Antenna survey

[KJ3N]

I'd like to get a feel for what Islanders have for antennas.

Please select from the poll choices and then give a brief summary of how you feel you do when it comes to working stations, both domestic & DX.

For example: "Don't seem to have much trouble working continental USA, but Europe and Pacific are issues."

Or: "Near top of Honor Roll. There's almost nothing I can't work."

Amp, or not?

[KG4CGC]

Too bad there is not the option to choose two. IE: 2 or more 35 to 80 feet and a 10m ant 9 feet above a structure which starts at 10 above ground.

[KJ3N]

Too bad there is not the option to choose two. IE: 2 or more 35 to 80 feet and a 10m ant 9 feet above a structure which starts at 10 above ground.

I thought about allowing more than one choice, but with 10 choices, I figured that would be a bit too much.

[KG4CGC]

I thought about allowing more than one choice, but with 10 choices, I figured that would be a bit too much.

Understood. I like antennas. Always have. Beautiful addition to any home. It just isn't a home without an antenna or two. I feel bad for all the people who have to go through life without ever knowing the joys of antennaism.
What? Yes. I'm totally serious.

[W4GPL]

Mobile :: Various Ham Sticks, single trunk lip mount..

[NQ6U]

Two wire antennas (40m dipole, G5RV jr.), three VHF verticals (6m, 2m, 220 MHz), one UHF (70 cm) vertical and a 10m Moxon. All but the UHF vertical are home brew. Also a Cushcraft R8 HF vertical but it's yet to be assembled and erected.

[KG4CGC]

A 460' random wire that peaks at 80' in height.
A 125' random wire peaking at 85'.
20m doublet dipole that is sitting vertical right now until I repair the loose leg. One end at 80', one at 30'.
Antron A99 for 10meers.
Giant metal building as counterpoise and ground.
Took all the VHF/UHF stuff down and using small outdoor amplified TV antenna for the scanner.

There is a 13 element 2m monobander sitting in a room and a 4 element 2m mb'r that you could hold in your hand sitting in the same room.

Not even going to mention the 6 element FMBCB antenna I use almost daily with a Yamaha CT-410II.

[KK4AMI]

Home
102 ft Doublet at 50 ft
260 ft dipole at 70 ft
Mobile
Chameleon HF multi-band whip
6 meter whip

[W3WN]

2 HF verticals, 1 wire, 1 V/UHF vertical up. 2 HF verticals (1 in need of repairs, 1 just for parts), a new-in-the-box VHF vertical, & the remains of a Mosley beam in storage.

[KC2UGV]

I have a single antenna, but two wires on it. Inverted V fan dipole, at the peak of my roof.

[KJ3N]

All good info, but I'd still like to know how you feel your antennas perform.

What's the average distance you can cover comfortably? What distances do you seem to have trouble with?

[KC2UGV]

All good info, but I'd still like to know how you feel your antennas perform.

What's the average distance you can cover comfortably? What distances do you seem to have trouble with?

With PSK on 30 meters, depending on propagation, I can hit Russia, down as far as Brazil. I seem pretty deaf north, however, and east past CA is challenging to say the least.

Hitting North America is no problem, Europe can be troublesome, and I need propagation working with me.

[X-Rated]

Facing the fact that the CQWW CW contest was approaching, I decided to operate 15M single band last year. To do this, I was thinking about using my little HyGain tri bander, but it has issues and rather than tear down the traps in that thing, I put up a K5RP antenna for 15M. K5RP was basically designed to be a vertically polarized antenna, but it was also designed with 40M in mind. To make it a horizontally polarized antenna for 40M, it would be very high, but to make it horizontally polarized for 15M was not that daunting of a task. So that is what I did. I was able to get it about 45 feet at the top and just periodically getting on and making contacts, I made 20 zones and 53 countries. Nothing close to what I was hoping I'd do, but much of my time was babysitting grandkids. About the only contacts I made out west was to KL and KH. Everything was the Americas, Africa and Europe.

EDIT: Winter storms have played havoc on the antenna and I have not kept it in repair. So at the moment, I am off the air. If I get a weekend where I can get out, I will be putting up a home brew vertical made out of aluminum tubing from roof snow rakes.

