10 meter antenna's

[N8YX]

I think I'm going to take John's advice and get a CB or 10 meter 3 element beam.I'm going to wait until after our ham fest here in Fort Payne before I buy one.It's on the 9th if anyone here is close enough to make it.

You used to be able to get CB yagis of all makes and models by the truckload - free for the taking - immediately after the "CB boom" ended and people moved on to the next fad. That's how my RadShack directional 10M antenna came to be...someone simply didn't want the thing around for whatever reason and I got the works for hauling it away.

One of the best deals which I can kick myself over NOT taking at the time was for a KLM log-periodic that covered 6-30MHz. Its boom was made of Rohn 25 tower. Mind you, this was a $10,000 antenna in the late 80s and was just a few years old - it was on the ground, in pieces and ready to be stashed 'against the day'.

Asking price? $275...

[kb2crk]

Right now I use either my 102' wire or my Hamstick 10m ground plane. My first 10 meter antenna was an Avanti Sigma 5/8 ground plane. I did not modify it, just loosened up the hose clamps and slid the sections together a little bit. yes it was a CB antenna and I should see if my little sister still has it in her garage. I have used multiple dipoles at varying heights. The verticals do very well with DX on ten but a wire will get some a vert will not....

[W3WN]

At the moment, I alternate between my Butternut HF6V and a Solarcon A-99. My -99 does not have radials, which I should either acquire or put on it.

I have another HF6 stashed in the garage, along with an HF2 (which, of course, doesn't cover 10) and the remnants of a Mosley 3 element beam.

Now that I have a small tower to put up, the -99 will eventually go away, as the tower will be in close proximity to it. We'll see, that tower raising is a bit down the road yet.

[KG4CGC]

If your A-99 is high enough, it does not need radials. I believe the magic number is 34' above ground OR any structure that the support is attached to, like a building. The radials that come with the ground plane kit is simply 5' long fiberglass coated copper wires and a collar to mount them at a 45 degree angle.

[W3WN]

If your A-99 is high enough, it does not need radials. I believe the magic number is 34' above ground OR any structure that the support is attached to, like a building. The radials that come with the ground plane kit is simply 5' long fiberglass coated copper wires and a collar to mount them at a 45 degree angle.

So there's no electrical connection between those counterpoise and the shield side of the coax? I'd have thought that the collar made the connection, but it's not clear.

[KG4CGC]

So there's no electrical connection between those counterpoise and the shield side of the coax? I'd have thought that the collar made the connection, but it's not clear.

I'm sorry. The screw in devices connect to the copper inside the fiberglass. The collar is metal and connects to the metal base of the antenna and the radials. So yes, there is a connection to the shielding of the coaxial cabling.

[kk4fpx]

the only problem I see with a wire or a vertical ison jam ups you have other stations to contend with,this normal but you also have people with over modulated mic's bleeding over who are several Khz away and turning down RF gain won't help.

[N8YX]

Look at phasing the verticals or wire arrays. A so-called "Ninja" beam - made from wires and a couple of relays - can have its pattern reversed at the flip of a switch. Two of these in quadrature would give you all four major directions and wouldn't cost a lot to build.

[w2amr]

Old 5/8 wave radio shack GP for CB, trimmed for 10.

[KB3LAZ]

You used to be able to get CB yagis of all makes and models by the truckload - free for the taking - immediately after the "CB boom" ended and people moved on to the next fad. That's how my RadShack directional 10M antenna came to be...someone simply didn't want the thing around for whatever reason and I got the works for hauling it away.

One of the best deals which I can kick myself over NOT taking at the time was for a KLM log-periodic that covered 6-30MHz. Its boom was made of Rohn 25 tower. Mind you, this was a $10,000 antenna in the late 80s and was just a few years old - it was on the ground, in pieces and ready to be stashed 'against the day'.

Asking price? $275...

In my area (back home) CB antennas are still free for the taking. Verts and beams. In fact I have a lot of tower that I got that way too. TV antenna tower but if you are only going to put up a small amount I find it usable. This is how I have my 20m, 10m, 2m, and 6m beams in the air. Garage mounted TV antenna towers (they may have a name for them...IDK what it is..the cheap square tube ones that come in 10 foot sections.). Anyway, one on each side of the garage.

Each is at 50 foot or so with some kind of hard, light, flexible aluminum post running from the bottom of the tower to about 15 feet above it. 20m and 10m beams on one and 2m and 6m beams on the other. Each also have an inverted V coming off of them as well as a vert at the top. Works well for me and the only money in vested was that of concrete for base. House brackets and hinge plates cost me nothing to make as my uncle runs a scrap yard.

Point is, I live in an area surrounded with houses owned by former CBers and either they dont want the stuff anymore or the new owners want it gone. This made getting started with antennas and towers a rather cheap venture for me.