Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Herbert Schoenbohm]

From what I have read the best solution is to invest in a Remote Rig 
interface (no computer at the equipment end required) and put your 
station at a location conducive to decent antenna possibilities.. 
Control everything via the internet and it works flawlessly.  Yuri, 
N2TTA operates my station from his apartment in NYC and uses the Icom 
IC-7100 and the Kenwood TS-2000.  Antenna switching is via an on screen 
display.  The control heads are right in from on him and it is just like 
being on site.  If you don't want the detachable control heads connected 
you can op solely for the on screen control with any recent Icom radio 
with their software RS-BA1 which also allows for a jog dial attachment 
to make VFO  tuning easier that the dial on screen.


Just make a deal with a farmer, a quiet cell site, a seaside villa, to 
use a small corner in one of their sheds. The nice thing is you can 
choose the best location you wish. Maybe the cost will be $50 per month 
but that will be worth it considering what you get in return.




On 6/23/2016 5:16 PM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:
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Thanks for all the suggestions guys.  Lots of private emails.

HOWEVER, sadly I don't think I can use much information from most of them.
Two emails contain an idea or two I may be able to implement. (maybe)

  


I have no access to the existing antennas, tower, ends of antennas, nor can
I run any wires outside.

  


Pretend you wake up in a locked room.  You have 3 coaxes. Tribander, 40m &
80m.

The challenge; Get on 160m !

HI HI

  


This is basically the situation. (an oversimplification, as I could build
something beforehand)

  


If I do manage to get on 160m from there in the IARU  then it'll be in my
3830 report post-test.

  


Appreciate all the replies.

  


73 de Mike VE9AA

p.s.- I do not accept several of the emails that said (basically) to forget
160m as there are so few mults.  Even though I am a small pistol, I never
(willingly) toss away contest points if I can help it.

  


dit dit

  

  

  


Upcoming IARU contest this summer.  I'll be away from home.

No access to outside world from shack. None. Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada.

  


Small Tribander (1 coax)

  


40m and 80m inverted Vees. Separate coaxes.  All runs are likely 100' long.

  


How to get on 160m for mults?

  


Mults and Q's are very small potatoes on 160m in this contest, but certainly
there's 5 or 10 mults possible.  I'd rather not give away some of my

score.

Would like to come up with something really quick (so I can check band
often) and not have to plug/unplug coaxes or mess with jumpers etc.

  


No ground radials possible.  No more coax runs or control cables possible.
No access outside the shack. Just the 3 coax runs. That's what I have to
work with.

  


Maybe a plastic switchbox of some kind that shorts the 2 leads of the 80m
vee together (to give you a radiator-The center)

and another switch to short the 40m vee together for one raised radial-The
braid?  Can I match this mess with the tuner in a K3?

Rather not mess with other tuners.

  


Looks messy on paper. Might not even work.  I don't even have 40m and 80m
inverted vees here at home to trial anything.

  


Surely someones done it when they've travelled somewhere on a Contest
DXpedition to some residents DX location at some point in the past?

  


Ideas? Tnx

  


Mike VE9AA

  


Mike, Coreen & Corey

Keswick Ridge, NB

  


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Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband


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Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Dave Pascoe]

>
>
> p.s.- I do not accept several of the emails that said (basically) to forget
> 160m as there are so few mults.  Even though I am a small pistol, I never
> (willingly) toss away contest points if I can help it.
>


P.S. A lesson is taught until it is learned.  :-)

Good luck - with those constraints! I have tried similar things in the past
- with miserable results.

73 es have fun,
Dave KM3T
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Mike Waters]

Mike,

Have you considered an *elevated* radial at the near end of the coax
feeding the 80m dipole? Connect the shield and center conductor together;
and connect that to a tuner with either K2AV's folded counterpoise --or a
132' resonant wire-- 10' high.

That antenna tuner will have to be determined by experiment. I would bring
along a box of components (variable and fixed capacitors and inductors ).

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com

On Jun 23, 2016 4:16 PM, "Mike Smith VE9AA"  wrote:
>
> I have no access to the existing antennas, tower, ends of antennas, nor
can
> I run any wires outside.
>
>
> Pretend you wake up in a locked room.  You have 3 coaxes. Tribander, 40m &
> 80m.
>
> The challenge; Get on 160m !
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Mike Smith VE9AA]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.  Lots of private emails.

