Hiya...
Newly minted “non technical” ham here :-)

Been a SW DX’er for many years and decided to get my ham ticket
recently.

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna. The goal will be DX'ing the
ham bands with phone and eventually CW. I'm looking for an antenna set
up that will work on 10 to 80 meters. Of course, multiple specific
antennas would be an ideal, but that is not in the cards. I've had a
few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with an antenna
tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there will be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. Another draw back is that verticals tend to be noisy. Not to
mention shelling out money for a roof mount set up and putting lag
bolts in up there.

2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they don’t work as advertised. Again...
Verticals can be a noisy and the set up time and cost.

3. Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 vertical rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a "dipole" and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. All are very favorable,
but is it too good to be true??? A vertical mounted rigid antenna
working with no radials even if it is being called a dipole ??? With
this antenna, I’d be able to avoid having to use a roof mount. Just
mast it to the side of the house high enough for the bottom pole to
clear the roof. A simple install. Still… No idea at all how good
this antenna is.

4. Go with a wire antenna. I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lengths of 90' and 180' respectively. I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex height of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook I can screw in up there. There is enough length of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. Since the top of the
roof is right where the feed point would be secured, I'd pull the feed
up and right on to the roof. From there, run it across the roof and
down the other side of the house a few feet and right into the shack
on the top floor on the other side of the house. The upside... No
ground or radials needed, no expensive or troublesome set up, if need
be I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes with no problems at
all with just a small hook left on the side of the house. It would
also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a vertical like the ones mentioned
above. The down side... It would radiate well east and west, but not
well off the poles north and south. Also... The very top of the
antenna would not be elevated above the house, so about ten feet of
each pole up top would be obscured on one side by the house.

I also thought about using my current short-wave listening antenna to
transmit with, but I think I’d have to change the matching
transformer. I’ve got an Inverted L with a 30” vertical length and
40” horizontal length. That receiving wire is stranded copper made
specifically to be used as receiving wire. It is attached to a
matching transformer (an ICE-180) that is mounted to the foundation of
my house about two feet off the ground. That ICE-180 is in turn
directly grounded to an 8 foot brass grounding rod. The feed line is
50 ohm coax that runs up the side of the house from the ICE-180 and
into the shack. The ICE-180 is a “receive only” item and I don’t think
you can load it up.

Well... That's about it...

Any comments, advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael

"Michael" wrote in message
...

Hiya...
Newly minted “non technical” ham here :-)

Been a SW DX’er for many years and decided to get my ham ticket
recently.

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna. The goal will be DX'ing the
ham bands with phone and eventually CW. I'm looking for an antenna set
up that will work on 10 to 80 meters. Of course, multiple specific
antennas would be an ideal, but that is not in the cards. I've had a
few options in mind. All of course, would be coupled with an antenna
tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do the job.

Any comments, advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

Michael


Dear Michael: Let us know your call-sign when it arrives.
I too recommend a wire dipole with equal lengths of wire each side of a
ladder-line feed. Avoid the use of so called 4:1 whatever. Consider
finding a 275 Watt Matchbox (a larger item also exists). It is ideal for
efficiently coupling energy from a coax transmitter to ladder-line fed
dipole.

Work on mastering CW as that may be the most effective way to make DX
contacts with low power and a low antenna.

Enjoy. 73, Mac N8TT

J. C. Mc Laughlin
Michigan U.S.A.
Home:

On Jun 17, 7:33*pm, Michael wrote:
Hiya...
Newly minted “non technical” ham here :-)

Been a SW DX’er for many years and decided to get my ham ticket
recently.

Now that I've decided on what to get for my first ham radio, (TS-590s)
I'm moving on to deciding on an antenna. The goal will be DX'ing the
ham bands with phone and eventually CW. I'm looking for an antenna set
up that will work on 10 to 80 meters. Of course, multiple specific
antennas would be an ideal, but that is not in the cards. I've had a
few options in mind. *All of course, would be coupled with an antenna
tuner if the internal auto tuner on the radio cold not do the job.

1. Set up a butternut HF9V on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet above the
ground with tuned radials. *The problem being, the footprint of my
roof is only 35' x 35'. *With the antenna set up in the center of the
roof, there will be only a max of 17" to string the radials outward.
I'd have to "snake" them in order to fit and figure out how to secure
them. *Another draw back is that verticals tend to be noisy. *Not to
mention shelling out money for a roof mount set up and putting lag
bolts in up there.

verticals have gotten a bad rap, they are considered noisy only
because most people who don't have room for anything else put one up
on their roof or back yard where they are often near noise sources.


2. Set up a GAP Titan on a roof mount approx 30-35 feet up. *No
radials needed with that antenna, but I have been told/read that
unless perfectly assembled, they don’t work as advertised. *Again...
Verticals can be a noisy and the set up time and cost.

3. *Set up a Chameleon V11 or v12 vertical rigid diepole on a non
conductive mast mounted to brackets on the side of the house with the
feed point of the antenna being about 25 to 30 feet high. This antenna
is advertised as a "dipole" and does not need any radial set up. There
have only been a few reviews of this antenna. *All are very favorable,
but is it too good to be true??? A vertical mounted rigid antenna
working with no radials even if it is being called a dipole ??? With
this antenna, I’d be able to avoid having to use a roof mount. *Just
mast it to the side of the house high enough for the bottom pole to
clear the roof. *A simple install. *Still… No idea at all how good
this antenna is.

4. *Go with a wire antenna. *I had in mind using the Buckmaster off
center fed diepole. *The eight band 300 watt version has two pole
lengths of 90' and 180' respectively. *I had in mind hooking the
center feed point to the apex height of the side of my house to a non
conductive hook I can screw in up there. *There is enough length of
space on my lot to let both the long and short pole ends to extend out
and down in and inverted V. *I'd secure the pole ends to the ground
with plastic cord and non conductive ground spikes so that the
receiving wire was still elevated 8 to 10" above the ground. *The feed
line would not go straight down from the apex. *Since the top of the
roof is right where the feed point would be secured, I'd pull the feed
up and right on to the roof. *From there, run it across the roof and
down the other side of the house a few feet and right into the shack
on the top floor on the other side of the house. *The upside... No
ground or radials needed, no expensive or troublesome set up, if need
be I can take the thing down in fifteen minutes with no problems at
all with just a small hook left on the side of the house. *It would
also be a more "quite" antenna vs. a vertical like the ones mentioned
above. *The down side... It would radiate well east and west, but not
well off the poles north and south. *Also... The very top of the
antenna would not be elevated above the house, so about ten feet of
each pole up top would be obscured on one side by the house.

any dipole that low isn't going to be very directional, especially if
it is near a buiding.


I also thought about using my current short-wave listening antenna to
transmit with, but I think I’d have to change the matching
transformer. *I’ve got an Inverted L with a 30” vertical length and
40” horizontal length. *That receiving wire is stranded copper made
specifically to be used as receiving wire. It is attached to a
matching transformer (an ICE-180) that is mounted to the foundation of
my house about two feet off the ground. *That ICE-180 is in turn
directly grounded to an 8 foot brass grounding rod. *The feed line is
50 ohm coax that runs up the side of the house from the ICE-180 and
into the shack. The ICE-180 is a “receive only” item and I don’t think
you can load it up.

no, don't transmit through the ice180, it is for receive only.

since the ts590 has a built in tuner just throw up as long a dipole as
you can fit as high as you can get it and get on the air... any
antenna is better than no antenna, and you can make a dipole as good
as any you can buy at much less cost.