What I learned over the past month...

[KC2UGV]

One key thing I've learned about antenna's over the past month: There are priorities for location you must follow:

* Height
* Proximity to metal
* Indoors vs outdoors

I found this out by tinkering with "Better Locations" for my 20 meter dipole. First arrangement went like this:

                     | <--Window
--------------------|^-------------------**
                     |    ^Feedpoint        ****   <-- Tree

This was located in my attic. It did, ok. Could never get the SWR under 2.1:1 however.

Next one:

                                            \    |
                                             \   |
                                              \  |
                                               >| <-- Window with cable coming in
                                             /   |
                                            /    |
                                           /     |

This was located all in my attic. It actually worked really well, got some RFI in the shack (I could heard my PSK signal over the computer speakers). I got a half-contact (I called CQ, someone came back, but then someone else fired a PSK signal on top of us). SWR was 1.2-1.5:1 on the entire 20M band!

So, genius that I am thought,"You know, if I can get this all outdoors, I'd loose my RFI, and get less noise being away from the house! Sure, It'd loose about 6 feet, but it should be fine!"

So, on my railing for my upstairs porch, I installed extenders to get the antenna about 1.5ft from the metal railing, and out from under the corrugated steel porch roof. Dipole fully stretched out on both sides, I should be golden, right? Nope.

Same antenna, could not get an SWR under 3.1:1.

Antenna is going back into the attic until I get a roofing ladder :(

On the bright side, since I like using my rotary tool, I made some pretty decent center insulators out of pill bottles, and figured out how to make a killing with the CB folk: Take pill bottle, make antenna. Drop 2-4 Motrins into the bottle, and seal with hot glue. Sell antennas for $100-$400 (Depending on how many pills), and market them as 1,2,3, or 4 Pill antennas! And call the hot glue filling "Swer Lube"

[N4VGB]

Don't laugh at them, the CBers antennas work better than yours.