Being bored, result vertical 1.6 to 30 MHz

I know, the Island is addictive :mrgreen:

I'm running an OCF (Fritzel FD- 4) with coil and 30 feet of extra wire from 160 to 10 meters.
For 15/12/10 an rebuild old Imax 2000 vertical on the roof.

But, since my activities on 160 picked up in the winters, and my abstention from the Zed offered hours to fill, the weather was sunny and fine, i decided it was time for something new.

A real vertical for 160 was out of the question, the lot i live on is just 100 x 25 feet...

Sitting here, frustrated, was of no help, so back to the idea books, ARRL RSGB antenna books, and Karl Rothammel.

Using my H.T in the workroom, ( transceivers are at ground level in the living room) to keep contact on the local repeaters my eye fell on the nifty rubber ducky......

A 10 watt bulb went on ( i,m a known dimwit) and an idea was born.

In the last years i "planted" lotsa copper wire in the garden in the front and back of the house, added a star configuration of 5 copper rods 10 feet long for the earth for the station, a 6 feet long wire connects that to my ground rail on wich the components, transceivers tuner, SB-1000 etc are grounded, and the earth for the house is also connected to that.

In the DIY store i got a PVC rainwater pipe, 1 3/4 inch in size, 20 feet long.
In the shed was a piece of surplus wood, 8 feet long, wich fitted nicely in that PVC pipe.

Add 50 meters, or 170 feet of copper wire, wich was wound on the pole, spaced about 1 inch apart.

I had 3 ring cores here, 4C65 iron core, Mu 125.
Use super glue, stack them, and make a 1:9 balun out of it.

Add together, we have a vertical that works from 160 up to 10 meters, and maybe more.
SWR is quite low, the tuner had no problem making a match ( MFJ 993-B)

To test if i didn't make a dummy load, i tested it with the gang on 160 meters, comparing it with the FD-4 at 45 feet above ground ( young sea clay)

Result, 8 dB less signal as the FD-4, receive was reciproke.

The vertical had LOTS less static/noise in reception, where i could not hear the other station with the OCF, the vertical pulled them in no problem, 1 to 3 S points less stronger as the OCF but with much less static and noise.
Making it possible to hear a station on the vertical, that was completely covered in the noise on the OCF.

This was the case on 160/80/40.
Even on 20 the noise was less, but here the OCF remained top antenna for reception, being 1/2 wave above ground here.

Worked a few countries on several bands, running 100 to 500 Watts into that vertical.
The balun went up 5 to 10 degrees Celsius with 500 watt input depending on the band/SWR. nothing to be worried about.

Results, sometimes almost same S points in the reports back, sometimes 1 to 2 S points less, depending on the antenna/polarization of the other station.
This is just preliminary, further tests over a longer time are needed.
The balun is connected to the ground system at the feed point, the ferrite clamps were left over and used "just in case"

Cost:
8 Euro, PVC drainpipe.
15 Euro for the 3 4C65 iron core ferrite ring cores.
A grab in the junk box.

Result:
working antenna
Tons of fun.
Lotsa surprised peeps that though " it won't work" but it does....

Blast
Forgot antenna piccie :roll:

On top is a top hat made of copper wire.
diameter about 20 inches...

Final setup
13.55 meters high
110 meters wire aluminium 2.6 mm
Top hat 4 x 50 cm.

Detail winding

i like.

i have to redo my receiver antenna now due to the storms last weekend

First tests are positive.

Antenna that i use to compare it with is a Fritzel OCF with coil and 30 feet of wire to make it resonant on 160 meters, at 45 feet above thee ground.

In most cases the vertical is the winner, certainly above 300 miles distance.
Groundwave is stronger as well.
Fed with 12.5 to 50 Ohm unun, homemade.
Tests with an Belgian station at 300 miles away with a full size vertical at his side shows a definate preference for the vertical.

Cost 80 euro.

:D

Sight from below

The result on the analiser

As said, fed directly with coax, no balun.

Also working on 14 MHz, 24 MHz, and 10 M, but it is my main 160 M antenna, next to the lengthened OCF.

You've got a lot more patience than I have to wind that much wire on a pole! It will be very interesting to see how it performs on TB come winter.

The winding of that 110 meters/350 feet of aluminium wire cost me 2 hours, with bare hands and regular coffee breaks.

For Europe the Jury is still out, sometimes the vertical is better, sometimes the lengthened ocf.
From 1000 km's or more the vertical mostly wins.
The next winter will bee decisive, looking forward on topband to the experiments.

The near field, up to 50 miles, the groundwave vertical is lots stronger., wich should tell me that the take off angle is low(er).

Just tested it with 1 KW and it is performing fine.
Keeping animals and people away from the exposed feeeding point needs an solution though.
No interference of any kind in any electronics was found.

Have to do some other things first, but the pole will be getting a few sidearms, on wich an 80 meter vertical, linear loaded, and a full size vertical for 40 will find their place.

The pole was made of ex army glassfiber poles wich can be extended ( 4 feet long) each section.
I used 9 of these, 10.80 meters and the junkbox provided the 2.75 meters of glassfiber ex Diamond vertical section, tophat made of 4 brass 2 feeet long spokes.
Total length 45 feet.
On the picture taken from below you can see the long section of the OCF running 8 feet next to it.
And 3 guy wires of wich one with an eye bolt on the roof for supporting the antenna when i let it down alone, and put it up again.
Still left with 700 feet of that aluminium wire :D

;)

Cor