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Base Antenna Coax length,Best Coax and best Antenna under $250.00

Lil'Yeshua

Lil'Yeshua

.......
Nov 22, 2012
4,615
313
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Pageland,S.C.
I'm wanting to purchase and install a base antenna for 10-12 meters. I have a 2 ft. Triangular,31 ft. Tower I made out of 1/2 inch. and 3/4 inch. rigid electrical conduit. It has a rotor driven mast coming out of the top of it 6 ft. It has a stacked pair of long DX tv log periodical antennas at 32 ft. and at 36.6 ft. . A stainless steel 102" 1/4 wave whip is mounted at the top of the mast with no coax attached. The mast is 1 1/2" plumbing pipe(withstood Hurricane Floyd)and has a tv rotor rotating it. It is approximately 65 ft. From the bottom of the tower to where a base station radio would be hooked up. The tower is anchored to a 9000 lb. poured block of concrete using three,one inch diameter,three foot long galvanized threaded rods. The tower is free standing. How long and what type coax would be appropriate? I want as low loss coax as I can get. I'll be using a legal power rated radio,no amps.P.S. the coax will be buried.
 

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Figure the lengths of the mast, a 'loop' to get around the rotor, the tower, and from the tower to the radio. Add in a few feet just to be sure it all reaches and that ought to give you a fairly close guestimate on how long that single feed line would be. I would think that the total length is going to be 100 feet or less, and if so, then almost anything from RG-8X and 'larger' ought to work just fine. Don't get too 'tied up'/worried about losses at HF, they won't be that much.
Have fun.
- 'Doc
 
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Here's some more options. Little cheaper maybe.

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=342_344_381

I don't think I would feel comfortable burying regular old RG8X cable from a truck stop.

Your install sounds a little permanent. If your really really sure that you will not be wanting to run some big power or go higher in mHz. Then absolutely, go for the 8X or something similar that will withstand burial.
 
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Sounds like a good skip antenna!

Sounds like a good skip antenna. I have a 102" 1/4 wave stainless steel whip mounted up there right now. I want to see if the stacked pair of tv antennas will provide some sort of ground plane. There's one guy twenty-five miles from me that uses a Texas Star for a base with a homemade 8 pill amp. He's super loud and has no problem making DX contacts. I'll have to ask him what base antenna he uses. Maybe a homemade GainMaster in the near future?(y)
 
Coax

m42duster said:
Buy whatever length gets you from point A to point B. Add a few feet or more for unexpected issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's wisdom speaking and not Homer Simpson going,"Do-ah!!!!" The last time I bought coax was on the Eighties. I and my two brothers divided in three parts a 500 ft. roll of Stinger X mini 8 coax. Does anyone make a comparable product or is there better stuff out there? :pop:
 
You only need 100' with connectors?

The question now is: Do you want to spend less than $50 or do you want to have the best possible coax their is?

We can post links to some expensive stuff, if'n you want.
 
m42duster said:
You only need 100' with connectors?

The question now is: Do you want to spend less than $50 or do you want to have the best possible coax their is?

We can post links to some expensive stuff, if'n you want.
Click to expand...

Not the ultra expensive stuff. Low loss. 102 ft. But 100 ft. will do. Not no more than $90 unless it can be found at a discounted price. It will get me out of the car and into the house(easychair). What are your suggestions for a vertical base antenna? I thought about experimenting with the 102" stainless steel whip that's mounted on it now.
 

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