Automatic matchers are pretty cool... Just ordered one (LDG Z718) to go with the FT817 I just bought. It's neat hearing the relays all go when getting it's match :)
Now, this thing said it can't be used with long wire antennas... Am I just stuck with doublets with this? Kinda liking the idea of just tossing one wire into a tree.
Maybe a LW with proper balun?
A balun would work as long as you grounded the unused side of it to a real earth ground. A counterpoise might work too, but either one of those options could be more trouble than it's worth for portable QRP work.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Yeah, kinda what I thought. Oh well, two wires into trees!
If you're going to throw a wire in a tree, you can coil a counterpoise around the trunk a few time and terminate it to a spike into a root or if the ground in your area is conductive, like it is here, you're set. A little more work but not too much.Originally Posted by KJ6BSO
I realize we're not talking LW tuners, in which case MFJ make a Mighty Fine Jump.
You can probably use a 4:1 balun, assuming you attach a counterpoise to one end.
On another note, this is why I still prefer manual tuners. Many of them are much more flexible in what types of antennas you can use with them. A perfect example is the MFJ-901B. It will accept just about anything.
"People Who Don't Want Their Beliefs Laughed at Shouldn't Have Such Funny Beliefs" -AD5MB
"If someone tells you he believes in and talks to an invisible bunny named Harvey, you put him on medication and a regimen of therapy. If someone tells you he believes in and talks to God, well, that's perfectly acceptable. Why that's the case is impossible for me to fathom." - WP2XX
Latest ClubLog entries.
You could use a sloper dipole. Or, if that doesn't do it, an isotropic radiator.
Last edited by NQ6U; 04-30-2014 at 07:46 PM.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
"Friendships come in strange packages
The best ones are opened with a smile"
NA4BH '15
This. Happiness is directly proportional to the number of knobs, and switches at hand to twist, and flip.
cul de n8tb
"Sadly, it always takes a few martyrs to get the ball rolling." Colonel Tim Boldman 2001
"There are no differences but differences of degree between different degrees of difference and no difference."--William James
"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." Victor J. Stenger
It looks like if you use a 1:1 current balun between the random wire and the tuner, it shouldn't be a problem. When I bought my 817, I looked at this ATU, but for this reason I went with the Elecraft T1 kit. It works great with just about anything hooked to it. FYI, Elecraft also has a balun kit that is a 4:1 or 1:1 switchable. It will work with your setup, no problem. I have a couple of them that I use for testing and whatnot, and they work very well. It is a compact little unit, and will fit in the bag just fine. Although I rarely need to use it, I still carry one with my 817 bag-o-shit. Occasionally a 4:1 or 1:1 balun comes in very handy.
A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory
RIP ALBI-W3MIV RIP RUSS-W5RB RIP BOB-VK3ZL
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
