Setting Up My Dipole

[OttawaValley_309]

Ok so im hoping to get my double spooky bazooka dipole up sometime in the next week or so. Im gonna be installing it between two chimneys. They're 18 ft apart and the antenna is 17 ft long. So it just fits. What can you suggest to use to tie around the chimney to hold the dipole in place?

 

[cjruger]

string, rope, or something non conductive. or if it must be wire use several zip ties together to attach. then you can easily tighten it up

 

[w9cll]

Nylon rope is what I use and its been up for years and no failure yet.

 

[OttawaValley_309]

Good to know. So I should be able to pick this stuff up at a hardware store or walmart eh? Does it require any sort of UV protection?

Thoughts comparisons? Local vs DX?

Gonna be up against an Antron99 running verticle and the dipole horizontally running east west.

 

[Beetle]

If you're in an area with a lot of sunshine, UV protection will help the antenna stay up where it's supposed to be. One note about chimneys (the brick and mortar kind in particular: don't put too much tension on them or you might find yourself in big trouble next Christmas, if you get my drift....

They are designed to support their own weight in the vertical plane; lateral forces, not so much.

 

[W5LZ]

Something else to consider is that any antenna does better if it isn't close to anything. In your proposed mounting location there will be very little distance between the ends of your antenna and the chimneys. That will affect the tuning of the antenna and it's performance. That isn't as critical as it may sound but it does have some affect on what you are going to hear. The 'biggy' is that if that's the only place you have to put an antenna, then put it there, it'll certainly beat not having an antenna!
- 'Doc

 

[tuner]

How is your bazooka working for you ?

 

[OttawaValley_309]

How is your bazooka working for you ?

Well. After setting it up this afternoon. U have a 3+ reading in the red on the DSB dipole and for whatever reason a reading 1.5 on the Solarcon A99 which is normally at 1-1.1

 

[W5LZ]

At least one reason why you are not seeing a 'nice' SWR on either antenna is their proximity to each other and other metal thingys around them. One suggestion is to move that dipole from between the two chimneys so that it's further away from the vertical antenna. Can you 'string' it between your house and a tree or the pole by the car? That would help both antennas not just the dipole. Something that would help the vertical is to get it higher, meaning away from the TV antenna and the metal on the chimney.
Antennas like being above metal rather than beside metal and don't like being under or near metal that isn't a 'part' of them. Just going by the numbers you provide, I think I'd move things.
- 'Doc

 

[OttawaValley_309]

My swr on the vertical has always been good. As I stated. It was 1-1.1 always. Even with it being at the chimney and with the tv antenna attached. So those issues shouldnt be a factor other then maybe the fact that I moved the tv antenna up a few inches closer to the connector point on the vertical and pointed it a different direction. Which actually helped me pull in moee stations. But thats for a different forum. Other then that nothing really changed for the vertical.

I really dont see why the chimneys and the vertical would have an effect on the dipoles swr. I think they're fine right where they are. Just dont understand the high swr.

 

[W5LZ]

Any two antennas 'near' each other, especially if designed for the same band will affect each other. You can't get around that. One of the ways they can affect each other is the apparent SWR of either/both antennas can change. Another is that the resonant frequency of both can also change. This affect lessens as the design frequency of the two antennas diverge. The further the frequencies are from each other the less affect each will have on the other. If both antennas are for the same -band- then count on there being some affects. The same for proximity, how close they are together. The closer the worser, sort of. That TV antenna may not affect the vertical (or the dipole) much but you can bet that there's some affect. Getting rid of that 'affect', or minimizing it is part of the tuning procedure for any antenna. But that 'tuning' can only go so far, the affect of one antenna on another can only be compensated for so much, it can never be eliminated completely except by distance.
- 'Doc

 

[OttawaValley_309]

I am thinking of actually thinking of getting another five ft pole to put on the other corner of the chimney. And i can separate the tv antenna onto its own there. With only a discone on top of it for the scanner antenna which by the way is long term addition later. I have good enough means to listen to the scanner other ways. Atleast on there it will be two recieve antenna only. I only have one chimney to work with so I dont really have the means to run the dipole longer anywhere else. I was thinking in v shape along the edge of the roof or even horizontal on the edge of the roof. Just would have to figure out how to hang it.

Ive had some good suggestions given to me since yesterday so.

 

[tuner]

Bazooka

This my Spooky Bazooka up 15 feet. Swr 1.1 . Left side is attached to a 10 foot pole mounted to the fence. right side is up my vertical mast supported by a bungee cord for strain relief.

 

[OttawaValley_309]

This my Spooky Bazooka up 15 feet. Swr 1.1 . Left side is attached to a 10 foot pole mounted to the fence. right side is up my vertical mast supported by a bungee cord for strain relief.

Very nice. Glad to see its working for you.

 

[Chewwy]

I use 550 cord myself. I purchased an entire spool, will last me many years.