Cecil,
Changing feed line length is a viable option for a land
station, but a not-so-viable option for a sailboat. Where/how
do you place it to keep it out of the way?
'Doc

"James" wrote in message
.. .
Bill Turner wrote:
On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:01:33 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:


Let's see, would I rather switch knife switches at my operating
position or go outside in a Texas Thunder Storm to attach the
pigtails? At my age, I could develop pneumonia or catch the flu
(no flu shot this year). Pneumonia and/or flu is not simple or
cheap. Think I'll stick with my Ladder-Line Length Selector. :-)


__________________________________________________ _______

You misunderstand. On a sailboat, the pigtails for selecting L-networks
could (and should) be inside the boat, right under the eyepad for the
antenna.

Pneumonia not required.

--
Bill W6WRT


No possible way that could be accomodated with any degree of safety or
convenience at all Bill.

On a sailboat, the conventional way to run a long piece of wire is up the
mast at the stern. Either a wire or an insultated backstay is used. The
backstay is the guy wire at the back of the boat holding the mast up.
Insulators can be cut into the backstay allowing it to be used as an
antenna. I don't care for that much as it seems possible for the backstay
insulators to fail (even though the manufacturers claim otherwise),
leading to a dismasting. People die that way. So I run a simple copper
wire up the back between the 2 backstays.

At the stern of most sailboats, there are exterior storage lockers. A very
heavy stainless steel "chain plate" is attached to the hull at the stern,
and the back stay (or in my case stays, as I have two) are attached to
those chain plates. My chain plates are right on the transom which is
typical of most sailboats. That's RIGHT at the back of the boat. There is
a stern locker nearby for storage of stuff you want to use in the cockpit.
That is a typical layout for most sailboats. Then, heading forward there
is a cockpit area, then the companionway down into the cabin. Below the
cockpit is engine, and no living space. The livingspace typically begins
at the companionway.

Typically, the radio is located at the nav station, which is midship in
the cabin, in my case about 15 feet from the stern locker where the tuner
is located. My boat is quite typical of most sailboats. There is no living
space in the vicinity of the transom nor is there living space under the
cockpit. Some sailboats feature a center cockpit, in which case a large
master stateroom is usually under the back of the boat. That's not where a
radio belongs either. It belongs at the nav station.

In other words, in order to use pigtails "right under the antenna" as you
suggest I would have to go outside of the cabin by climbing up the
companionway, walk to the very back of the boat (a place you do not want
to be when in heavy weather), open a stern locker, get down on my hands
and knees and fiddle with the pigtails whilst pitching about as if in a
washing machine of the spin cycle. Then go (stagger really) back inside to
use the radio. Switch bands? Do the whole thing again. By the way in heavy
weather, leaving the cabin also entails strapping on a heavy safety
harness, possibly foul weather wear, and then attaching the safety harness
to a line that is attached to the boat, before exiting the cabin. As you
can surely appreciate, pigtails or any other mechanical connections to be
messed with would simply not work in the environmnent.

Simply put, the only practical solution on a sailboat is a tuner. That is
why I have never yet (in over 25 years of serious messing with boats and
countless sea miles under my keel) seen a ham or marine SSB equipped boat
without a tuner.

It is the ONLY practical solution.

I notice nobody has mentioned traps. That would be another way. 50 feet is
long enough to have it work 75 meters, if there are several traps in line.
From what I understand, the antenna is mostly vertical. Tuner or not, a 50
foot vertical is getting to be too long for low angle radiation at the
higher bands.

Tam/WB2TT

"James" wrote in message
.. .
Bill Turner wrote:
On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:01:33 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:


Let's see, would I rather switch knife switches at my operating
position or go outside in a Texas Thunder Storm to attach the
pigtails? At my age, I could develop pneumonia or catch the flu
(no flu shot this year). Pneumonia and/or flu is not simple or
cheap. Think I'll stick with my Ladder-Line Length Selector. :-)


__________________________________________________ _______

You misunderstand. On a sailboat, the pigtails for selecting L-networks
could (and should) be inside the boat, right under the eyepad for the
antenna.

Pneumonia not required.

--
Bill W6WRT


No possible way that could be accomodated with any degree of safety or
convenience at all Bill.

On a sailboat, the conventional way to run a long piece of wire is up the
mast at the stern. Either a wire or an insultated backstay is used. The
backstay is the guy wire at the back of the boat holding the mast up.
Insulators can be cut into the backstay allowing it to be used as an
antenna. I don't care for that much as it seems possible for the backstay
insulators to fail (even though the manufacturers claim otherwise),
leading to a dismasting. People die that way. So I run a simple copper
wire up the back between the 2 backstays.

At the stern of most sailboats, there are exterior storage lockers. A very
heavy stainless steel "chain plate" is attached to the hull at the stern,
and the back stay (or in my case stays, as I have two) are attached to
those chain plates. My chain plates are right on the transom which is
typical of most sailboats. That's RIGHT at the back of the boat. There is
a stern locker nearby for storage of stuff you want to use in the cockpit.
That is a typical layout for most sailboats. Then, heading forward there
is a cockpit area, then the companionway down into the cabin. Below the
cockpit is engine, and no living space. The livingspace typically begins
at the companionway.

Typically, the radio is located at the nav station, which is midship in
the cabin, in my case about 15 feet from the stern locker where the tuner
is located. My boat is quite typical of most sailboats. There is no living
space in the vicinity of the transom nor is there living space under the
cockpit. Some sailboats feature a center cockpit, in which case a large
master stateroom is usually under the back of the boat. That's not where a
radio belongs either. It belongs at the nav station.

In other words, in order to use pigtails "right under the antenna" as you
suggest I would have to go outside of the cabin by climbing up the
companionway, walk to the very back of the boat (a place you do not want
to be when in heavy weather), open a stern locker, get down on my hands
and knees and fiddle with the pigtails whilst pitching about as if in a
washing machine of the spin cycle. Then go (stagger really) back inside to
use the radio. Switch bands? Do the whole thing again. By the way in heavy
weather, leaving the cabin also entails strapping on a heavy safety
harness, possibly foul weather wear, and then attaching the safety harness
to a line that is attached to the boat, before exiting the cabin. As you
can surely appreciate, pigtails or any other mechanical connections to be
messed with would simply not work in the environmnent.

Simply put, the only practical solution on a sailboat is a tuner. That is
why I have never yet (in over 25 years of serious messing with boats and
countless sea miles under my keel) seen a ham or marine SSB equipped boat
without a tuner.

It is the ONLY practical solution.

I notice nobody has mentioned traps. That would be another way. 50 feet is
long enough to have it work 75 meters, if there are several traps in line.
From what I understand, the antenna is mostly vertical. Tuner or not, a 50
foot vertical is getting to be too long for low angle radiation at the
higher bands.

Tam/WB2TT