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Have Radio, No QSO

KB1SYV

KB1SYV

Old School Newbie
Sep 11, 2009
23
0
11
56
On me boat!
www.qsl.net
Hello Everyone,

I finally got my rig and got an excellent deal in the process. I am the proud owner of a Yaesu FT-897D w/FP-30 internal PS, LDG AT-897, and 5 vertical antenna's for 40,20,17,15, and 10 m. All for $1050.00. Now that's the good news. The bad news is I've been scanning the 40 meter band for about 3 hours now and I can barely hear anyone, except for one and I found out by his callsign that he is the next town over. I have yet to have anyone answer my call. My feeling is that my transmit is not meeting the range of my recieve, by a longshot. I'm pretty sure my issue is the fact that I live in an apartment and I put the 40 meter antenna out my one window. The possible problem is that the antenna doesn't clear the surrounding 4 walls. I live on the 3rd floor, but the top of the building extends further up from my floor. I don't have access to the roof so I can't move the antenna up there. Does anyone have any ideas? Are my assumptions correct or is it something else? Would putting an antenna "in" my apartment give me a better outcome?

Thanks in advance.

Jethro
 

Great deal.

Antennas are the most important part of the radio system. Getting them have all the performance they can produce will probably be your biggest challenge - especially in an apartment. That situation may prove to be very difficult.

If it is agreeable to the apartment mgr; maybe a single antenna in the form of a 10-40 meter dipole may be best. Apartments are really very strict about this kind of thing - I hope the best for you in this given situation.

Having them indoors can work; but chances are - it will hinder performance even more...
 
You mentioned that they're vertical antennas. I'm assuming that you are using some type of counterpoise? What can you tell us about the antennas? Of course it doesn't help that propagation has been lousy...
 
I'm positive its the location. My window is located on one of the walls of a stone box for lack of a better term. The roofline is ten ft above my window. The only open air is above. I'm not sure what to do. But one thing is for sure, the answer isn't to move. That's the lazy answer.

73,

Jethro
 
A lot of people use indoor dipoles, loops, and other antennas in apartments. It's by no means ideal, but it is doable.
 
I've been trying to use an 8ft 20m and a 40m hamstick inside but I get nothing. I ran a 18 AWG jacketed wire from the back of the radio out my window to 15 ft below, but I'm not sure what else to do to get any reception from indoors.
 
KB1SYV said:
I've been trying to use an 8ft 20m and a 40m hamstick inside but I get nothing. I ran a 18 AWG jacketed wire from the back of the radio out my window to 15 ft below, but I'm not sure what else to do to get any reception from indoors.
Click to expand...


How do you have those hamsticks mounted? Are you able to increase the amount of ground plane underneath of them?
 
The other day when I bought the whole thing, the seller gave me one of those mondo 3 magnet mag mounts. I nitially just tried to put it on my A/C unit and go from there, well as I've learned, that's not gonna work. I really have no way to increase it, maybe radials???
 
The A/C unit is nowhere near enough of a groundplane to work good on 20 meters and 40 meters would almost be a waste of time. There are a few ways to accomplish what you're trying to do, though. One way is to use some kind of bracket, mirror mount or something similar and attach it to some type of stand, tripod or something. Then you run as many wires as you can on the ground out from the ground side of the bracket. If you can't do that, try to figure out a way to attach some wires to the A/C unit and drop them down. They don't have to be heavy gauge wire...something inconspicuous will work fine...just make it as long as you can.
 
Does it matter that the antenna doesn't even clear the roofline? Remember my antenna is basically inside a stone box. I don't have any ground around my window, I'm on the third fllor. About 15 ft down is the roof of the 1st flor, could I drop a half dozen wires to that roof? Would it accomplish the same?
 
Luck has hit, finally!!! I talked my landlord into roof access, which is about 40 ft, with one stipulation. He doesn't want it more than 3 ft above the roof. My buildings roof is flat, and the connected adjacent buildings roof is pitched. I need to find out what door has opened for me with this opportunity, any ideas?

73,

Jethro
 
Oh hell...now you can stop messing around with that hamstick :) :) How big is the roof surface area? You can easily put up some horizontal dipoles 3' off of the roof...no problem. Or maybe a wire loop...or...you have a bunch of options now! (y)
 

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