Tom wrote :
I have a question for the collective out there. What is your favorite
antenna to take to the field or backyard. I won't be hiking deep into
the woods, but would like to hear what you have found to be a good
balance between ease of use and effectiveness as an antenna.
Tom :
I have had very good luck most of the time operating with vertical
end-fed wires in the range of 24 to 28 feet long
using a ground radial system of 5 radials, each 16 feet long made from
computer ribbon cable splayed out.
This will generally give a good match on 40m / 30m and 20m with the KX1.
I found the if you can keep the wire mostly vertical that 24 feet will
match fine with the KX1 internal tuner
but if you need to slope it somewhat or run part of it horizontally
then something closer to 28 feet will
tend to give a better and more consistent match.
I often use a 20 foot fishing pole as a support (I hate to rely on
mother nature putting a tree exactly where
I need one !) and I have fashioned my own linear loaded 20 foot
vertical out of lightweight twin-lead from
Radio shack. It is simply a 20 foot length of twinlead with the wires
shorted at the top and banana plugs
on both of the wires at the bottom. For 30m and 20m I simply plug both
into the RED terminal on my
Pomona BNC to banana jack adaptor to make a FAT 20 foot radiator for
these bands (the radial system
is connected to the black terminal). For 40m I just disconnect one of
the two wires. giving me a 20 foot
wire that is linear loaded for its full length. This will match quite
easily on 40m. In fact I have also used a
14 foot version of this vertical quite successfully for 40m Pedestrian
mobile operations with the KX1.
What I have found is that in extremely rocky locations that performance
of the above antennas suffer,
so under those circumstances I tend to revert back to a 44 foot double
made out of #24 AWG teflon
coated wire, with an integral loosely twisted pair feedline (ie two
wires each 50+ feet long, tied at the 22 ft
mark using an electricians knot, then the remainder twisted approx 4
twists per foot to make the
feedline). If you fiddle with the feedline length you should be able to
get this to match
on 40m / 30m / 20m.
I hope that this gives you some ideas.
Michael VE3WMB
P.S. I have also found that the internal tuner in the K1 will match
pretty much any antenna
that works with the KX1.
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