[NA4BH]

Centerfed ZEPP.

[PA5COR]

Lengthened OCF 160-10 at 45 feet.
5 element 6 meter beam.
11 element Flexa yagi 2 meter.
23 element Flxa yagi 70 cm
Vertical 77 feet high 160 -20 meters top also 23 meters long sloping from 23 meter down to 11 meter above ground autotuner MFJ998.
Imax 2000 17 -10 meters.( rebuild)
Diamond X 510 vertical 2/70
Diamond discone antenna
Homebrew 18 dBD wi-fi vertical antenna 7 feet long.
Homebrew amplified loop antenna 10 kHZ - 30 MHz.

[X-Rated]

Centerfed ZEPP.

I love centerfolds.

[NQ6U]

All good info, but I'd still like to know how you feel your antennas perform.

Wire antennas: Meh. The G5RV jr. is too short and the 40m dipole is too low to really work well.

V/UHF verticals: 6m J-pole is excellent for local stuff, which is all I wanted it for. 2m J-pole works, but does not perform as well as it should and I've never been able to figure out why. 220 MHz co-linear J-pole kills. I can hit the Catalina Island repeater over 100 miles away with 18 watts. The 70 cm vertical...well, it works as well as I need it to work.

10m Moxon: Works surprisingly well for something I put together out of twenty bucks worth of PVC pipe and 14 gauge THHN picked up at the Home Despot, on par with a 2 element Yagi. Maybe 6 dB gain and an impressive F/B ratio.

All that said, I've managed to use the digital modes to work stations covering a large portion of the world: west into Japan and eastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania is easy, ditto South America. Europe is tougher, I can only get there when conditions are very good. I've gotten as far east as the Ural Mountains in Russia while working grayline on 40m one evening. No African QSOs as of yet and none into Asia Minor or India.

[WØTKX]

I moved here about six month ago and so far only have installed...

A "dipole doublet" fed with ladder line for 80-6 meters. Feedpoint is up about 60'. One leg slopes down at about 30 degrees from horizontal, the other is flat. It's a bit close to the house and I pop some RFI into cheap electronics in the house when I run power. Other than that, it works really well. I've worked Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, barefoot. Mostly SSB. Got Jan Mayen Island last week.

So... it performs pretty well for a temporary antenna. It's actually the dipole setup I take along for camping and Field Day.

50/144/440 Mhz Comet vertical on a temporary mast strapped to the balcony, about 50' up from ground
144/440 horizontal loop underneath the vertical on the same mast, about 40' up from ground.

Have 7-440 MHz mobile with hamsticks and a vhf/uhf antenna setup in the Previa van. I also have a 30' portable mast that works with a Superantenna Yagi for camping. Armstrong rotator system works fine.

What's NOT setup, but will be:

Gap Titan vertical, which I have used a lot in the past. 40-10, it does a good job.
Gap Challenger vertical, plan to put it up and phase it on 40-30-20 with the Titan.

40' aluminum tower, 144/440 5/6 element beam, may get a Hexbeam to share the tower.

50' tilting fiberglass military mast that will go on the balcony, winch to tilt it with. VHF/UHF maybe, but I am considering bulting a K9AY loop array and make that the RX antenna... sharing the pole with a VHF/UHF/FM TV antenna. I've played with the TV antenna on the balcony rail, and I can pick up a lot more outlying HD radio and TV stations...

160 meter doublet fed with ladder line to the ground, remote switch to short the feedline and run it as a vertical. Very beefy DX engineering balun at the base switched in and out with coax back to the shack. I already have the coax run, and one support rope up. Will need to run radials for the vertical part, so it will see service as a doublet first.

But it snowed, and I've been busy skiing.

[KA9MOT]

I'm down to the OCF Dipole at about 40 feet in my tree and 20' at the ends. Europe, South America and North America have been no problem with this antenna. Everyplace else sucks. I noticed the same thing when I had my Butternut HF-9V. I'll be playing with loops this year in the hopes that I can improve my performance.