HOWEVER, sadly I don't think I can use much information from most of them.
Two emails contain an idea or two I may be able to implement. (maybe)

 

I have no access to the existing antennas, tower, ends of antennas, nor can
I run any wires outside.

 

Pretend you wake up in a locked room.  You have 3 coaxes. Tribander, 40m &
80m.

The challenge; Get on 160m !

HI HI

 

This is basically the situation. (an oversimplification, as I could build
something beforehand)

 

If I do manage to get on 160m from there in the IARU  then it'll be in my
3830 report post-test.

 

Appreciate all the replies.

 

73 de Mike VE9AA

p.s.- I do not accept several of the emails that said (basically) to forget
160m as there are so few mults.  Even though I am a small pistol, I never
(willingly) toss away contest points if I can help it.

 

dit dit

 

 

 

Upcoming IARU contest this summer.  I'll be away from home.

No access to outside world from shack. None. Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada. 

 

Small Tribander (1 coax)

 

40m and 80m inverted Vees. Separate coaxes.  All runs are likely 100' long.

 

How to get on 160m for mults?

 

Mults and Q's are very small potatoes on 160m in this contest, but certainly
there's 5 or 10 mults possible.  I'd rather not give away some of my

score.

Would like to come up with something really quick (so I can check band
often) and not have to plug/unplug coaxes or mess with jumpers etc.

 

No ground radials possible.  No more coax runs or control cables possible.
No access outside the shack. Just the 3 coax runs. That's what I have to
work with.

 

Maybe a plastic switchbox of some kind that shorts the 2 leads of the 80m
vee together (to give you a radiator-The center)

and another switch to short the 40m vee together for one raised radial-The
braid?  Can I match this mess with the tuner in a K3?

Rather not mess with other tuners.

 

Looks messy on paper. Might not even work.  I don't even have 40m and 80m
inverted vees here at home to trial anything.

 

Surely someones done it when they've travelled somewhere on a Contest
DXpedition to some residents DX location at some point in the past?

 

Ideas? Tnx

 

Mike VE9AA

 

Mike, Coreen & Corey

Keswick Ridge, NB

 

_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Tree]

You are not going to work a lot of multipliers in the IARU contest on 160
meters - even if you had "real" antennas for the band.

I would suggest either just loading up your 80 meter antenna and working
one or two mults and then go back to focusing on the other bands.  The idea
of using it against ground is a proven method for doing this (as previous
posted).

73 Tree N6TR

On Wed, Jun 22, 2016 at 8:52 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist <
rich...@karlquist.com> wrote:

>
>
> On 6/22/2016 6:29 PM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:
>
> Maybe a plastic switchbox of some kind that shorts the 2 leads of the 80m
>>>
>> vee together (to give you a radiator-The center)
>>
>> and another switch to short the 40m vee together for one raised radial-The
>> braid?  Can I match this mess with the tuner in a K3?
>>
>>
> If you are going to do this, you need to make sure that the
> inverted vee's do NOT use current baluns/common mode chokes.
> "Voltage baluns" are probably OK.
>
> Also, you need to have a multiple of an electrical half wave
> length of coax in order for the trick of shorting the center
> conductor to the shield to work right.  If it is an odd
> multiple of a quarter wave, it will not work at all.
>
> I would advise you not to bother; too much trouble.
> "Quick" and "160 meter antenna" should probably not be in
> the same sentence, especially with many constraints.
>
> Rick N6RK
>
> _
> Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
>
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Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband

Re: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna?

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

On 6/22/2016 6:29 PM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:


Maybe a plastic switchbox of some kind that shorts the 2 leads of the 80m

vee together (to give you a radiator-The center)

and another switch to short the 40m vee together for one raised radial-The
braid?  Can I match this mess with the tuner in a K3?



If you are going to do this, you need to make sure that the
inverted vee's do NOT use current baluns/common mode chokes.
"Voltage baluns" are probably OK.

Also, you need to have a multiple of an electrical half wave
length of coax in order for the trick of shorting the center
conductor to the shield to work right.  If it is an odd
multiple of a quarter wave, it will not work at all.

I would advise you not to bother; too much trouble.
"Quick" and "160 meter antenna" should probably not be in
the same sentence, especially with many constraints.

Rick N6RK
_
Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband