The key there being 15m and a 12 foot tank whip, which is nearly resonant and definitely not short for the frequency. The cruel reality mostly comes into play on the lower bands. Also, it sounds as if your four radials were elevated -- is that a correct read? That would make your antenna a resonant elevated ground plane antenna with resonant elevated radials. That would be a very efficient antenna without any of the afore-mentioned lossy entanglements with ground or ghastly feedline mismatch issues. I would say you had very good advice from somewhere.
Physics is no respecter of kids. On the other hand, kids are VERY capable of doing really neat things if they have the right advice to start with. When I was in my middle teens, smartest ham around (not me for sure) was an eighth grader. Wisest ham around was the chief engineer at WCTT. Two of them together very formidable. Last I heard on the rumor circuit, maybe twenty years ago, the kid had grown up to be an IEEE Fellow or something like that. Kids don't need to be fed inefficient over-simplifications because their brains aren't developed. Tell a kid the right stuff and the next thing you know he's beating you out in the pileups. Been there, had that done to me. BIG thrill for the kid to beat out the old man in a pileup. Hear about it for the next decade. 73, Guy. On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 12:34 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > My first vertical was a 12 foot length of army tank whip (4, 3-foot > sections) u-bolted to a 12 foot length of 2x2 pine, attached to the side > of an enclosed patio in my backyard. The radials were four, 1/4-wave for > 15 m wires at what was supposed to be 90 degrees to apart. It was fed with > 50 feet of RG-59U and driven by a Viking Adventurer. So, with about 25 > watts out, and the benefit of Cycle 19, K2UMU worked all over EU on 15m > CW. I agree with Phil - we can't always be "purists," especially when one > is 11 years old and in 7th grade. > > Rob K6RB > > > "If you CAN'T do radials right, DON'T do grounded verticals. As simple > as > > that." > > > > I disagree. Licensed in 1964 at 15, I operated with a 4BTV through high > > school and college with just a ground rod. I didn't know any better, but > > had lots of fun - even with a Knightkit T60 transmitter. Was it > > efficient? Nope. But I sure enjoyed the hobby during that time. Of > > course, I later learned that I could have had even MORE fun if I'd had > > radials. > > > > Phil - AD5X > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
