Dream Antenna

[KB2WIG]

Why threaded??


klc

[ka7niq]

Why threaded??


klc

So the rods will stay in the blocks tight, and maybe the washers will keep the termites out ?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Why copper??

But, if you must, there are places online that sell threaded round copper rods.
There are even more places that sell plain round copper rods and you thread them yourself.

[ka7niq]

Why copper??

But, if you must, there are places online that sell threaded round copper rods.
There are even more places that sell plain round copper rods and you thread them yourself.

Low resistance, and I can't afford Gold 
Plus, my old Millen Transmatch has a copper chassis

Seriously Pete, do u think I will be OK with regular home depot threaded Rod ?

[W2VW]

Don't let Pete give you a hard time. He's been using the same crummy 572Bs since 1968.

[Steve - K4HX]

The difference between copper and threaded rod from Home DeLowes will be minimal. You're only talking about 6 inches or so, right?

[ka7niq]

Don't let Pete give you a hard time. He's been using the same crummy 572Bs since 1968.

I have a Dentrol Clipperton L that uses 4 - 572B's  in it, and they are original!
But then again, they are Cetrons 

[ka7niq]

The difference between copper and threaded rod from Home DeLowes will be minimal. You're only talking about 6 inches or so, right?

Yeah, just enough to go through the cement blocks, no more then 10 inches.

[KB2WIG]

" So the rods will stay in the blocks tight, and maybe the washers will keep the termites out ?  "

Just one word...



klc

[ka7niq]

" So the rods will stay in the blocks tight, and maybe the washers will keep the termites out ?  "

Just one word...



klc

That's how I have seen it done out West. I saw a LOT of wire antennas fed with real, home made OWL back when I lived in Seattle.
Probably because of the abundance of tall trees out there, and also because it the late 70's/early 80's, and more old timers were still alive.'

These Hams drilled right through the walls, and used threaded rods to get the OWL through the walls.

I do remember seeing flat washers on the rods.

I just can't recall if they were Copper or not.

There used to be a place in Seattle called Boeing Surplus!

The amount of surplus electronic stuff in there was mindboggling!

Johnson KW Matchboxes were pretty easy to come by, back then.

And there were always heroic home made truly balanced tuners of great power handling floating around.

[VE3LYX]

Me I am done with dipoles and their variations. Yagis as well. Also tried a small magnetic loop. Last year I threw a line up into a tree with my spinning reel and fishing pole (forget the slingshot. The reel thing works MUCH better) It is a 80M long wire 137 feet up no more then a 40 ft average end fed with a 67 foot single wire feeder which comes off at a distinct right angle. I use a HB tuner which is a basic Pi network with 13 taps. From the first moment I used I it has worked. Better then my A3 cushcraft did, or my inverted L or my inverted dual band Vee. Only my 20m ground mounted vertical gets as much love. Why do I like the longwire (and the 20M vertical for that matter) so much? Because my son they work. When I talk people hear me. 20 or even 30 over sig reports compared to " I can just tell you are there sori I cant read u". Even my antique Cw sets one or two tubes get out on this rigging. Never had it so good. I listen on a beverage on my lower band stuff. Finally after 30 odd years I have an antenna that doesn't need improvement. If I go on 160 with my  ARC5 I use the built in inductor to make it work which BTW is exactly what it was designed for , feeding a "short" long wire and I don't use the tuner with either ARC5 (160M and 80M AM phone) . Sometimes we think exotic is always better. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Sometimes the old stuff works best. On 20M the 20M vertical made from plumbers 3/4 inch copper pipe, a soup can lid and a 94 Dodge Ram antenna will crack any pile up when running my slop bucket rig barefoot.(TS830S) So while you are all shaking you heads that Canadian station (who just got in ahead of your 2500KW linear feeding a stacked yagi at 150ft) running barefoot would more then likely be me. As I age I have become totally results oriented. Seem strange for sure the best antennas here cost virtually nothing to build and outperform all the exotic crap I ever bought. However for me from this QTH it is so. My AM rig is a DX60B and I run it barefoot on 40M and use my Hb 811A amp on 80M to help out a friend who lives in a S9 noise level QTH
Don   

[N2DTS]

I think if most tried that at higher power, there would be a lot of RF floating around in the shack...

I myself am lazy, I have dipoles for 80 and 40, coax fed, no tuna.

[ka7niq]

I think if most tried that at higher power, there would be a lot of RF floating around in the shack...

I myself am lazy, I have dipoles for 80 and 40, coax fed, no tuna.

Yep, non center fed antennas seem to have feedline radiation problems.
Especially at high power levels.

[ka2pbo]

 Unless you run a counterpoise and an elaborate ground....but if your wasting wire on a counterpoise ..may as well double up the  feedline and split the antenna in half !! I dont know how I did it as a novice living at home..I was only allowed 1 wire through the window so it was a  random wire  about 75ft long. I grounded all the equipment to the house ground and that was it. It was a basement shack..I never ran any  real power so I didnt notice any rf bouncing around the shack ...but I know now that it was there !  

Rick

[K1JJ]

Boy, I sure got some nasty lip bites in the early days of end fed wires.

Nothing like smelling burned spit in the morning...  


T

[ka2pbo]

Ouch! Lip burns !  Glad I didnt get any of those....I was only running CW back then...would have been something seriously wrong !

Rick