[wa6mhz]

East Tower @50ft: 6M7JHV 7 el 6M beam, and 14 element 2M Horiz beam, 2/450 Vertical
West Tower@50ft: KLM/M2 KT-34 (20,15,10), 2/450 vertical
North Tower@40ft: 11el 2M Vertical beam, 20 el 432 beam, 22 ele 222Mhz beam, 1296 beam,

G5RV @40ft
160/80/40 sloper,
HF2V 75/40 vertical
Cushcraft R5 40-10M vertical
Cushcraft 10M, 6M and 2M Ringos
misc other antennas

[KK4AMI]

East Tower @50ft: 6M7JHV 7 el 6M beam, and 14 element 2M Horiz beam, 2/450 Vertical
West Tower@50ft: KLM/M2 KT-34 (20,15,10), 2/450 vertical
North Tower@40ft: 11el 2M Vertical beam, 20 el 432 beam, 22 ele 222Mhz beam, 1296 beam,

G5RV @40ft
160/80/40 sloper,
HF2V 75/40 vertical
Cushcraft R5 40-10M vertical
Cushcraft 10M, 6M and 2M Ringos
misc other antennas

East,West and North tower? What do you live in a castle? Nothin' on the South tower or is that where you have the lovely maiden stashed? :lol:

[NY3V]

...Nothin' on the South tower or is that where you have the lovely maiden stashed? :lol:

8842

Here she is :)

[KC9SQR]

I didn't pick anything from the poll because anything VHF or UHF isn't included in these choices..
I don't operate HF so the wire antenna's kinda count me out of all the options haha

I do however have 3 verticals, one a Cushcraft AR-270 VHF-UHF at 35-40 feet (I think closer to 35) bein my main one, another dual band not sure of the make, and a generic ratshack scanner vertical..

Two beams for sat's, foxhunting, or general directional use.

That about sums up my antenna's for the moment anyways :)

[WØTKX]

I think the survey shows an HF bias. ;)

[KC9SQR]

I think the survey shows an HF bias. ;)

Just a little ;)

[wa6mhz]

Hmmm.... NO South Tower!!! Well, that is where the Pit Bulls roam, so it would be DANGEROUS trying to put one up! They EAT anything or anyONE who comes back there!

[KJ3N]

I think the survey shows an HF bias. ;)
Just a little ;)

It was meant to. ;)

[KC9SQR]

It was meant to. ;)
I know :)
I didn't mean that in a bad way, please don't take it that way

[KJ3N]

I know :)
I didn't mean that in a bad way, please don't take it that way

Never did.

I spent about 3 years (1999 to 2002) on 6m and 2m SSB, before we moved to the present QTH. Managed to work Europe and Alaska on 6m, and made it out to Kansas City, MO on 2m. I had 5 elements on 6m and 13 elements on 2m.

[NQ6U]

Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have mentioned that I do in fact have a tower. It currently tops out at about 18 inches above ground level—i.e., horizontal.

[X-Rated]

Never did.

I spent about 3 years (1999 to 2002) on 6m and 2m SSB, before we moved to the present QTH. Managed to work Europe and Alaska on 6m, and made it out to Kansas City, MO on 2m. I had 5 elements on 6m and 13 elements on 2m.

That's cool. VHF is fun in its own way. You have to have lots more patience with the "DX" than on HF. But I have worked Dominican Republic on 6M. That was fun.

[W5GA]

72' U.S. Towers TX-472 with a Force-12 C-3 about 10 feet above the top of the tower, inverted vee's fed from a common center for 40/80 at the top of the tower. The 80 is used on 30, and as expected it's several db down from a dedicated antenna. Don't have many problems working anything when I'm QRO, although I'm not normally the first one through...but sometimes life is sweet. Some of this last years expeditions I managed to work the first day. I think the high point of the year was working S79RR on 30 and 40 within about 10 minutes of each other. Also worked 3B9SP on 80.

[N8YX]

Left out verticals. I have several for HF and VHF alike, all elevated at the feedpoint.

As soon as I have the space a Pro-96S is going up on one tower, a 7-30MHz log on another and a 6-2-222-432 stack on a third. Maybe mix the VHF/UHF arrays with the HF.

[KB3LAZ]

There is not a proper choice. Three tower mounted vertical antennas (two are VHF one is 10m), four wires (160, 80, 40 and a mutlibander) one triband beam (20, 15, 10), and one 6m beam. Ofc, all of this is in my fathers garage atm for obvious reasons.

