The AM Forum

I'm moving from my cramped studio apartment to a 1 br apt just down the road.

The good news is I have a balcony and backed up to trees. I'm on the 3rd floor and hoping to get some wire in the air. If I can shoot some wire out to the trees. it's also a good possibility I can mount my compact dipole that I bought with hopes of using here, on the balcony railing. (It's wood) I may have to cut my carrier in half but to me any signal is better than no signal at all.

The other good news about this building is it's not concrete and steel mesh walls. So I'll have a chance at getting some signal in the place even if I can't stealthily  mount antennas externally I can still listen. All the interference shouldn't be trapped inside the building ready to pounce on a innocent receiver somewhere.

This place also reports your credit (the current landlord does not)  so I'll be building my credit while I live there. Hopefully in a few years I'll have enough credit to get a mortgage.

This move is pending on the paperwork from the bank and my rent history being returned to them. I expect no complications from that. I've been a good tenant. I'm quiet, no criminal record, and pay rent on time.

I don't have a binding lease here so I can split at any time as long as I respectfully give notice. I'm going to try to be out of here and moved in to my new place by the first of July.

I'm pretty stoked! Living, eating, and sleeping within the same 4 walls is about to end. I'll finally have divided quarters again!

 Sounds great theres nothing like playing radio 8)milllion dollar bacon

TOO MUCH PERSONAL INFORMATION !

 ::)

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

I suppose with the antenna - as far from the building (and other buildings and wires) as possible and as close to a 1/2 wave on your band of choice is probably the best.

Truly balanced is good if you can get it, although I used an end fed half wave at several locations and they all worked VERY well.  The key was to really have a real half wave, and therefore it's voltage fed so very small current flowing in the ground return.  And it was up quite high as well.

Something to think about anyway.

  One suggestion is to be careful, and manage yourself on how you use credit. If you don't, then credit can manage you for the rest of your life. It's funny on how those that need credit have a hard time, and those who don't need it have credit offers in every single days mail. Be careful out there. Cash is king.

Jim
Wd5JKO

Last apartment I was in, it was the top floor and had a metal balcony railing. Good place for a short mast.

Using a simple 'charge card' that must be paid every month, the best of which is American Express 'green' card with the ancient soldier on it, is a way to build credit very nicely. Charge everything on it and pay the bill each month. It is not an interest-charging card.

My antenna system won't be efficient, I know that already. I'm just gonna have to make due with what I can. If I can get away with shooting a wire to the trees perhaps I might have a little efficiency but with the mini dipole I have, 2 mini ham-sticks and a center piece. The downfall with that is they are rated at 250 watts so I'll have to cut my carrier in half to use them. Less brute force to overcome the deficiency. I got them for receive, wasn't planing on transmit.

Even if I can get to the trees the problem is going to be getting the ground. I'll have to investigate that carefully. If I can make a lazy L and get away with that in a stealth fashion I'll do it.

Sorry, wasn't planning on making this a tech-support thread,

Congrats on the pending move. I don't think the thread is too technical. Watch the grounding at third story though. Be a good place to string out a counterpoise. Just hang it down between balcony columns where the lower neighbors won't see it.

Or put on your E co. Uniform and drive a ground rod or two at the bottom for a DC ground at desired wave length fractions to attach your counterpoise to.  Borrow someone's van for authenticity.

Or try it at night for some really good thrills.  Don't envy your situation but it looks like more and more of us are facing similar these days.

"Honey, some creepo above us is trying to spy on me...  He's dropping a camera or something down a wire."

Well, the last few days of moving. I've got all but one of my computers torn down and everything that can be boxed in boxes. The next step is Monday, the official day of moving all the stuff to the truck. Then move in on Tuesday. I'll be staying at my mothers overnight on Monday.

After putting my computers back together the next task will be investigating antenna possibilities. One ultimate stealth way to do it is just run a random longwire by loading the rain gutter. The building is long enough, I might actually be able to fit 160 on that gutter too.

The problem is a good ground. I've got the ground through the AC but that's all for indoor solutions. Outdoor solutions is the A/C's ground. I don't think there is a way to run a ground to the earth, unless there is a cable TV ground to earth, which I doubt..  We'll see.

Well, the word from the office is absolutely no outdoor antennas.. :( I've got my hamsticks hidden under my balcony roof but they don't seem to do much. I think the coass is way too short. I'm gonna try a coax choke and get longer coax even if I have to pile it up on the balcony. The problem is the transmitter is still going to be less than 10 feet away from the antenna, just outside the sliding glass door. My operating position is right there in front of the door...

We'll see what this latest amendment to PRB-1 does. If it's passed it may give me some right to put up a modest antenna. All I really need is a hook on the wall. I've seen people with flower hangers bolted to the wall. I don't see why I should'nt be able to bolt a wire antenna to the wall..  :'(

If I was going to rent an apartment, I probably would have looked into whether an outdoor antenna "wire" could be installed before I signed a lease. Also, I'm not sure PRB-1, and its possible expansion, would even cover apartment renters.

Well, I am glad to get out of that one room apartment and into something nice. If I can't have visible antennas outside Hopefully I'll find something I can do with them hidden under my balcony roof. I'll be here a couple of years and moving to a house where I will not have to sacrifice my right to hang a wire on my property.

Consider small transmitting magnetic loop antennas. They are getting popular among QRP operators, but can be built for higher power with appropriate components - though you may not want to stand next to one at more than QRP levels. But many folks use them on balcony arrangements in hotels and other housing arrangements. Google "alexloop" for a representative example for QRP. AA5TB has a lot of good information on the design and construction of them. A loop made from coax or hardline or copper tubing can be built into things like a plastic outdoor table.

Good luck. Where there is a will there is an antenna.  ;D

I've looked into loops, and a loop for 75 would be too big for the balcony. I certainly don't want QRP. That defeats the purpose of communicating on AM. I'd never get up off the noise floor. I'm going to be piss weak on the bands (again), if existing there at all, so I don't want to cut my carrier to nothing. On my transmitter 160 and 80/75 is all I have. I can't do the higher bands. 75/80 is all I have interest for. Which sucks in my situation, but oh well.

I asked Bruce, K7DYY if he'd be interested in making a 40-20m transmitter, I'd buy one, but never got a reply. I guess that's a no.

I've also got a partially assembled 160/80m 10 FET Class E transmitter sitting in the middle of my floor right now.