Author Topic: Newbie  (Read 7952 times)

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AD

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Re: Newbie
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2015, 07:55:38 AM »
My choice for a packing antenna is a mono band Par End Fedz http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamwire/4456.html

Does not require a tuner and can be run as a vert, horz, sloper, nvis.... And it weighs next to nothing.
The only dumb question is the one that did not get asked!!

Tempstar

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Re: Newbie
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2015, 08:02:55 PM »
end fed is good, I use a Chameleon vertical, a friend swears by buddipoles. There is no substitute for a dipole cut for the band you're using. I preached here many times that anything else is a compromise. The end fed and the Chameleon use a transformer to make the radio see 50 ohms, but lots of wattage is lost to heat, effectively only radiating a portion of the output power. Wound antennae like the buddipole or Hamsticks are better but require changing to match the band. Deep pockets can get you a screwdriver type antenna that matches by tapping various points on a coil to achieve an electrically correct length. Then we can enter into a whole other diatribe on capacitive coupling, counterpoise requirements, current baluns, etc etc. Then you need to decide how far you want to talk;  A vertical will be shorter range but more portable, a horizontal wire will put more signal into the layers getting much more range, but sometimes right over who you want to talk to in the next state. I will answer the question by suggesting the end fed to get started, or a G5RV for a more permanent installation. There is no magic antenna, but there is a bit of magic required to find the best antenna for your particular needs.
Personally I use the Chameleon Hybrid with the V1L and MIL whips for portable, and the G5RV up 50' for base. I just built a fan dipole for 20/40/80 but need to do some trimming.
I know this is long but it's a complicated subject.....
"Preparedness is a lot more than just buying stuff"