Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

"Swoozie Pellegrino" wrote in message
...
Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

Try the Half Sloper if you could.
It is quarter wave wire suspended between balcony and run at about 45 deg
down to a tree or whatever. There is a good chance you will end up with 50
ohm impedance and can be fed directly with a coax, shield connected to metal
railing or door frame and center wire to the antenna. Trim to frequency.
Had one like that from the 9th floor at the hotel in Bahamas, worked very
well.

73 Yuri, K3BU.us

On Feb 12, 8:05*am, "Yuri Blanarovich" wrote:
"Swoozie Pellegrino" wrote in message

...





Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? *Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

Try the Half Sloper if you could.
It is quarter wave wire suspended between balcony and run at about 45 deg
down to a tree or whatever. There is a good chance you will end up with 50
ohm impedance and can be fed directly with a coax, shield connected to metal
railing or door frame and center wire to the antenna. Trim to frequency.
Had one like that from the 9th floor at the hotel in Bahamas, worked very
well.

73 *Yuri, K3BU.us- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks, Yuri. Unfortunately, there's no good tree or pole to attach
to
below. There *is* a parking garage about 400 feet straight across
from
me though! LOL, would be a really long wire.

I may try the dangling wire that Rick described earlier in this
thread.
I'll just have to figure out what fraction of 20m and 40m wavelengths
that will work best with that and cut the wire(s) accordingly. I have
about 50' of height to work with.

Or maybe a MFJ-1622 clamped to the railing?
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2035

Thanks,
~swooz

On Feb 11, 10:41*pm, Rick Frazier wrote:
Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:
Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? *Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

How about a vertical suspended from a hunk of plastic pipe ? *Try
letting it hang down from the balcony, as far out as you can safely
suspend it. *I've gotten away with using a 24 guage wire suspended with
a collapsable/extendible fishing pole with reasonable results, compared
to trying to use a short dipole inside a hotel room....

Though far from optimum, sometimes almost anything is better than nothing.

--Rick AH7H- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I could fashion a 24 gauge 1/2-wavelength 20m dipole, which I know
about its footprint when strung horizontally at 1/2-wavelength above
the ground, but is it of any use stood on end (as in dangled from
my balcony and tapped in the center)?

Thanks,
~swooz

"Swoozie Pellegrino" wrote in message
...
On Feb 11, 10:41 pm, Rick Frazier wrote:
Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:
Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

How about a vertical suspended from a hunk of plastic pipe ? Try
letting it hang down from the balcony, as far out as you can safely
suspend it. I've gotten away with using a 24 guage wire suspended with
a collapsable/extendible fishing pole with reasonable results, compared
to trying to use a short dipole inside a hotel room....

Though far from optimum, sometimes almost anything is better than nothing.

--Rick AH7H- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I could fashion a 24 gauge 1/2-wavelength 20m dipole, which I know
about its footprint when strung horizontally at 1/2-wavelength above
the ground, but is it of any use stood on end (as in dangled from
my balcony and tapped in the center)?

Thanks,
~swooz

Sure is -- tis a vertical dipole - works well at low heights where a
horizontal dipole should be elevated above ground - half wavelength +

Be sure to center tap it for proper impedance match. Not end fed.

Feedline should be 90 deg from the dipole or as near as you can get it.

I use a vertical dipole on six meters - works well

Lamont

On Feb 13, 8:28 am, Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:
On Feb 11, 10:41 pm, Rick Frazier wrote:



Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:
Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

How about a vertical suspended from a hunk of plastic pipe ? Try
letting it hang down from the balcony, as far out as you can safely
suspend it. I've gotten away with using a 24 guage wire suspended with
a collapsable/extendible fishing pole with reasonable results, compared
to trying to use a short dipole inside a hotel room....

Though far from optimum, sometimes almost anything is better than nothing.

--Rick AH7H- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I could fashion a 24 gauge 1/2-wavelength 20m dipole, which I know
about its footprint when strung horizontally at 1/2-wavelength above
the ground, but is it of any use stood on end (as in dangled from
my balcony and tapped in the center)?

