15-Yr-Old Kelvin Doe Wows M.I.T.

This kid is AMAZING!!!

My current HF antenna design source

The EARC 40-6M End-Fed matchbox

Endfed6_40.pdf

This is the design for my current HF antenna...I have been fiddling with antenna and counterpoise lengths and I find the 31 feet with no counterpoise has worked best for me...

73,

Fixed Coax and redid the End-Fed(up)

Well, I fixed the shorted coax connector, and redid the End-Fed antenna...Still fed through the 9:1 UNUN in the posts below, but now has a 31 foot radiator and a 27 foot Counterpoise.  Seems to tune OK??? on all bands 80 through 12 except for 15 meters...I think if I had a roller inductor tuner, that I could tune 80 through 10 more easily.  Come Spring, I am gonna try a different approach and maybe go with Isotrons, or maybe a GAP (no ground plane) antenna.
But for now, I can tune 40 and 20 fairly well, and also 17 and 12 meters. 80 tunes, but very lousy reception, so probably lousy transmit too...10 does not tune well at all.  I can always come up with a 10M dipole or vertical if I want.

73,

P.S. I am calling it the End-Fed(up), because it gives me nothing but trouble most of the time, but when it works, it works VERY well...

Now I need new Coax

Need a straight 50 foot run of good coax...Gonna be another month before I can put up the new antenna properly.

73,

UPDATE:

I scavenged a Coax connector and made up a new length of feedline. Took me 2 times to get the solder job right (first time I had a short).  Now the Doublet just will not tune right, because I cannot get it up high enough...Going back to the End-Fed with the new coax and a counterpoise...Now how long will it take me to get this thing to tune correctly???  I need to find a solution before I pull out all my hair!

73,

New Antenna on the way

Just ordered a new antenna 40-10M from BuxComm...The 4010CD 

Hope that it does the job for me...

73,

UPDATE:  I cannot hang this antenna up high enough right now with the snow on the ground...It will have to wait till Spring when I can take my antenna pole down and get it up to 30 feet or higher...they recommend 32-35 feet...

Tonight I am saddened

Tonight I got word that the pet that was like a child of mine for nearly 8 years passed. "Maggie" May Doodles was the name I called her by. She slept with me every night. We walked the local streets every day. She layed in my lap when I was sad or worried. She never asked me for a thing, but she gave me all her love. You will be missed dearly Maggie...Run wild and free...

 12.22.99 - 10.31.14

2014 CQ WW SSB Contest

Pretty much just fooled around in this contest, but by my log, I have 37 (31 on 20M/6 on 40M) contacts with a multiplier of 47 (38 on 20M/8 on 40M) for 4,512 points...I have had more fun with this than anything I have done so far. Lots of new places contacted...See my log at the bottom of the page.
I put the End-Fed back to 31 feet length, no counterpoise...It seems to tune the best at this length with the 9:1 UNUN. It is now 30 feet in the air from my back balcony to the corner tree. It tunes 40 down to 20M fine, but puts RF in the shack from 17M-6M...I think this is because my coax run is too short, I do not have a proper RF ground, and I am not using a counterpoise. If you stand just 50 yards away, the antenna disappears from site...HI HI  Next year I think I will try Isotron Antennas, unless I find something better for my situation.

73!