Hello Mike You do not mention anything about the local electrical distribution system. IF you do not have to worry about antenna wire contacting local power wires, you could use a half-wave vertical suspended by a balloon. EASY to feed such an antenna.
Two 160-meter contests ago I tried such an antenna using ~#30 magnet wire. At 100-watts in my early evening it was working stations to my East (CN97uj QTH) quite competitively until the rain arrived and weighted-down the antenna. Too late to buy a second party balloon to keep it in the air. Next time I will use _several_ balloons instead of one. Good luck with whatever you employ for the contest. 73 Dick/w7wkr CN97uj and CN98pi ============================= 1. Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna? > (Mike Smith VE9AA) > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2016 22:29:35 -0300 > From: "Mike Smith VE9AA" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Cc: <[email protected]> > Subject: Topband: Best way to jury rig a quick 160m contest antenna? > > 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