Thanks,
~swooz


When I was first licenced I lived in a 2 story apartment. For 20 -
10 meters I hung Clothes line pulleys at the end of both bedrooms
(abotu 25 feet) and small diameter rope tween the pulleys. I then
attached the GROUND side of the dipole and pulled it across letting
the Center dangle down. Inverted L ..... and I worked 100+
countries and WAS on that little piece of wire. I used small copper
wire, never ran more than 100W and it was near invisible even in
daytime.


Scotty W7PSK.

R.Scott wrote:

When I was first licenced I lived in a 2 story apartment. For 20 -
10 meters I hung Clothes line pulleys at the end of both bedrooms
(abotu 25 feet) and small diameter rope tween the pulleys. I then
attached the GROUND side of the dipole and pulled it across letting
the Center dangle down. Inverted L ..... and I worked 100+
countries and WAS on that little piece of wire. I used small copper
wire, never ran more than 100W and it was near invisible even in
daytime.

Where did you have the feed point?

Thanks,
--
MGFoster:::mgf00 at earthlink decimal-point net
Oakland, CA (USA)
KI6OFN

On Feb 13, 11:11*am, "The Shadow" wrote:
"Swoozie Pellegrino" wrote in message

...
On Feb 11, 10:41 pm, Rick Frazier wrote:





Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:
Hi, all.

I'm about to become a General class licensee, and I'm
trying to work out a HF antenna plan for my new apartment.
I have a small balcony on the top (4th) floor, which is good,
but unfortunately there's a roof overhanging it and is
8' over the balcony floor and juts 4' out over the balcony edge,
so a tall vertical is out of the question.

What about a 'vertical' that is angled about 45 deg. down
from vertical? Will that be good for phone DXing on any
HF band?

Also, sadly, the balcony is all metal and so is the top of
the roof.

What about some kind of loop?

Thanks!

~swooz

How about a vertical suspended from a hunk of plastic pipe ? Try
letting it hang down from the balcony, as far out as you can safely
suspend it. I've gotten away with using a 24 guage wire suspended with
a collapsable/extendible fishing pole with reasonable results, compared
to trying to use a short dipole inside a hotel room....

Though far from optimum, sometimes almost anything is better than nothing.

--Rick AH7H- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I could fashion a 24 gauge 1/2-wavelength 20m dipole, which I know
about its footprint when strung horizontally at 1/2-wavelength above
the ground, but is it of any use stood on end (as in dangled from
my balcony and tapped in the center)?

Thanks,
~swooz

Sure is -- tis a vertical dipole - works well at low heights where a
horizontal dipole should be elevated above ground - half wavelength +

Be sure to center tap it for proper impedance match. Not end fed.

Feedline should be 90 deg from the dipole or as near as you can get it.

I use a vertical dipole on six meters - works well

Lamont- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for the info, Lamont. Well, it's going to be difficult to get
that
90 deg angle at the central feed point, since the 'dipole' will be
something
like a 10-meter long magnet wire hanging from my balcony with a weight
at the bottom. I could run coax down alongside for 5m and have it
connect
there in the center.

Hmmm...wonder if a Buddipole clamped on my balcony railing and
pointed out at a 45 deg angle will work better for me.

Thanks,
~swooz

On Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:44:40 -0800 (PST), Swoozie Pellegrino
wrote:

like a 10-meter long magnet wire hanging from my balcony with a weight
at the bottom. I could run coax down alongside for 5m and have it
connect
there in the center.

Make it 5 meter long wire hanging from the center conductor of a
hanging 5+ meter long coax.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Richard Clark wrote:
Swoozie Pellegrino wrote:

like a 10-meter long magnet wire hanging from my balcony with a weight
at the bottom. I could run coax down alongside for 5m and have it
connect there in the center.

Make it 5 meter long wire hanging from the center conductor of a
hanging 5+ meter long coax.

Or fold 1/4WL of the braid back down over itself leaving
1/4WL of the insulated center conductor to hang down.
It's called a sleeve dipole.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com