the house down the other side and right into the
shack on the top floor of the other side of the house where the shack
is. The upside... No ground or radials needed, no expensive or
troublesome set up and I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes
with no problems at all. Just a small hook left in the side of the
house. It wuld also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a verticle like the
ones mentioned above. The down side... It would radiate well east and
west, but not well off the poles north and south.

Well... That's about it...

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael

On 6/17/2011 11:20 AM, Michael wrote:
Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

3. Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 verticle rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a dipole and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. All are very
favorable, but is it too good to be true ??? A verticle working with
no radials ???

4. Go with a wire antenna. I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lenghts of 90' and 180' respectively. I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex hight of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook i can scew in up there. There is enough lenght of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. Since the top of the
roof is right where it would be secored, I'd pull it right on to the
roof, run it across the house down the other side and right into the
shack on the top floor of the other side of the house where the shack
is. The upside... No ground or radials needed, no expensive or
troublesome set up and I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes
with no problems at all. Just a small hook left in the side of the
house. It wuld also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a verticle like the
ones mentioned above. The down side... It would radiate well east and
west, but not well off the poles north and south.

Well... That's about it...

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael

rec.radio.amateur.antenna

Come here for amateur antennas ...

--

Regards,
JS
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain
the people, it’s an instrument for the people to restrain the
government.” -- Patrick Henry

On 06/17/2011 11:20 AM, Michael wrote:
Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

3. Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 verticle rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a dipole and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. All are very
favorable, but is it too good to be true ??? A verticle working with
no radials ???

4. Go with a wire antenna. I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lenghts of 90' and 180' respectively. I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex hight of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook i can scew in up there. There is enough lenght of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. Since the top of the
roof is right where it would be secored, I'd pull it right on to the
roof, run it across the house down the other side and right into the
shack on the top floor of the other side of the house where the shack
is. The upside... No ground or radials needed, no expensive or
troublesome set up and I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes
with no problems at all. Just a small hook left in the side of the
house. It wuld also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a verticle like the
ones mentioned above. The down side... It would radiate well east and
west, but not well off the poles north and south.

Well... That's about it...

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael

If your radials and feedpoint are elevated you can get by with 5 or 6
radials. That claptrap about hundreds of 1/4 wave wires, etc. has been
disproven. Put your vertical on the roof. You will definitely need a
tuner at the feedpoint. MFJ-925, or MFJ-928 will work. No way 80 will
load up with the tuner in the radio.

On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:20:50 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

3. Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 verticle rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a dipole and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. All are very
favorable, but is it too good to be true ??? A verticle working with
no radials ???

4. Go with a wire antenna. I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lenghts of 90' and 180' respectively. I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex hight of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook i can scew in up there. There is enough lenght of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. Since the top of the
roof is right where it would be secored, I'd pull it right on to the
roof, run it across the house down the other side and right into the
shack on the top floor of the other side of the house where the shack
is. The upside... No ground or radials needed, no expensive or
troublesome set up and I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes
with no problems at all. Just a small hook left in the side of the
house. It wuld also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a verticle like the
ones mentioned above. The down side... It would radiate well east and
west, but not well off the poles north and south.

Well... That's about it...

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael

Michael,

You Do the Best You Can : Which What You Got [.]
-wrt- Radials/Reflectors

If you have an Attic 'space' that you can work-in :

Place the Radials {Reflectors} 'under' the Roof
in the Attic -hidden-

Use 2~4 Feet Wide Wide Fencing Metal Wire Fabric
for your Attic Radials/Reflectors [Hidden]
-usually-the-the-least-expensive-you-can-buy-

Tip : Use Fencing Staples to Hold the Fabric
to the Underside of the Roof Rafters.
* Along the Length {Ridge} of the Attic
as much as you can.
* Across the Width "^" {Side-to-Side} of
the Attic as much as you can.
* Forming an "X" {Cross} of Four (4) Wide
Radials/Reflectors under the Base/Center
of you Antenna.

keep it simple and practical - iane ~ RHF

On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:20:50 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

Butternut HF9V 80-6 9-Band Vertical Antenna
http://www.bencher.com/ham/index.php...products_id=14
-note- No radials required with the optional CPK Counterpoise kit.
Accessory kit for 160 meter coverage available.

Where does your Property Line End on each side of the House ?
Distance Center of the Roof to the Property Lines ?

Use a 5'~10' Metal 'Mast' between the Roof and Antenna.

Attach the Radials where the Mast meats the Antenna.
'Above' the Surface of the Roof.

Rig the Radials 'above' the Surface of the Roof from 5~3 Feet and
extend them as far as you can {needed} angling downward to your
Property Lines.


2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

GAP Titan DX 8 Band Multiband DX Antenna
http://www.gapantenna.com/titan.html

If you do not have the 'Space' for a Horizontal Antenna to Work All
Bands 80m~10m : Then a Vertical is the Best you can do.

Be The Best You Can Be & Do The Best You Can Do
-remember- Keep It Simple And Practical . . .
within the 'confines' {limits} of your house and land
-or- move !

On Jun 19, 7:33*pm, RHF wrote:
On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:20:50 -0700 (PDT), Michael





wrote:
Hiya...

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna.

The goal will be DX'ing the ham bands with phone and eventually CW.
I'm looking for an antenna set up that will work on 10 to 80 meters.
Of course, multiple specific antennas would be an ideal, but that is
not in the cards.

I've had a few options in mind. *All of course, would be coupled with
an antenna tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do
the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. *The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. *With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there wlll be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. *Another draw back is that verticles tend to be more noisey.

Butternut HF9V 80-6 9-Band Vertical Antennahttp://www.bencher.com/ham/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_...
-note- No radials required with the optional CPK Counterpoise kit.
Accessory kit for 160 meter coverage available.

Where does your Property Line End on each side of the House ?
Distance Center of the Roof to the Property Lines ? *

Use a 5'~10' Metal 'Mast' between the Roof and Antenna.

Attach the Radials where the Mast meats the Antenna.
'Above' the Surface of the Roof.

Rig the Radials 'above' the Surface of the Roof from 5~3 Feet and
extend them as far as you can {needed} angling downward to your
Property Lines.



2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. *No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they dont work as advertised. *Again...
Vertile can be a noisy antenna.

GAP Titan DX 8 Band Multiband DX Antennahttp://www.gapantenna.com/titan.html

If you do not have the 'Space' for a Horizontal Antenna to Work All
Bands 80m~10m : Then a Vertical is the Best you can do. *

Be The Best You Can Be & Do The Best You Can Do
-remember- Keep It Simple And Practical . . .
within the 'confines' {limits} of your house and land
-or- move !
*.



3. *Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 verticle rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a dipole and does not need any radial set up. *There
have only *been a few reviews of this antenna. *All are very
favorable, but is it too good to be true ??? A verticle working with
no radials ???

Chameleon V11 -a/o- V12 Multiband 'Dipole' Antennas *http://www.chameleonantenna.com/page9/page9.html*

It's a "Dipole" Antenna that is Mounted Verically The Upper-Half is
the Radiator and the Bottom-Half is the Reflector* {both equal and
balance}. A so-called 'mono-pole' single-pole antenna.
* Single Radial
*.



4. *Go with a wire antenna. *I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. *The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lenghts of 90' and 180' respectively. *I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex hight of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook i can scew in up there. *There is enough lenght of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. *I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. *The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. *Since the top of the
roof is right where it would be secored, I'd pull it right on to the
roof, run it across the house down the other side and right into the
shack on the top floor of the other side of the house where the shack
is.

Have to do some reading and thinging about the Buckmaster
Off-Center-Fed (OCF) Dipole Antennashttp://hamcall.net/7bandocf.htmlhttp://w0hc.com/ocf-dipole/http://hamcall.net/BuckmasterOCFAntennaInstructions.pdf

The upside... No ground or radials needed, no expensive or
troublesome set up and I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes
with no problems at all. Just a small hook left in the side of the
house. *It wuld also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a verticle like the
ones mentioned above. *The down side... It would radiate well east and
west, but not well off the poles north and south.

Well... That's about it...

Michael - That's a lot of Up-Side )
-remember- Keep It Simple And Practical . . . iane ~ RHF
*.





Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

hiya...

thanx for all the input... between the on-line advice i was given and
from a local ham, i have decided on going with a wire dipole to start
with. i have the room to string it up. my lot is not very wide, but
it is very deep. about 60 yards. i plan on screwing a hook on the
side of my house at the peak of the roof. from there, i can hang the
center. the poles can extend down and out along the depth of my lot.
more than enough room to do that and set the poles at an ideal angle
for an inverted V. this set up will take me all of twenty minutes to
arrange.

the draw back is that it will be right near the house. not ideal, but
the best i can manage. later on down the road, if i enjoy the hobby,
i can put in a tower. no restrictions for me in the north nj suburb
where i live.

getting a ham ticket was sort of an afterthought for me. i wanted a
better receiver for sw dx listening and found that some of the best
dsp receivers were also transmitters too -). no sense in buying one
without a ham ticket, no ??? :-) it migth be fun to be on the other
end of things for once. just answering basic questions to get my
first station set up has sort of "sucked me in". i've just about
forgotten that i just wanted to get a better sw rig