Also, you mentioned amps, my setup included an AL-572.

We shall see how things pan out this summer. Maybe Ill be back stateside with enough time to setup a new station.

[VE3FMC]

Current antenna system
Hy Gain TH2-MK3 at 33 feet
Below that beam there is a 40 meter dipole on one side of the tower, a 17 meter dipole on the other side of the tower.

Off my utility/work shop shed I have a 2 element home brewed 12 M yagi at 24 feet. Will add another section of tower this spring which will get the beam up to 30 feet or so.

Another 30 foot tower holds a 3 element yagi at 37 feet for 6 meters. Off the top of the tower an 80 meter dipole is suspended off a support arm.

I also have a 17 meter vertical that is raised 16 feet off the ground. It runs right up the big maple tree in my back yard. Need to repair the ground radials on it, wind storm ripped them off last week.

Also have a dual band vertical and a home brewed 3 element 2 meter yagi (experiment) .

No room for a 160 antenna. Oh I could put up an end fed but it would not have any height, nor do I have the room to lay down the ground radials. So I just skip that band. I had a 30 meter dipole up but very rarely did I operate on that band.

Nothing for 60 meters, VE's can not operate that band yet unless you applied for the special permit which the government deemed was worth $60. NOT!

Amp is an AL-80A but rarely do I use it except when I operate on 75 M phone. Once in awhile I will tune it up on the higher bands to make a DX contact. But most of my operating is on JT65 at the present time.

[N2NH]

Oh, the Techs are going to feel left out of this one...

[K7SGJ]

Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have mentioned that I do in fact have a tower. It currently tops out at about 18 inches above ground level—i.e., horizontal.


Yeah, but it's easy to service the beam; even lthough it's a little tough to rotate.

[NQ6U]

And now I can add yet another one to the antenna farm, a wire Moxon for 15m. Currently at about 38" (1m) AGL because I haven't finished the portable mounting system. This one is mainly for Field Day but I'll probably leave it up until then just to see how well it works.

A Moxon is a good FD choice for my location down here in the lower left corner; rotation is not an issue since I'm not concerned about what's behind me and the broad main lobe will cover most of the US and Canada other than AK, HI and the southernmost tip of FL.

[W7UUU]

My lineup:

160m - 150' wire at 40 feet - tunes up great and works quite well despite being short
80m - OCF (covers other bands as well)
60m - Inverted Vee - Apex at 40'
40m - Inverted Vee - Apex at 40'
30m - Inverted Vee - Apex at 40' - I also run this one on 10 meters
20m - Inverted Vee - Apex at 40' - I also use the OCF on 20m as well
17m - Dipole at 40' flat topped
15m - I use the 40m antenna
10m - Dipole at 20' (works the WORLD even at that height!) - also use the 30m antenna
6m - The OCF works very well on 6m - I also have a 5/8th wave vertical for local FM
2m - 5/8th wave at 20'

I hope to add a Mosley MINI-32AW this spring that will be about 43 feet up

Dave
W7UUU

[W8XLR]

The W8XLR lineup:

Tower #1: 10m, 4 element yagi @ 45' and 14 element 2m yagi @ 35'

Tower #2: 6m, 4 element quad @ 40'

75m cage dipole @ 40', coax fed

60/40/20/15/12 and 10 meter fan dipole @ 40', coax fed

160m full wave loop (bent in hour glass shape) @ 45', fed with 450 ohm ladder line

75m delta loop @ 50' (apex down), fed with 450 ohm ladder line

20m, 1/4 wave vertical, elevated 8' with radials same

17 meter, 1/4 wave vertical mounted on metal chimney with radials laying on roof (works great!)

Going up as soon as weather breaks; 15m 1/4 wave vertical, tripod mounted on garage roof, w/radials laying on roof.

Also, a "Rat Shack" discone mounted on a stand off on tower #1 @ 30'

Funding permitting, I hope to replace the 10m mono-bander on tower #1 this summer with a Cushcraft A-4...

Amps are the SB-220 (fully re-built) and AL-811 (for 160m coverage)

[WN9HJW]

Deleted